Monday February 17, 2020 John R. O'Brien

Theme: JULIUS CAESAR (56. Attributed speaker of the circled words)

20. Deer hunter's dinner, perhaps: VENISON STEAK.

34. Cutting in half, in math class: DIVIDING BY TWO.

42. Nearby: IN THE VICINITY.

Boomer here.  

Interesting - I came, I saw, I conquered. Once again my high school Latin pays off.  Speaking of Julius Caesar's Palace, we drove by it last week on the way to Palace Station and the Fashion Show Mall. I did not conquer Caesar's but I did beat up on a couple of Craps machines.  Not huge, but I did go home with what I brought. It was the Annual meeting of OMEGA (Older More Energetic Graybar Associates), retirees at the Orleans.  I generally give a little of my humor to my "Medicare Miracle" friends. My middle name is Robert and my mother's name was Hope so I give them a little Bob Hope act.  All I needed was Bing Crosby and Raquel Welch.

Across:

1. Weed whackers: HOES.  I use the motorized kind with a nylon string that spins.

5. Annoy: MIFF.  Sometimes the craps dice can make you MIFFED.

9. Macbeth, by birth: SCOT.

13. Saintly glows: AURAS.  Las Vegas lights are something else.

15. Impressionist: APER.

16. Lola's nightclub, in song: COPA.  Home of Desi Arnaz' act. I don't think Bob Hope ever played there.

17. Like an old joke: STALE.  Yeah, I told a few of them at the banquet.

18. Wind that's worth a warning: GALE.  Could be Dorothy GALE from Kansas.

19. Idi of Uganda: AMIN.

23. Holy Ohio city?: TOLEDO.  Home of the Mud Hens.

26. Bridal bio word: NEE.

27. Sault __ Marie: STE.

28. "I think," to a texter: IMO.  In My Opinion.

29. Childlike race in "The Time Machine": ELOI.

32. Learn thoroughly: MASTER.  Coming to Augusta in April.

37. Seine summers: ETES.

38. Lincoln or Ford: CAR.  We rented a Ford Escape. If you are a Medicare Miracle don't even think about it.

39. Love, in Spain: AMOR.

47. Fidel who overthrew Batista: CASTRO.  U.S Presidents last 4 or 8 years.  This guy lasted til my hair started turning white.

49. Aussie birds that don't fly: EMUS.

50. San Francisco's __ Valley: NOE.  Another spelling of the name of the guy who floated a ship in a flood.

51. Diplomatic VIP: AMB. Ambassador.

52. NBA tiebreakers: OTS.  Our Timberwolves are usually 30 points behind so no overtime is necessary.

54. Sports team swaps: TRADES.  Twins made a bunch of trades this winter.  "World Series here they come ???"

60. Medical suffix: OSIS.

61. Sentry's "Stop!": HALT.

62. Swiss peak in an Eastwood film title: EIGER. The Eiger Sanction.

66. Eye part: LENS.  Eye of a camera??

67. Oil cartel letters: OPEC.

68. Iced tea wedge: LEMON.  I like a little lemon in iced tea.  But we don't drink it in the frozen tundra,

69. Icelandic poetic work: EDDA.

70. PC repair person: TECH.  Up here they are called the Geek Squad from Best Buy.

71. Avec's opposite: SANS.

Down:

1. Suffers from: HAS.

2. One of an inning's three: OUT. "And it's ONE, TWO, THREE Strikes you're out at the old ball game"

3. Pitcher's stat: ERA.  This can be raised if someone sets up a camera in center field and signals the guy with the bat to hit the trash can.

4. Soothing cream: SALVE.  I've tried Blue Emu, Arctic Ice and Biofreeze. I am open to suggestions.

5. Carol kings: MAGI.  "We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar."

6. Hoppy brews, for short: IPAS.

7. Serious criminal: FELON.  "When a FELON'S not engaged in his employment, or construing his felonious little plans... His capacity for innocent enjoyment is just as great as any honest man's."

8. Portmanteau for a false ally: FRENEMY.

9. "Beat it, feline!": SCAT.  I'm not done yet!!

10. Is remembered: COMES TO MIND.  February 14 comes to mind.  Belated Happy Valentine's Day.

11. Addictive narcotic: OPIATE. In 2018 I needed to take some of that Oxy stuff for pain. I did not feel addicted, but I only took it for a month or so.

12. Oil cartel ship: TANKER.

14. Started the grass-growing process: SEEDED.  Give me a couple of months.  The snow plow guy that does our driveway created some lawn to plant.

21. __ me tangere: "Don't touch me": NOLI.

