Monday March 23, 2020 Kurt Krauss

Theme: GETTING CLOSER (36. Parlor game encouragement suggested by the starts of 17-, 28-, 45- and 60-Across)

 

17. *Very limited consolation: COLD COMFORT.

28. *Tidy Lotto prize: COOL MILLION.

45. *Genuine greetings: WARM REGARDS.

60. *In-demand real estate listing: HOT PROPERTY.

Boomer here. 

Thank you for describing Minnesota weather from January to June.  The news media is still swamped with news of the Covid-19 virus.  I hope the Crossword Corner Family is staying healthy and safe.  Our Governor here in Minnesota has closed bars, restaurants, schools, public places, and - sadly- Bowling centers. Both of my leagues have been called off for the season. No banquets either. So now, we are all just sitting around and waiting for our share of prize money, so we can buy more toilet paper. Sorry to make a bad joke because this is serious and I hope we can recover.

Across:

 

1. Bldg. units attended to by supers: APTS.  Lived in one for many years.  Very happy to have a modest townhome now.

5. "Queen of Soul" Franklin: ARETHA.  The "Queen of Soul".  Left us in August, 2018.

11. Flow back, as the tide: EBB.  I wish the Stock Market would stop EBBing.

14. Half a toy train?: CHOO.  Or "Part of a sneeze".

15. "You cheated!": NO FAIR.  We have a state fair in the fall that attracts thousands and thousands.  Hopefully the virus threat will subside so people can have some fun.

16. Water tester: TOE.

19. Gasteyer of "Mean Girls": ANA.  SNL Graduate.

20. Approaches: NEARS.

21. "__ show time!": IT'S.  IT'S about time.

22. Illuminated: LIT.

23. Left-hand page: VERSO. Vs. "recto".

24. Sun.-to-Sat. periods: WKS.  I wish someone could zero in on the number of WKS that this virus shut down might last.  I've heard every estimate from 6 to 60.

26. Go for the hook: BITE.  I hope it's not a carp.  Fishing is a bit dangerous this time of year.  The ice over on lakes prevents boats, however, walk out at your own risk.  I think houses needed to be off the lakes by March 15.

27. Greek vowel: ETA.

32. Skin pics: TATS.  Not my favorite.  I do not own any body art.

34. Boston skyscraper, with "the": PRU.  Dential insurance.  NOT Dental insurance.

35. Low grade: DEE.  There are many Dianes and Dianas out there who might argue about the "Low Grade".

41. Novelist Rand: AYN.

42. "The Simpsons" bartender: MOE.  Also a buddy of Larry and Curly.  For us old guys who do not watch The Simpsons.

43. Northern New Mexico art community: TAOS. A very art worthy town. I believe Georgia O'Keeffe is most famous.

50. Monotonous routine: RUT.  With home confinement, I feel I am in a rut.

51. Above: ATOP.

52. Number that's its own square root: ONE.  "ONE, is the loneliest number that you'll ever know".  Three Dog Night.

53. Beav's big brother: WALLY.  And his friend was Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford.  A PGA Golfer from Minnesota named Tim Herron also looked like "Clarence" so now guess what his nickname is.

55. Bumped into: MET.  "As I was walking to St. Ive's, I met a man with seven wives".

56. Nashville awards org.: CMA.  Country Music.  I was not too smart.  18 months at Fort Campbell, KY, and I never made it to the Grand Old Opry in Nashville.

58. Scout's merit __: BADGE.

59. Square of butter: PAT.  Mr. Boone was not square, now he's selling bathtubs on TV.

64. Apply: USE.

65. Iron deficiency concern: ANEMIA.  "We call it Tired Blood"

66. Riga resident: LETT.  LETT us pray. Our archbishop closed all the churches  except for weddings and funerals.  However only a maximum of 10 humans may attend either event.

67. Guys: MEN.  Tom Cruise was one of the few good ones.

68. Fails to: DOESN'T.

69. Watched closely: EYED.

Down:

1. Duke's conf.: ACC.  Many thought Duke was a contender in the NCAA tournament.

2. Back-and-forth missed calls: PHONE TAG.  I answer my phone about 4 times a day. Once a week it is someone worth talking with.

3. Put up with: TOLERATE.

4. Root beers, e.g.: SODAS.  Diet Pepsi and diet Ginger Ale are my favorites.

5. Calendario units: ANOS.

6. Bucharest is its cap.: ROM. Romania.

7. Terrible grade: EFF.  I did receive an "F" in college.  It was in French.  But I also got an "A" in bowling.

8. Lao-tzu's philosophy: TAOISM.

9. Trumpeter Al: HIRT.  Dixieland Trumpeter from New Orleans.

10. Performing __: ARTS.

11. Bibliography space-saver: ET ALII.  Et no favorite of Joe Frazierr.

12. Beautiful, in Barcelona: BONITO.

13. Scrambled, as eggs: BEATEN.

18. Gator's kin: CROC.

23. Chow Chow checker: VET.  Wow, I have never been called that, have you Veterans out there??

24. __-out: exhausted: WORN.  Not yet, but I am getting there.