22. Place to park it: SEAT.  I heard a cheap one at the Super Bowl ran about $2500.00.

23. Ocean motion: TIDE. We wash our clothes with Purex.

24. Skip over: OMIT.

25. Age-old romantic adage: LOVE IS BLIND.

30. A single time: ONCE.  "ONCE upon a time there were three bears".  You know the rest.

31. "__ it my best": I GAVE.  I GAVE the craps machine my best shot.  I like the machine because the minimum bet is very low, compared to the live tables.

33. Graceful pond swimmer: SWAN.

35. "That __ fair!": ISN'T.  Slot machines do not have slots anymore, just a place to slide in your Twenty.  What ISN'T fair are the bright lights promising jackpots in the thousands.  You can't fool me.  However I did win $17.00 on a .40 cent play once.

36. Fedora feature: BRIM.

40. Great Plains tribe: OTOE.  Once in the Great Lakes area, The OTOE moved south through Iowa and Missouri.  I think they are alive and well in Oklahoma.  I guess they couldn't take our winters.

41. Deli breads: RYES.  St. Patrick's day is coming.  Time for corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut on RYE.

43. Pants, briefly: TROU.

44. Someone who's good, and obviously knows it: HOTSHOT.  You're a poet and you don't know it, but your feet show it, they're Longfellows.

45. Skips, as class: CUTS.

46. Tel Aviv's land: ISRAEL.

47. Sweet-talk: CAJOLE.

48. Got a smile out of: AMUSED.  Here goes my intro. "I want to thank the company president for hosting this fine banquet and especially for letting us know that the people that were hired to replace us are doing a helluva lot better than we ever did."

53. Suffix with land or sea: SCAPE.  Or put an "E" in front of it and you're outta here.

55. Spring zodiac sign: ARIES.  Three days after St. Patrick's day.  Hope you have some corned beef left.

57. "Insecure" Emmy nominee __ Rae: ISSA.

58. Knighted actor Guinness: ALEC.  Obi Wan Kenobi.

59. Draw with acid: ETCH.  If you once owned an Etch-a Sketch you are a Medicare Miracle.

63. ABC show for early risers, briefly: GMA.

64. Long, long time: EON.  "A Long, Long time ago, I can still remember how the music used to make me smile."  Don McClean - "American Pie."

65. ICU workers: RNS.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Here is a picture of Boomer in front of The Orleans. It was a long trip. We left home at 2:30am on Sunday and arrived at our hotel room at 6:00pm. Heavy snow plus a few other issues. Boomer's annual Graybar OMEGA gathering went nicely tough. Here is a clip of his old colleagues at the event. The lady at the 1:44 minute mark is the big boss.

Monday February 10, 2020 Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

Theme: CLAY (72. Potter's material associated with the end of 17-, 27-, 49- and 64-Across) - Synonym theme.

17. Bit of insurance paperwork: CLAIM FORM.

27. No longer in style: OUT OF FASHION.

49. Work out regularly at the gym: GET INTO SHAPE.

64. Fungus on an old loaf: BREAD MOLD.

Boomer here.  

Hello everyone. I remember when I used to hate Mondays, but now I have retired and my bowling league competes every Monday morning in the winter. Speaking of winter, it is still here in Minnesota.  Waiting for April.

Across:

1. Depletes, with "up": USES.  We used to have so many uses for modeling clay when I was a kid.

5. Pod in Creole cuisine: OKRA.

9. Theme park that retired its IllumiNations show in 2019: EPCOT.  I visited there around 1987.  I don't remember IllumiNations but it was an interesting theme park.

14. Tall and skinny: LANK. I used to be that in the 60s.  Then I got old and my upper chest dropped down a foot or two.

15. Umpire's call: FOUL. Yup, I am waiting for the season to begin.  I heard that the first pitch is in mid to late March.  That would be interesting at Target Field.  I guess the Twins open on the road.

16. Greek played by Anthony Quinn: ZORBA. Zorba the Greek.

19. Earlier offense: PRIOR.  Interesting - Minnesota has a small city called Prior Lake.  I suppose that means that there was one of 10,000 lakes there first.

20. Series-ending abbr.: ETC.

21. Set as a price: ASK.  ASK and you will receive.

22. Accumulates: AMASSES.  I have AMASSED a bunch of Baseball cards.

24. Letters shown in the "Wheel of Fortune" bonus round: R S T L N E.

26. PC panic key: ESC.  I had a bit of panic on the computer but C.C. fixed it. 

34. Public tantrum: SCENE.  Shakespeare, Clifford O'Dets,  Arthur Miller, Pirandello ??  (The Hip Song - Chad Mitchell of course.)

37. Hydroplaned: SLID.  I think Jack and Jill SLID down the hill.

38. Writer Ferber: EDNA.

39. Novelist Levin: IRA.  Keep it loaded to delay income tax.  But when you get to be my age, Uncle Sam says you have to take some out.

40. Charge card charge: LATE FEE.  This is how credit cards make $$$.  Not from C.C. and me though.

43. Tarzan player Ron: ELY.

44. Owlet's home: NEST. N E S T L E S, Nestle's makes the very best.  Chocolate.

46. With everything in place: NEAT.

47. ER images: X RAYS.  Do not need anymore.  The ER figured out what was wrong with me.  Well, physically anyway.

52. __ ring: foot jewelry: TOE.  Waste of money.

53. Postgame rundowns: RECAPS.  My bowling league secretary emails a RECAP every week, So we can see how we did.

57. Domed hall: ROTUNDA.

61. Watergate pres.: RMN.  Tricky Dick.  Always thought Milhous was an odd middle name.

62. Sigma follower: TAU.

63. Soft palate part: UVULA.

67. Latish wake-up hr.: TEN AM.  I am on my third cup of coffee and thinking about lunch by then.

68. James of "Elf": CAAN.  I suppose folks remember him in the "Godfather" but my favorite roll was his portrayal of Brian Piccolo in a TV movie called Brian's Song.

69. Charitable offerings: ALMS.

70. Catch by trickery: SNARE.

71. Prefix with formal or final: SEMI.  Also a big truck.

Down:

1. Worrier's stomach woe: ULCER.  I have been lucky to never have one of these.  And I have eaten some outrageous stuff in my lifetime.

2. Seasons with crystals: SALTS.  Don't use these to treat an ulcer.

3. Make official: ENACT.

4. Tackle moguls: SKI.  We have many small mountain ski areas here in MN, but I have never tried.  My winter sport is ... You know.

5. Cancel out: OFFSET.

6. Eccentric sort: KOOK.  KOOKIE,  KOOKIE lend me your comb.

7. Capek play about automatons: RUR.

8. __ mater: ALMA.  "Bright college years we sing to thee"

9. Toll-paying convenience: EZ PASS.  We have no toll roads in Minnesota.  Come on up and drive for free.

10. Sports car that has two syllables in German: PORSCHE.  I don't think you can drive one of these for free.  Insurance will take its toll.

11. NFL analyst Collinsworth: CRIS.

12. Slender wind: OBOE.

13. Seasoned sailors: TARS.  Never knew how they got that name.  I have seasoned TAR on my driveway.

18. "Hamilton" creator Lin-__ Miranda: MANUEL.  Quite a production.  It's making the rounds.

23. Victor at Gettysburg: MEADE.  Civil War General - Kicked Robert E. Lee's butt at Gettysburg.

25. Chaney of silents: LON.  I've heard of him but he was well before my time.

28. Bone: Pref.: OSTEO.

29. Pet peeves?: FLEAS.  "My dog has fleas!"

30. Saks __ Avenue: FIFTH.  Also a bottle of Chivas Regal.

31. Mental flash: IDEA.

32. "I'm __ human": ONLY.  "Only the Lonely" Roy Orbison.

33. Negative votes: NAYS.  A bunch of these on the Senate floor last week.

34. Act the fink: SING.  Sing, Sing a song.  Make it simple to last the whole day long. (Carpenters).

35. First Nations tribe: CREE.

36. "__ of Eden": EAST.  Home of the AL Yankees and Red Sox.  Get 'em Twins 2020.

41. Paid for a hand: ANTED.  Years ago we caddies would play poker in the country club caddy shack.  The ante was usually five cents.  But that was a lot of $$$ in 1960.   

42. Use, as energy: EXPEND.

45. In name only: TITULAR.  I'll leave this alone.

48. DVR button: REC.

50. Like a generic brand: NO NAME.  There's a company in MN called "No Name Steaks".  I have never tried one, I like steak with a name, even if it is only sirloin.

51. Designer Giorgio: ARMANI.  I don't need his clothing and I cannot afford it anyway.

54. Ring-shaped reef: ATOLL.

55. Director Brian De __: PALMA.

56. Like dishwater: SUDSY.  And also like Pabst Blue Ribbon.

57. Boring routines: RUTS.  We have ice ruts up here this year that are unbelievable!  Dangerous but C.C. and I take our time.  I would hate to have to call the fire department to pick me up off the ground.

58. Baking appliance: OVEN.

59. Fish in cat food: TUNA.  I did not know it was cat food,  StarKist is a favorite on Fridays in Lent.

60. Preschool basics: ABCS.

61. Paper quantity: REAM.  I think it's 500 sheets.  One ream lasts us about two years.

65. Grammy winner Corinne Bailey __: RAE.

66. PC alternative: MAC.  Oh yeah, that thing.  I always thought it was a big sandwich.

Boomer

Monday February 3, 2020 David Poole

Theme: PINHEADS (62. Tops of sewing fasteners ... and what the starts of 17-, 26-, 37- and 51-Across can have) - The first word can follow "pin".