25. Jack who played Quincy: KLUGMAN.  More famous to me as Oscar Madison.

26. Sanctified: BLEST.  I used to spell this "BLESSED", but never mind.  The churches are all closed.

29. Express a view: OPINE.  Yup, Everyone has an OPINION!

30. Twiddled one's thumbs: IDLED.  Let my van warm up in the driveway.

31. "Seinfeld" uncle: LEO.  Loud talker.

33. "Forever" post office purchase: STAMP.  Our post office did not have the new Arnold Palmer stamps, but C.C. was able to order online.  Still waiting for them.

37. Norse war god: TYR.

38. Apple throwaway: CORE.  "And from the Garden of Eden, picked the apple they was eatin' and I swear that I'm the one that et the CORE.  The Braggin' Song.  Chad Mitchell and many.

39. Tea named for William IV's prime minister: EARL GREY.

40. Casino wheel: ROULETTE. A decent bet. There are 38 numbers on the wheel and a single number bet pays 35 - 1.  Black-Red and Odd-Even- and High Low are even money bets.

44. Snorters' quarters: STY.  I get it.  Snorers' quarters are my bedroom.

45. Beads once used by Native Americans as currency: WAMPUM.  Now we have Native American casinos all over Minnesota and Wisconsin where you can blow you Wampum maybe on a roulette wheel.

46. Opposite of "Atten-hut!": AT EASE.

47. Way past ripe: ROTTEN.

48. Pointed beard: GOATEE.  I tried a regular beard one winter.  Pretty itchy.

49. Cashless deal: SWAP.  We used to have a number of these in the Baseball Card Collecting world.

54. One-named "Hello" singer: ADELE.

56. Landlocked African land: CHAD.  Did he not once form the CHAD Mitchell Trio ??

57. Like old records: MONO.  Mostly were 78RPM records played on a turntable with one speaker.  You may want to sit by the fire someday and tell your grandkids about it.

58. Dinghy or dory: BOAT. These are those things I mentioned that are sitting around waiting for the ice to melt.

61. Canadian VIPs: PMS.

62. __ Tin Tin: RIN.  1950s TV show.

63. Since Jan. 1: YTD.

Boomer

Monday March 16, 2020 Ed Sessa

Theme: CANDY WRAPPERS (59. Halloween discards, and what the three sets of circles represent?)  - Three different candies bookend each theme answer.

20. Winding, hilly thoroughfares: MOUNTAIN ROADS. Mounds.

28. Not kid around: PLAY FOR KEEPS. Peeps.

49. Traitorous spies: DOUBLE AGENTS. Dots.

Boomer here.  

Yes, I remember Halloween. We would go all around the neighborhood and collect candy.  We especially loved a 5 cent Hershey bar or Butterfinger.  That's in my rear view mirror now but diabetes (type 2) is not too bad.  Lots of sugar substitute in our cupboard. 

Now I wish EVERYONE safety in these days of Covid 19.  Our grocery stores were crowded this week, and I have to admit that C.C. and I visited several. My golf school was postponed but I can live with that.  Believe it or not, I received two emails from local golf courses letting me know that they are open on March 14!!  They must be crazy, this is Minnesota and I think that our high temperature over the weekend was 45 degrees. (F not C).  My clubs are in the garage, I can wait.

Across:

1. Potentially insensitive, briefly: UN PC.

5. Police: COPS.  This was short for Copper, the metal of the badge.  My friend Mike did not like the term COP.

9. ABBA's "__ Mia!": MAMMA.  Remember the dolls you could buy that said MAMMA when you squeezed them?

14. Vidal's Breckinridge: MYRA.

15. Pequod captain: AHAB.  The ARAB?

16. Native Nebraskans: OTOES.  This tribe is also native to Missouri and Iowa, I think.

17. Plenty: A LOT.  When you go to a store, where do you park?  A LOT.  I heard that Costco customers had to wait for a parking spot before getting in line to enter the store!!

18. Islamic branch: SHIA.

19. Transports by truck: HAULS. Sounds like airlines and cruise ships will not be making too many hauls in the near future.

23. Gandhi's land: INDIA.  Interesting, when Columbus hit our shores, he thought he made it to INDIA.  The capital of Ohio was named after Ol'Chris, and Cleveland named their baseball team ... Oh never mind.