17. Getaway car driver: WHEEL MAN. Pinwheel.

26. Golfer's dream: HOLE IN ONE. Pinhole.

37. You can't go back after passing it: POINT OF NO RETURN. Pinpoint.

 

51. Kit and caboodle: BALL OF WAX. Pinball.

Boomer here. Good bye January!!  Come again when you can't stay so long.  We had a taste of Spring on Groundhog Day.  45 degrees up here in the frozen tundra. I am sure the groundhog saw his shadow and old man winter will get even.  In Minnesota, when snow melts on February 2, it generally turns to ice by February 4.

Quite a Super Bowl football game yesterday.  I confess, I did not watch the halftime show or the commercials.  My remote channel changer got a workout, but Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Across:

1. Actor Beatty: NED.  He had parts in a lot of movies.  My favorite was "Deliverance".

4. Spirited horse: ARAB.  I thought "Maximum Security" was pretty spirited in the Derby.  I still don't know why the horse was disqualified.

8. Cold-weather omen on Groundhog Day: SHADOW. "Me, and my shadow, strolling down the avenue."

14. Prefix with Pen: EPI.

15. Leisurely pace: LOPE.  Certainly was not Maximum Security's faux pas.

16. Dwell: RESIDE. If the siding on your dwelling becomes rotten, you will need to reside.

19. Flowery van Gogh painting: IRISES.  "I could have told you Vincent, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you",  "Starry Night" by Don McClean in the American Pie album.  A little history.  Don McClean was waiting in Fargo for the Buddy Holly plane that did not make it.

20. Superficially highbrow: ARTY.  I remember ARTY Johnson in "Laugh In", although I suppose it could have been ARTIE.

21. Play segments: ACTS.

23. Cheese go-with: MAC.  Get a big one at the golden arches for about $2.50.

24. Injured in the bullring: GORED. The U.S. was not gored after the long recount in Florida in 2000.

30. Put inside: ENCLOSE.  Nielsen ratings called me on the phone and sent me $3.00 enclosed in a letter just for telling them what TV shows I watched last Saturday.

32. German "east": OST.

33. Dead __ Scrolls: SEA.  Seattle Airport designation??

34. Bank acct. addition: INT.  Generally it comes after the decimal point.

35. Little trickster: IMP.  Too early for Halloween.

36. One of 50 on the U.S. flag: STAR.  "Oh say can you see?"

42. Went up: ROSE. By any other name still smells the same.

43. 35-Down relative: LLC. 35. Business name abbr.: INC.

44. Land in the Seine: ILE.

45. Lennon's love Yoko: ONO.  Still alive and well in her mid 80s.

46. Chinese chairman: MAO.  Many years ago.  Mr. Mao Zedong is no longer with us.

47. Everlasting: ETERNAL. My Mom's name was Hope. She always repeated "Hope springs ETERNAL."

54. Hundred Acre Wood creator: MILNE. I asked Winnie the Pooh and he knew nothing about Hundred Acre Woods.

55. Help: AID.

56. Lab safety org.?: SPCA.

58. Clinton and Obama, astrologically: LEOS.  I guess they were both Lions.

59. Escape: GET OUT.  Bar call at 1:00 AM in Minnesota.  And it may be a good idea to take a cab or Uber.

64. In a fair way: EVENLY.

65. Ivan or Nicholas: TSAR.

66. Observe: SEE.  "I SEE said the blind man, but he really didn't..."

67. Common people, with "the": MASSES.  My church has three.  I usually go to the early Sunday performance.

68. "Family Guy" creator MacFarlane: SETH.

69. "Cats" monogram: TSE.  Half of a fly.

Down:

1. Genre for Enya: NEW AGE.  I think NEW AGE is a brand name.  You can buy everything from soda pop to siding on your house.  I don't think they sell bowling balls though so who cares.

2. Screenwriter Nora: EPHRON. "You've Got Mail" director.

3. Low-calorie cola, familiarly: DIET RC.  WOW.  Royal Crown was the first  to release Diet Cola. I think they called it "Diet Rite".  Someone correct me if I am wrong.  I think it was the late fifties, and sometimes I cannot remember what I had for breakfast.

4. 100 percent: ALL.  You can wash clothes with it.

5. Most populous città in Italia: ROMA.  Evidently the Italians forgot how to spell Rome.

6. Geronimo's tribe: APACHE.

7. Japanese box lunch: BENTO.

8. __ Lanka: SRI.

9. Hardly a social butterfly: HERMIT.  Remember Herman's Hermits.  "There's a kind of hush, all over the world tonight."

10. From China, say: ASIAN.  Yes, that would be C.C. and NO she does NOT have the coronavirus.

11. "The Simpsons" character named for a dance era: DISCO STU.  Sorry, I have never watched the Simpsons, and I lied, I am not sorry.

12. Keats' "__ on a Grecian Urn": ODE. Bobby Gentry - "It was the third of June another sleepy dusty Delta Day"  Ode to Billy Joe,  or an airline that is not flying to China this month.

13. Director Craven: WES.

18. Face sketcher's horizontal reference: EYE LINE.

22. NFL replay review aid: SLO MO.  We saw a lot of these yesterday.  And a lot of commercials, also.

25. "Please stop!": DON'T.  "Don't be cruel, to a heart that's true !"  Elvis.

27. __ de corps: camaraderie: ESPRIT.  I think this is Latin for we get along.  I think the Marines picked up on it because of "Corps" in the saying.

28. Not at all far: NEAR.

29. Pull down, as a salary: EARN.  Over the weekend, I was watching the famous Waste Management Phoenix golf tournament players pulling down a salary in front of really loud fans.

31. Minn. college named for a Norwegian king: ST OLAF. In Northfield, MN. I used to call on St.Olaf and sold electrical stuff to the college maintenance department. Great people!  Now I only visit Northfield in the fall to bowl a tournament at Jesse James Lanes.  Jesse was shot in Northfield in April of 1882 but now the city celebrates the notoriety with annual celebrations and parades. C.C. and I visited Carlton College in Northfield several years ago for a crossword presentation by Matt Ginsberg, the creator of Dr. Fill.

Left to Right: George Barany, David Liben-Nowell, Matt Ginsberg, C.C. & Tom Pepper

36. Squeaky clean, as an operating room: STERILE.  I don't know about STERILE, but you would be amazed by the entire cleanliness of the VA Medical facility and hospital in Minneapolis.

37. "No __!": "Easy!": PROB.

38. Charlie Chaplin's actress granddaughter: OONA.  Strange name, but she is indeed a relative of silent film Chaplin.

39. Quarantines: ISOLATES.

40. Runs smoothly: FLOWS.  We have the Mississippi which is very controlled and flows smoothly up north.  However weather forecasters are predicting floods this spring.  Normally the tributaries get over their banks up here.  Then the Mississippi gets troublesome on its way to St. Louis.

41. K thru 6: ELEM.  "Elementary my dear Watson."

46. The "M" in LEM: MODULE.

47. Type of tax: EXCISE.  We don't see much of this or it's buried in the price.  But beware of April 15.

48. Phillies' div.: NL EAST.

49. Voltaic cell terminals: ANODES.

50. Tenant: LESSEE.  I visited the VA clinic on Friday and noticed another 2000 unit apartment building going up in Ramsey, MN.  Not a real lively city but I can imagine the rent would be more reasonable than downtown.

52. Detroit NFL team: LIONS.  In the Vikings division. They have come down a bit since the days of Barry Sanders.

53. Dr. visits: APPTS.  My last one was just a blood draw.  PSA was 0.20.  Next doctor hello is in March.

57. Med. school subject: ANAT.  If you have an APPT,  you hope the DR. took ANAT.

59. Diamond, for one: GEM.  Every Baseball field has one.

60. Sister of Zsa Zsa: EVA.  The great Lisa Douglas of Green Acres.

61. TV's Burrell and Pennington: TYS.

63. Princely title: Abbr.: HRH.  Certainly were a lot of three letter answers in the puzzle.

Boomer

Monday January 27, 2020 Frank Virzi

Theme:  TAILLIGHT (35D. Rear warning lamp, and what can go with the end of each answer to a starred clue) - Last word in each theme entry can precede "light".

17A. *Mystery/soap (1956-'84) that ultimately dropped "The" from its title: EDGE OF NIGHT. Night light.

37A. *One of the four Seven Sisters magazines that are still in print: WOMAN'S DAY. Daylight.

 63A. *Televised panelist shown from the shoulders up: TALKING HEAD. Headlight.

 

5D. *Infielder typically between second and third: SHORTSTOP. Stoplight.

Boomer here.  Welcome to all of you crossword enthusiasts. I heard that you have company. Word is that some of our U.S. Senators were doing crossword puzzles during the impeachment talks. I can't say I blame them. I watch MSNBC for an hour or so and then I have to change the channel.

I have bowling news this week.  In my Thursday league, the bowling center was giving me trouble with sparse oil conditions on the lanes.  Since the oil pattern was similar to 1970s I pulled a 45 year old plastic ball out of the garage.   It took me a game to figure out how to work it, but my scores were 155 - 257 - 220 - for a 632 set.  My second 600 since my diagnosis, but guess which ball I will be using there next week.