24. Like oysters on the half shell: RAW.  No thanks.  The only think I eat RAW is celery.

25. French water: EAU.  Add CLAIRE and you have a fine city in Wisconsin.  I used to bowl in a big tournament there every year.

33. IV amounts: CCS.  Or look in our Fridge.  Some of the food is mine, and some is C.C.'s

36. List-shortening abbr.: ET AL.  I prefer ETC.

37. Italics feature: SLANT.

38. Walter White shaved his off: HAIR. "Breaking Bad" guy. "Gimme a head with Hair, Long beautiful Hair.  Shinin' Gleamin" Streamin' Flaxen Waxin'."  (The Cowsills.)

40. In contention (for): VYING.  As far as I know, our Monday bowling league is on.  We will be VYING for the championship.  (PS.  I had 236-232-216 - 684 last week.  Best in two years.)

43. On the house: FREE.  Don't fall for buy one get one FREE. They just double the price on the first one.

44. Aimée of "La Dolce Vita": ANOUK.

46. Dmitri's dissent: NYET.

48. In low spirits: SAD.  I used to love the Sad Sack comics.  He was never sad, just looked that way.

53. Driver's license info: SEX.  Both C.C. and I purchased "Enhanced" Driver's licenses in MN a few years ago.  They never asked for "SEX" but we had to prove a bunch of other stuff.  However now and beginning October 1, we can board domestic flights in the US.  Assuming that there will be any airlines still in business.

54. Wayside stop: INN.  I have mentioned this before, my favorite is the C'MON INN in Billings Montana.

55. One-up: OUTDO.  See Bowling goal above.

64. "Dallas" surname: EWING.  I never got into that show, I still do not know who shot J.R.  But I remember Patrick of the Knicks.  I think he's coaching Georgetown now.

66. Solid precipitation: HAIL.  "Hail Mary"!  Our local Archbishop made Mass optional yesterday.

67. Backside in a fall?: PRAT. Pratfall.

68. Long-shot rags-to-riches enabler: LOTTO.  Long shot is right.  We play the Minnesota Lottery once in a while and I don't think we ever won more than five bucks.

69. Ices, mob-style: OFFS.  MLB, PGA, NCAA, NBA, all are OFFS.  Talk about March Madness!!

70. Girl in a Salinger story: ESME.

71. Enter on a laptop: KEY IN.  C.C. has a laptop.  I KEY IN on a new Microsoft 5050 keyboard.

72. Italian eight: OTTO.  Reminds me of OTTO Graham, HOF quarterback back when the Cleveland Browns were good.

73. Sweetheart: DEAR.

Down:

1. Savory taste first identified in Tokyo: UMAMI.

2. Carpet synthetic: NYLON.  My Mom used to have stockings called NYLONS.

3. __ as a peacock: PROUD.

4. Tabby stimulant: CATNIP.  Why not slip a shot of Chivas Regal into its kitty dish ?

5. José's house: CASA.

6. "Fancy meeting you here!": OH HI.

7. "No __, no gain": PAIN.  "Drop and give me 20"  (My Drill Sergeant) .

8. Mall pizza chain: SBARRO.  I know of no mall where you can buy a decent pizza.

9. Goth hairstyles: MOHAWKS.  I had one of these once when I was a kid,  I think it was a Davy Crockett thing.

10. Opposite of 17-Across: A TAD.

11. Headpiece for kids in Mickey's TV club: MOUSE EARS.  "Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me ?"  Annette was every guy's favorite.

12. Filmmaker Brooks: MEL.  Hanging in there at 93 years of age.  Who can forget "Blazing Saddles" ?

13. Biblical beast of burden: ASS.  Prefix for Kicking.

21. Yarn: TALE.

22. Boating blade: OAR.  Years ago I rowed and rowed all over North Star Lake near Marcell, MN.  Then my dad purchased a 5 horse Johnson.

26. Sleep concern: APNEA.  Sometimes I get neuropathy which is worse.

27. "¿Cómo está __?": USTED.

29. Dune buggy, briefly: ATV.  All Terrain Vehicle.  I never owned one and never will.

30. "We did it!": YAY.  There won't be Too Many YAYs in the near future.

31. Throw wildly: FLING.  Although I do not throw my golf ball, I have a feeling that some are FLINGs.

32. North Pole toymaker: ELF.

33. "Hanging" problems in the 2000 election: CHADS.  I hope Florida has fixed it.

34. Algonquin transport: CANOE.  A five horse Johnson won't fit on the back.  You will need paddles.

35. Iowa port on the Lewis and Clark Trail: SIOUX CITY.  Just a bit South of Minnesota on the Iowa Western Border.  Very interesting city.

39. Coax (out), as a genie: RUB.  A dub dub dub, three men in a tub.

41. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE.