Across:

1. Tibetan monks: LAMAS.  I have a story about a Tibetan monk.  He entered a monastery where the head monk could speak freely but the members were only allowed 2 words every five years. After 5 years the monk was called to a meeting. "I'm hungry," he said. The superior responded that a larger portion of food would be given.  After 5 more years, "I'm cold," he said.  The superior answered that he would be issued more blankets.  After five more years he said "I Quit".  The head monk replied, "Well that does not surprise me brother. You have done nothing but complain since you got here!"

6. Rise up against authority: REBEL.  Johnny Yuma was one,

11. U.S. interstate, e.g.: RTE.  I have always been appreciative of the Interstates.

14. Grind, as teeth: GNASH.  My family once had a 1952 Nash - without the G.

15. Amazon Echo Dot's voice service: ALEXA.  Siri's competitor.

16. West end?: ERN. Western.

19. Pilot-licensing org.: FAA.

20. "Grrr!" is one: SNARL.  If you hear one in the woods, change direction.

21. Understood by a select few: ESOTERIC.  Proceed to left field to understand some of this stuff.

23. Garden shed tool: HOE.  I only have a shovel.  We will prepare the garden when the snow melts.  I was going to grow seedless watermelon, but I don't know what to plant.

24. Smidge: TAD.  We'll plant a TAD of tomatoes.

26. Give in: RELENT.  Bowlers never relent, we just change balls.

27. Light-circling insects: MOTHS.

29. Send out: EMIT.  Won't be long and we will be EMITTING golf balls.

32. "Got it": I SEE.  "I see" said the blind man, but he really didn't. 

33. Start, as of symptoms: ONSET.I hope there is no ONSET of the coronavirus in your area. Our news paper says odds are slim in Minnesota.

34. John Brown's eulogist Stephen Vincent __: BENET.  John Brown was notable in our history.  He was an abolitionist and his raid at Harper's Ferry is linked to the Civil War.  He was hanged in 1859 and his eulogy was attended by John Wilkes Booth.  I cannot imagine what it was like to live in the USA 160 years ago.

36. "If only __ listened": HE'D.

40. H.S. equivalency test: GED.  I doubt if it is equivalent to four years of Christian Brothers.  (Sorry Brother Albert - just kidding). 

43. Hopscotch: POTSY.  How about Richie Cunningham's pal Potsie Weber.

44. Sonnet line quintet: IAMBS.

48. Chrysler Building architect William Van ___: ALEN.  You would probably have to be Lee Iacocca to know this.

50. Campus official: DEAN.  Angel's Pitcher Dean Chance.

51. Longest river in France: LOIRE.

52. As found: IN SITU.

54. Cartoon frame: CEL.  I think that is short for cellophane so they could make a movie.

56. Prefix with gender: CIS.

57. Christmas saint: NICHOLAS.  Jolly old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way!

60. Quarterfinalists' count: EIGHT.  Not sure about this but EIGHT is enough.

62. Suffix with alp: INE.

66. Opposite of oui: NON.  If you are French

67. Under-the-roof room: ATTIC.  We don't have a room in ours. Just some insulation and a lot of dust. I did look up there once after an original Honus Wagner card was found in an attic out east somewhere.  I think it was sold by Sotheby's for a lot of money.

68. Prefix for sun: HELIO.

69. Clock-setting std.: GST.

70. Sierra __, Africa: LEONE.

71. Prom attendees: TEENS.  "Sarge I'm just Eighteen, I gotta ruptured spleen and I always carry a purse."  (Who else but the Chad Mitchell Trio - "Draft Dodger Blues")

Down:

1. Tee size: Abbr.: LGE.  I go through a few tees when playing golf.  None are large.

2. "... et cetera": AND SOON.

3. Fridge stickers: MAGNETS.  I have a lot of these.  Most are souvenirs of places I have been.

4. On the briny: ASEA.

6. Campaigned: RAN.  It's leap year.  We'll be hearing a lot this year.

7. Nobelist Wiesel: ELIE.

8. Pleads: BEGS.

9. Urged strongly: EXHORTED.

10. Barista's creation: LATTE.  Fancy coffee.  I've never tried it. I am too cheap and lattes are overpriced.  My best part of waking up, is Folger's in my cup.

11. Browser update button: REFRESH.  You may also REFRESH  Folger's with a little fake sugar and a spoonful of milk.

12. New employee: TRAINEE.  Richard Gere to Louis Gossett in "An Officer and a Gentlemen".

13. Passed, as a bill: ENACTED.  or touchdown as a football.

18. Miami's st.: FLA.  I've been there twice to play golf in February.  Went to Epcot and Disney World.  Nice place to visit but I would not want to live there. No hurricanes in MN.

22. Yale student: ELI. I thought they were Little Lambs.

23. Med. care plan: HMO.  These are getting a bit expensive.  I am sure we will be promised better before the election.  I receive health care from the VA.  Stay healthy C.C.

25. Campaign face-off: DEBATE.  We have already lived through a number of DFL debates. Can't wait until this summer when the going gets tough.

28. Use an axe on: HEW.  Or Chop.

30. High-IQ group: MENSA.

31. Simpatico (like Justin Timberlake's band?): IN SYNC.

38. Soften, as one's voice level: MODULATE.

39. Ex-NBA star Ming: YAO.  An impressive 7ft 6" Chinese ballplayer.  His career began in China but he was signed by the Houston Rockets.  I believe he looked down on Shaq.

40. Opposite of losing, weightwise: GAINING. Not me. When I turn sideways you can hardly see me.

41. Weather-changing currents: EL NINOS.  "The answer my friend, is blowin' in the wind."  Peter, Paul and Mary 

42. Climber's downward journey: DESCENT.  The DESCENT speed is greater than ASCENT.

45. "Glee" star Lea __: MICHELE.  Michelle Wie has an extra L.  We saw her a couple of times in Minnesota tournaments.  She was touted to be the next Annika.  Never happened.

46. Great __: London's island: BRITAIN.  No longer home to Harry and Meghan.

47. French possessive: SES.

49. Medical research org.: NIH.

53. Bottom line: TOTAL.  Before or after taxes?

55. Dusk, in poetry: EEN.

58. Choral part: ALTO.

59. Organ that may itch: SKIN.  We get mosquito bites in the summer here.

61. Indian butter: GHEE.

64. __ cream soda: ICE.  We get plenty of ICE in the winter.  Sometimes guys play hockey on it.

65. Spanish two: DOS.

Boomer

Monday January 20, 2020 MaryEllen Uthlaut

Theme: COFFEE BREAK (36. Midmorning work time-out, and a hint to this puzzle's circles)

1) ESPRESSO: 17. Gets an A on, as a test: ACES. And 18. Bench __: exercise: PRESS And 19. Red sky at morning, to a sailor: OMEN.

2) LATTE:  21. Darjeeling and oolong: TEAS. And 22. Fire stirrers: POKERS.

3) MOCHA: 57. Japanese wrestling: SUMO. And 59. Half a Latin dance: CHA.

4) CAPPUCCINO: 60. Put __ on: limit: A CAP. And 61. Fashion designer Emilio: PUCCI. And 63. Christmas carol: NOEL.

Boomer here. This theme is more complicated than our normal Mondays.

It's a Federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I don't know if I ever mentioned this, if I did I am sorry to repeat. On April 4, 1968, I was called to emergency duty that evening to the Fort Campbell Army Hospital. There were riots (mostly off post) and bloodied soldiers were delivered by ambulance to the emergency room. I know Memphis must have been worse. Fort Campbell was about 250 miles from Memphis but the pain was felt all over Tennessee.

Across:

1. Drains of strength: SAPS.  Drains from maple trees also. Argyle used to send us a small bottle of maple syrup.

5. Hoops player: CAGER.  Something tells me it's all happening at the zoo.  (Simon and Garfunkel)

10. Immortal Middle-earth dweller: ELF.  Speaking of Argyle, Santa's helper, an elf, maybe helped him with the syrup.

Argyle, 1960,  fifteen year old and a Freshman. Class of '63.

13. Suffix with switch: EROO.  Switcheroo will be made in managers for the Astros and Red Sox.

14. Gladiator's realm: ARENA.

15. Henry __, who had six marriages: VIII.  This guy was terrible, I think he weighed over 400 lbs.  He also got into an argument with the Pope and decided to start his own church.  He beheaded two of his six wives and treated the other four terribly.

20. Long. crosser: LAT.

24. Writer Wharton: EDITH.  Remember Edith Bunker?  Archie kind of treated her like Henry VIII treated his wives, however he did not behead her.

26. "Indubitably!": YES.

28. Hawk's nest: AERIE.

29. Shrinks back: RECOILS.  I remember the first time I fired a 20 gauge shotgun.  I thought my arm was going to fall off. 

31. Like a student arriving ten minutes after the bell, as opposed to five: TARDIER.  Seems like a made-up word for later.

33. "Golly!": GEE.  Whiz

34. Greek cross: TAU.

35. Old PC component: CRT.  Cathode Ray Tube.  I don't know what they use now, but it's faster and better.

40. Santa __ winds: ANA.  "High up Santa Ana we're killing your soldiers below, so the rest of Texas will know, and remember the Alamo."  I remember the Kingston Trio version.

42. Convert (hide) into leather: TAN.

43. Dada pioneer Jean: ARP.  Not to be confused with the old retiree club.  I joined for awhile but it did not seem worth it.