42. Title for DDE: GEN.  A Great man.  I am not old enough to remember the Normandy invasion which was a final spike in the end of WWII. However, I am old enough to remember President IKE, and he visited Minneapolis in the late fifties.  I also remember 1960 which was the first time in eight years that Americans had an opportunity to vote for a president with hair.

45. Fictional language spoken by Sheldon and Leonard on "The Big Bang Theory": KLINGON.

47. Sporty car roof: T TOP.  Chevy Corvette Sting Ray.  I cannot afford but it's okay, I would not be able to get into one anyway.

50. Wind up: END.  Not yet, there are more clues.

51. Slangy "Movin' right along ... ": ANYHOO.

52. Had a late meal: SUPPED.

56. Not long-winded: TERSE.  Shut Up !!!

57. Daytime soap, e.g.: DRAMA.

58. Big name in blenders: OSTER.  Graybar used to sell these when I worked there.  I think Target and Walmart ended up buying them direct from Oster so we gave up the small appliance business.  It was a very good move for Graybar.  We made about a dollar on a blender and about 25% came back after Christmas.

60. Opposed to: ANTI.

61. Float like a feather in the breeze: WAFT.  Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.  (Cassius Clay).

62. Breakup: RIFT.

63. "Let me add ... ": ALSO.  65 (down an inch)

64. Yellowstone grazers: ELK.

65. Misery: WOE.  Is me if I miss a spare or catch a virus.  I am 72 with diabetes and cancer.  CNN and MSNBC both tell me I am in danger, yet I cannot find a test and Minnesota has about 35 cases out there. so I'll be careful. My bowling team bumps elbows after strikes and good shots. Don't worry about me.

Boomer

Monday March 9, 2020 Fred Piscop

Theme: SEWED UP (40. Fixed, like the ends of the answers to starred clues) - The last words are all wardrobe malfunctions.

 

17A. *Fruity ice cream treat: BANANA SPLIT

63A. *Knock one out of the park: HIT A HOME RUN

11D. *Place for rural anglers: FISHING HOLE

25D. *Won 10 in a row, say: WENT ON A TEAR

Boomer here.

When I saw SPLIT, I thought about bowling, but then when I saw HOLE of course then I was thinking of tee to green. Not sure if I mentioned but I am starting complimentary golf advice for veterans for seven weeks at the PGA Superstore in Minnesota.  When I say "complimentary" I mean that I do not have to pay.  I am sure no one will compliment my swing.  Now on to the show on our new Microsoft 5050 keyboard.  On our old one, C.C. rubbed off all the white letters with her fast fingers.

Across:

1. Seminary book: BIBLE.

6. E-cigarette output: VAPOR.  I used to smoke cigs, but I quit 19 years ago.  I never tried vaping, but it has bad reviews now.

11. Media-monitoring org.: FCC.  I suppose it monitors MSNBC more than FOX.

14. __-proof: easy to operate: IDIOT.  I hope the PGA can lend me some IDIOT- proof clubs.

15. How the cheese stands, in a kids' song: ALONE.  Hi Oh the dairy Oh

16. "__ be in touch!": I'LL.

19. Be litigious: SUE.

20. Grandstand group: FANS. Sounds like the Coronavirus might have something to say about grandstand occupants.

21. Cough syrup, e.g.: SOOTHER.  I use sugar-free drops.  Some of the syrups contain alcohol which does not cooperate well with my drugs.

23. Chad or Rob of movies: LOWE.  LOWE's is a huge competitor of Home Depot.  We have both stores all over Minneapolis and St. Paul and suburbs.

26. Practical joke: GAG.  I am a humorist, but I never play practical jokes.

28. Lacking a downside: NO RISK. Not true of the recent Dow index.

29. Immobile: INERT.

31. Chafing result: RAW SKIN.  Not the Washington Football team.

33. Smart set member: MENSAN.

35. "Great Leap Forward" Chinese leader: MAO.  I wonder how he might have handled the Corona problem.

36. Storybook fiend: OGRE.

39. Upside-down sleeper: BAT.  They claim that these guys started the coronavirus infection. 

43. Put a jinx on: HEX.

44. Messy roomie: SLOB.  Stupid liable oversized BATS!!

46. Nourished: FED.  This would maybe be your friend on April 15, or maybe not.

47. House speaker Nancy: PELOSI.  San Francisco resident. My sisters live in her district.

49. Luggage tie-on: NAME TAG.  We do not tie ours on.  Our luggage has a clear pocket for IDs.

52. Shops with slicers: DELIS.

53. Gondolier, e.g.: BOATER.  We have many many boaters in our state of 10,000 lakes.  They are all in dry dock right now, waiting for the Spring thaw.

55. Deviate from a course, at sea: YAW.

57. MASH shelter: TENT.   "The game of life is hard to play, you're going to lose it anyway."  I really liked the movie, not so much the TV show, mainly because the reruns are on about 6 hours every day and I think I've seen them all at least five times.

58. Declares to be true: ATTESTS.  "The whole truth and nothing but the truth".

60. Carpentry wedge: SHIM.

62. Nautical pronoun: SHE.  I thought it was just a female pronoun.

68. Afternoon social: TEA.  C.C. is the TEA expert in our house.  I drink that other brown stuff that keeps you awake.

69. Chopin piece: ETUDE.

70. Marble mineral: AGATE.  I had a leather bag and it held aggies, peeries, and steelies.

71. Write "mispell," say: ERR.  Spring training is with us ERRS are spelled ERRORS.

72. "Jurassic Park" critters, briefly: DINOS.

73. Well-known: NOTED.

Down:

1. Highchair wear: BIB.

2. Wash. neighbor: IDA.  "IDA, sweet as apple cider".

3. TSA checkpoint container: BIN.  We did not have a lot of fun with the TSA on our recent trip.

4. Shoes sans laces: LOAFERS.  When I was a kid, we used to slide shiny pennies in them.

5. Sicilian volcano: ETNA.

6. Seven Sisters college: VASSAR.

7. Tyrolean peak: ALP.

8. C-SPAN figures, informally: POLS.  I usually watch MSNBC.

9. French crockful with a cheesy crust: ONION SOUP.  I never saw it with a cheesy crust.  In fact we used to take an envelope of onion soup, mix it with sour cream and make chip dip.

10. Captured back: RETOOK.

12. Crossword hints: CLUES.  Interesting to find that clue and answer in a crossword puzzle.  Thank you, Fred!!

Fred Piscop

13. Checkout worker: CLERK.

18. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG.

22. Common jazz combo: TRIO.  Not fond of Jazz.  My favorites,  as you probably know, are Chad Mitchell and Kingston.

23. Tree branches: LIMBS.  We have quite a few lying in the snow in our backyard.  Winter takes its toll on trees.

24. Shaq of NBA fame: O'NEAL.  He was something else, for sure.

27. 2/2/20, for Super Bowl LIV: GAME DAY.  I did not watch the halftime show.

30. Many coll. lab instructors: TAS.  Teaching Assistants.

32. Roll of bills: WAD.  No, I have a collection of money clips.  I do not need them often but I never have a WAD.

34. Egyptian queen in Tut's time: NEFERTITI.  Sounds like a question on "Jeopardy".

37. Amber, for one: RESIN.  The stuff they rub into baseballs is ROSIN. And it's not amber.

38. Be: EXIST.

41. Like fresh nail polish: WET.  Like our roads and sidewalks in yesterday's 62 degree weather.

42. __ XING: crosswalk sign: PED.

45. Restrain, as one's breath: BATE.

48. Captive's plea: LET ME GO.  We may hear this from a relief pitcher also.

50. Worked together perfectly: MESHED.

51. Serious cuts: GASHES.

53. Keep moist, as turkey: BASTE.  We only have turkey on Thanksgiving.  Too much of a hassle.  On Christmas it's ham.

54. [none of the above]: OTHER.  "Love and Marriage - you can't have one without the other".

56. Grinch victim: WHO.  "Horton Hears a Who".  I met Dr. Suess when I was two years old.  Of course I don't remember but he gave me two books that I kept on the shelf for some time.  "If I ran the Zoo" and "Bartholomew and the Oobleck"

59. Zap with a Taser: STUN.

61. Somali-born model: IMAN.

64. Pointless bother: ADO.  Much ADO about nothing.

65. Squeal on the mob: RAT.  I don't think James Cagney ever said "You Dirty RAT" but people think he said it.

66. Rugged vehicle, for short: UTE.  Someone from Salt Late City ??

67. "Game of Thrones" patriarch Stark: NED.

Boomer

Monday March 2, 2020 Paul Coulter

Theme: PIZZA ( 69. Popular pie, and what the ends of 17-, 30-, 45- and 61-Across have in common)

17. Crème de la crème: UPPER CRUST. Pizza crust.

30. Spar without a partner: SHADOW BOX. Pizza box.

45. Extremely lame, in modern slang: WEAK SAUCE. Pizza sauce.

61. Business manager skilled at reducing expenses: COST CUTTER. Pizza cutter.

Boomer here.  WWWWW - Wow, What A Wild Week on Wall Street!  I felt like I was on a bicycle with no brakes coasting down Lombard Street in San Francisco. However, we have seen this before around 2008 and we survived. I hope all will stay safe from the coronavirus and I hope if you were hurt in this correction, that those nasty numbers last week will start bouncing back today.