44. Roasted holiday birds: TURKEYS.  We had one at Thanksgiving,  That was enough thank you.

47. Clickbait links, e.g.: TEASERS.  I did not realize they were called clickbait.  I never click on the ads at all.  Lately Subaru is spending their ad budget.

51. Movie critic, when giving stars: RATER.  We are not big movie fans.  Lately C.C. is clicking on raters to see who has the best buffet.

52. As well: TOO.

54. Religious belief: TENET.  Henry VIII created his own.

55. Hider's location-revealing words: IN HERE.

64. Toy building block: LEGO.  These are great.  I have mentioned the monstrosity at our Mall of America.

65. Sir __ Newton: ISAAC.

66. Word-of-mouth: ORAL.

67. Bear's shelter: DEN.  I thought it was a house that Goldilocks ate porridge, tried out the beds and broke a chair. 

68. Chili con __: CARNE.  Reminds me of Jackie Gleason's buddy Art Carney aka Ed Norton who worked in the sewer.

69. Moistens: WETS.

Down:

1. Putty, for example: SEALER.

2. Video game area: ARCADE.  A good Facebook friend of mine in the suburb where I used to live has an arcade business.  I used to visit there frequently when he had pinball games.  Now everything is electronic and I am too old to play.

3. Written in verse: POETIC.

4. Sailor's "Help!": SOS.  Also a steel wool pad.

5. Flowing garb for Batman: CAPE.  To the Batcave, Robin.

6. Orderly arrangements: ARRAYS.  "The Wizard of Oz" was going to cast Mr. Bolger as the Tin Man but when someone found his shoes near the corn field the director must have said "Those are Rays".

7. Sextet after the golden rings: GEESE.  I think you mean golden eggs.  Ask Aesop.

8. USN rank: ENS.  Yes Sir !!

9. Abrasive tool: RASP.  Works better than sandpaper, but do not use it on your bowling ball.

10. Brought to mind: EVOKED.

11. Funny five-line verse: LIMERICK.  There was a young girl from St. Paul.  Who went to a newspaper ball.  Her dress caught on fire ... and burnt her entire -- front page, sports section and all.

12. More passionate: FIERIER.

16. Newspaper leaflet, say: INSERT.  We get them all the time.  Usually the first thing that goes into the recycle bag. Sorry.

21. Porch pirate, for one: THIEF. Our porch pirates are squirrels.  I don't feed them but they use our deck to get to the next door lady, who puts out a buffet

23. Rowboat mover: OAR.  Gently down the stream.

25. Like takeout food: TO GO.

27. Wild guess: STAB.  I usually have to STAB a lot at crosswords.

30. Southpaw: LEFTY.  "Poncho needs your prayers it's true, say a few for LEFTY too.  He only did what he had to do. And now he's growin' old".  Willie Nelson

32. Surrounding glows: AURAE.

34. Decalogue number: TEN.  Number of pins in the deck

36. Rome's Punic Wars foe: CARTHAGE.

37. Toward sunrise: EAST.  East is east, and west is west and the wrong one I have chose.  "Buttons and Bows"  Yes I am old enough to remember Dinah Shore.  "See the USA in your Chevrolet."

38. Muse of poetry: ERATO.

39. Church recess: APSE.  That has something to do with the roof.  My church does not have a recess.  We have to stay for the whole hour.  Doesn't matter though, the playground is full of snow.

40. On __ basis: for testing purposes: A TRIAL.  I am going to try an old plastic ball next Thursday.  Bowling center is too cheap to put much oil on the lanes.  Ball hooks too much - last Thursday I left 9 splits and went away mad.

41. Characterized by subtle distinctions: NUANCED.

45. Not turn off: KEEP ON.  Yes, we are keeping the furnace on this time of year.

46. Be wrong: ERR.  A baseball term.  Check with the Astros or Red Sox.

47. Bird on a Froot Loops box: TOUCAN.  These look great on boxes and ads.  I have never seen a real one.

48. "Sing another one!": ENCORE.  Okay "Lucy Baines, she is no Jackie but then who complains.  She may be tacky but she was the brains behind our foreign policy.  Who else but Lucy could it be."

49. Warm up, as leftovers: REHEAT.  It's never quite as good on the second day.

50. Hems and haws: STALLS.  Rest rooms at the ball park and airports.

53. Grouchy Muppet: OSCAR.

56. Large-scale tale: EPIC.

58. Computer devices bearing little resemblance to their real-life namesakes: MICE.

62. Can. neighbor: USA.  We hear this chant at the Olympics

63. "It's __ or never": NOW.

My best wishes to our friend Irish Miss. Wishing you a quick recovery.



Boomer

Agnes' 11 Rings

Boomer's  8 Rings (300 and 299 Games)

Note from C.C.:

Here is the obit of Agnes' sister Anne. Thanks for the link, Al.