I made thousands of pizzas as a chef for a pizza restaurant in Hopkins, MN.  I've also eaten quite a few but I cut them out of the diet for now.  Not healthy enough.

Across:

1. Photographer Adams: ANSEL.  Always outdoor scenes.  We found one at a garage sale once.

6. "Happy Motoring" company: ESSO.  Fill 'er up in Canada eh?

10. Cuba, por ejemplo: ISLA.

14. 2000s first lady Bush: LAURA.

15. Matty of baseball: ALOU.  Also Jesus and Felipe.

16. Twice-monthly tide: NEAP.  Depends on full or new moon.  It amazes me that the moon can have an effect on the ocean.

19. Kvetch like a fish?: CARP.  In Minnesota, if you happen to catch one of these mud-eating fish, it is against DNR rules to toss them back in the lake.

20. West of "My Little Chickadee": MAE.  "When I'm good I am very good, but when I'm bad, I'm better."  Mae West.

21. Mr. Peanut prop: CANE.  "Ain't no more CANE on the Brazos my boy, Oh, Oh, Oh.  Well we done ground it all to molasses. Oh, Oh, Oh.  (Chad Mitchell Trio).

22. Dental hygienist's gizmo: SCALER.  In Minnesota, we use these to clean fish.

24. Essen's river: RUHR.  Quite a distance Northeast from my temporary home in Hardheim. (1969)

26. Russian space station for 15 years: MIR.

27. Hurry-scurry: ADO.  Much ado about nothing.

28. "__ Yankees": DAMN.  You can say that again! I am a Twins fan.

33. Rascal: SCAMP.

35. "Honor Thy Father" author Gay: TALESE.  What about thy Mother??

36. Hawaiian porch: LANAI.

37. Ab __: from day one: OVO.

38. Uses a sieve: SIFTS.  We used to use an aluminum with a squeeze handle.  I never knew why my Mom sifted flour.  It always seemed pretty sifted to me out of the bag.

42. Apply, as a brake: STEP ON.  We had to do that quickly Saturday morning.  Some car was stalled in the middle of our lane.  C.C, saved us because I was watching the rear view mirror at some idiot tailgating us.

44. Flynn of "Captain Blood": ERROL.  From Australia, he led three lives with three different wives.

48. Hunky-__: fine: DORY.  I don't think I have heard this since Ike was President.

49. Toronto's prov.: ONT.  Home of the Blue Jays.  That team has a whole country rooting for them since the Expos moved to Washington.

50. Dada co-founder: ARP.

51. Either H in H2O: ATOM. 

53. Home of the NHL's Senators: OTTAWA.  A lot more Canadian cities have a hockey team.

55. A head: EACH.

57. "Aladdin" monkey: ABU.

60. Old phone feature: DIAL.  Absolutely old.  We went through several in my life, and Graybar sold millions of them.

64. Shortest-named Great Lake: ERIE.  4th largest great lake

65. Sci-fi's Jabba the __: HUTT.  Aaron Rodgers "3-19, 3-19, HUTT HUTT !

66. Mars has two: MOONS.  Amazing.  There are only three moons between Mercury and Jupiter.  Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus all have dozens.  I am surprised they don't run into each other.

67. Aloha State bird: NENE.

68. Jazz and Disco periods: ERAS.  Pitching statistics too.

Down:

1. Grad: ALUM.  Short for alumnus, not aluminum.

2. Auto parts giant: NAPA.

3. Clark Kent, really: SUPERMAN.  "Look, up in the sky!  It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's a bird (wiping your eye).

4. "... __ he drove out of sight": Moore: ERE.  "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night"

5. Tree that rhymes with a month: LARCH.

6. Deserve: EARN.  I guess it's deserved.  Lend some of your money to a bank and you will earn interest.  Just not as high as the poor guy who borrows it.

7. Pivot around: SLUE.

8. "Help!"-ful soap pad brand: SOS.  ...---... or a Competitor of Brillo.

9. Not in the house: OUTSIDE.  "Ball one", says the umpire.

10. Ancient Andean: INCA.  Inka Dinka Do - Jimmy Durante

11. Aquanaut's base: SEA LAB.

12. Texas city in a cowboy song: LAREDO.  Johnny Cash did the song.  But Laredo is unique with a bridge across the Rio Grande.

13. Estimated: Abbr.: APPROX.

18. Wheels, so to speak: CAR.  I call my wheels a van.

23. Game stick with a netted pocket: CROSSE.  Never played it.  Add "LA" and you have a great city in Wisconsin.  Close to Minnesota just on the east side of the Mississippi.

25. Expose: UNMASK.  We would do this on Halloween when our face got sweaty.

26. Sam who owned Cheers: MALONE.  "Where everybody knows your name."

28. ISP alternative: DSL.

29. Fed. law known as Obamacare: ACA.  It's "Affordable Care".  However some people still cannot afford it.  But I don't think the U.S can afford an alternative.

30. Clog: STOP UP.

31. "Wreaked" state: HAVOC.

32. Creepy sort: WEIRDO.

34. Tool for two lumberjacks: PIT SAW. I don't see many any more.  It takes two persons to use it and I think power saws have taken over.

39. Completely, alphabetically speaking: FROM A TO Z.

40. A.L.'s Blue Jays: TOR.  Mentioned them before.

41. Scheming: SLY.  And the Family Stone.  "Everyday People."

43. Pain in a canal: EARACHE.

45. Made of oak, say: WOODEN.  Coach John Wooden - famous coach of UCLA.  His teams won something like 10 NCAA national championships.  I remember Lew Alcindor (AKA) Kareem and Bill Walton helping.

46. Complete: ENTIRE.  There once was a girl from St. Paul, who went to a newspaper ball.  Her dress caught on fire, and burned her ENTIRE front page, sports section and all.

47. Reach, as a goal: ATTAIN.  A whole bunch of major league teams are in Spring Training hoping to ATTAIN that fancy trophy for their stadium display case.

51. NC State's conf.: ACC.

52. Dull sound: THUMP.  Sounds like a ball going in the gutter.

54. On the safe side, at sea: ALEE.

55. Spanish "this": ESTA.

56. Lawyers: Abbr.: ATTS.  Most abbreviate ATTY(s)

58. Mercedes-__: BENZ.

59. Big Dipper bear: URSA.  Major.

62. Lord's Prayer start: OUR.  We say this in church.  So many stories.  I went to an all-boys Catholic School. I coach bowling there now and it is co-ed. When young ladies would come to our sock hop dances, they had to recite the Lord's prayer to get in.  If they said debts instead of trespasses they were not allowed.  If they got by that and ended with "For thine is the power etc." they were refused.  Now we say that at the end of the prayer.  I am wondering though, after the prayer we are asked to offer a sign of peace and everyone shakes hands. I wonder if that might be adjusted due to coronavirus.   

63. You, in French: TOI.

Boomer

Monday February 24, 2020 Matt McKinley

Theme: SKIP INTRO (65. Command to bypass a recap of prior episodes ... and what the puzzle circles do) - Each theme entry contains a split- up INTRO.

17. Keyboard chamber work: PIANO TRIO.

24. Shih Tzu or Chihuahua: MINIATURE DOG.

40. Authorize someone to represent you at the shareholder meeting: DESIGNATE A PROXY.

52. Personal unrest: INNER TURMOIL.

Boomer here.  

Here's my intro - My bowling started last Monday with a 254 game. After that?  The same old, same old.  I was watching the PGA Mexico tournament and I have come to realize that I am not far off from the pros.  They hit their drives around 320 yards, my drives travel about 320 feet.  NBC - do you really have to show 6 commercials every 2 minutes ??

Across:

1. On a peg, as a golf ball: TEED.  Yup. FORE!! 320 feet.

5. Panda Express kitchen items: WOKS. We do not have a traditional WOK at home.  C.C. does just fine with a frying pan.

9. Aerospace giant __ & Whitney: PRATT.

14. Pre-deal payment: ANTE.  Craps does not require an ANTE.  Just put some $$ on the pass line and see what happens.

15. Rapper/actor with a cool name?: ICET.  Law & Order SVU guy with a funny name.

16. Talk show host in the National Women's Hall of Fame: OPRAH.  On her way up, she used to show up on the Johnny Carson show now and then.

19. Pending state: LIMBO.  In the late 50s and early 60s, this was a funny dance walking backwards under a stick.

20. Go off-script: AD LIB.  This would be more accepted if it was liberation from ads.

21. Indian royal: RAJA.

23. Very long time: EON.  The time it takes me to work a crossword can be measured in EONS.

28. Wet just a bit: MOISTEN.  No longer necessary on postage stamps.

31. Airer of old films: TCM.  Turner Classic Movies.  I wonder if the Braves have them on in their clubhouse.

32. Kindle download: APP.

33. Norse royal name: OLAV.  Sometimes known as Olaf.

36. Was shown on TV: AIRED.  When winter is over, we may open a window or two for some fresh air.

44. Tea biscuit: SCONE.  Does Baskin -Robbins sell S CONES?

45. Sank, with "down": WENT. "Down down in the sea, far from the lights of town."

46. Fellows: MEN.

47. Pontiac muscle car: GTO. "Three deuces and a four speed, and a 289"  (Beach Boys)

49. Financed like many fleet cars: ON LEASE.  I do not like car leases.  When the term is up, you have to return it to the dealer, then how are you going to get home.  Plus you have no equity to trade.

57. __ Paulo: SAO.

58. Bruins star Phil, to fans: ESPO.  I don't watch much Hockey but I heard that Alex Ovechkin Knocked number 700 in the nets this weekend.  Phil had 717 goals in his career.

59. Eye surgery acronym: LASIK.

63. Singer Ronstadt: LINDA.

68. Make sure not to see: AVOID.  I try to AVOID leaving ten pins.

69. "Electric" fish: EELS.  Drop one "E" and you have an electric golfer.

70. Product preview: DEMO.

71. Like a bad breakup: MESSY.  Like my spare shooting some nights.

72. Deuce topper: TREY.  I thought it was called a three.

73. Smoochy love letter letters: SWAK.  "I'll send you all my love ... every day in a letter, Sealed with a Kiss."  (Bryan Hyland - 1962)

Down:

1. Cantina snack: TAPA.  They may have been in the concession stands at the Mexican Golf Tournament last weekend.

2. Oklahoma city: ENID.  The ninth largest city in Oklahoma which makes it smaller than Brooklyn Park, MN.

3. And others: Abbr.: ET AL.  High School Latin, it means whatever I left out.

4. Jeans: DENIMS.  I have not worn Jeans for 50 years.  If it were up to me, Levi's would be out of business.

5. Quipster: WIT.

6. Text digitization meth.: OCR.  What I had in my baseball card store.  An Old Cash Register.

7. Knightley of "Love, Actually": KEIRA.

8. Brown ermine: STOAT.

9. Frigid zone ice formation: POLAR CAP.  This is what I call our driveway in February.

10. N.Y. tech school: RPI.  Apologies to you grads.  I thought this stands for Runs Per Inning.  Spring training has begun.

11. Carrying a weapon: ARMED.  I have two golf weapons, attached to my shoulders.

12. It's forbidden: TABOO.  I have to be careful with some of my bowling and golf words.

13. Skimpy swimsuit: THONG.

18. Column that aptly includes the letters BIO: OBIT.

22. Stick (out): JUT.

25. Sign gas: NEON.  No doubt we viewed lots of NEON in Las Vegas.

26. Relative via marriage: IN-LAW.  Certainly is.  But how come criminals are called Outlaws.

27. Mideast bigwig: EMIR.

28. Magazines with Alfred E. Neuman: MADS.  I'll bet I bought 50 or 60 editions back in the 50s and 60s.  Not anymore, are they still Around?  I still remember an edition in the early 60s featuring Richard Nixon and sung to the tune of "Tit Willow".  "In a house by the ocean Dick Nixon sang out, singing TV, damn TV, damn TV.  And I said to him Dickie boy why do you shout, singing TV, Damn TV, Damn TV.  Is it westerns you hate so immensely I cried?  Do those private eye shows hurt you deep down inside? None of those its those lousy debates he replied,  Damn TV, Damn TV, Damn TV.

 

29. Intl. oil group: OPEC.

30. __ facto: IPSO.

34. Had lunch: ATE.  Two and two are four, Four and four are ??

35. Snake's poison: VENOM.

37. Capital of Italia: ROMA.  My sister visits Rome frequently. We still call it Italy and Rome.  I wonder what Italians call Minneapolis ??

38. They aren't together anymore: EXES.  Between Ws and Ys.

39. Unit of force: DYNE.

41. "Picnic" dramatist: INGE. William.

42. Prepare (for): GET READY.  Get set, GO.

43. __ extra cost: AT NO.  We already charge too much so you can have this at NO EXTRA COST !!

48. Tense NBA periods: OTS.  We had this last week, Timberwolves are still 30 points behind at the buzzer.

50. Taylor of "Mystic Pizza": LILI.

51. Largest living antelopes: ELANDS.

52. Muslim religion: ISLAM.

53. Hardly worldly: NAIVE. My sister always called me this. Then one day I looked it up in the dictionary and hit here.

54. They're forbidden: NO NOS.  After that, calling me NAIVE was a NONO.

55. Unexpected win: UPSET. See Timberwolves (above).  They made a few trades and now they win once or twice a month.

56. "Today" weather anchor: ROKER.  Remember him on the subway in Seinfeld ??

60. Crock-Pot dinner: STEW.  Yup, we have a Crock-Pot, and I make beef stew.  C.C. does not like beef, but now and then she will try a carrot.

61. Hogwarts librarian __ Pince: IRMA.

62. Screwball: KOOK.  KOOKIE, KOOKIE, lend me your comb.

64. Prefix with card or count: DIS.  or ney World.

66. Land in l'eau: ILE.

67. Future therapist's maj.: PSY.

Boomer