Monday May 4, 2020 Craig Stowe

Theme: EYE OPENER (62. Shock to the system, and what the start of each answer to a starred clue can be) - The first word can precede "Eye".

17. *Revolving tray: LAZY SUSAN. Lazy eye.

25. *1991 cult film based on a William S. Burroughs novel: NAKED LUNCH. Naked eye.

38. *1974 Harry Chapin hit that mentions Little Boy Blue: CAT'S IN THE CRADLE. Cat's eye.

49. *Rich exec's transport: PRIVATE JET. Private eye.

Boomer here.  

"The Cat's in the Cradle and the Silver spoon, Little Boy Blue and the Man in the Moon." Hello everyone.  C.C. and I seem to be safely dealing with "Stay at Home" and I hope all of you are also safe. We are a little bit confused that the number of cases keep increasing.  Not sure if it is caused by expanded testing. I have seen news clips of people crowding each other on beaches and public parks.  I guess they have not heard of social distancing.

Across:

1. Cream and ice cream: SODAS. Delicious!

6. Toronto Argos' org.: CFL.  Football eh

9. Pay to look the other way: BRIBE.

14. Pleasing smell: AROMA. I have lost my sense of smell.  I heard that it was a symptom but I could not smell long before anyone ever heard of Covid-19.

15. Comedian Wong: ALI.  Cassius Clay

16. Bat mitzvahs, e.g.: RITES.  Our Archbishop performs RITES.  He shut down all of our Catholic churches in Minneapolis.  Sounds RITE to me.

19. Apple app mostly replaced by Messages: ICHAT.  Many employees are using video conferencing from home.  I'm retired, I do not need to chat.

20. Summer on the French Riviera: ETE.

21. __ hash: served in a diner: SLUNG.

22. Maui memento: LEI.  Hawaii is so far away.

23. Tableland: MESA. Big city East of Phoenix.

29. Iranian money: RIAL.  I am happy to not have ever owned any.  I have heard that it takes less RIAL to buy a barrel of oil these days.

31. Brazilian hot spot: RIO.  Former Olympic City.  The virus has arrived there with over 6000 deaths.  I am pretty sure it hit there after the U.S. was invaded.

32. Mauna __: Hawaii's highest peak: KEA.

33. "Peer Gynt" playwright: IBSEN.  I was thinking of the guy who could not play the Tinman because his body did not like aluminum.  But his name was EBSEN.

36. "__ the season ... ": TIS. To be jolly, Fa,la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.

37. Easter flower: LILY.  We got four inches of snow this Easter. It did not match the flower except at least it was white.

42. River of Spain: EBRO.

43. "__-hoo!": YOO.  I may have tried BOO.

44. Kindle download: EBOOK.  Those things put computers for rent in local libraries.

45. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE. United Arab Emirates.

46. Dudes: MEN.

47. "__ other time":  SOME.  No Thanks!

52. Hard times: LOWS.  I think the Dow Averages have hit them but are starting to recover.  Forget last Friday.

56. Ready-go link: SET.

57. Pub game: DARTS.  I don't play, but these are huge fun in most of the bowling centers I used to patronize.

59. "__ cares!": WHO.  I care! All the bowling centers are closed here.

60. Separated: APART.  Make sure it's at least SIX FEET and maybe wear a face covering.

64. Like pea-soup fog: DENSE.

65. __ Arbor: ANN.  They have virus problems like everyone else, but I do not understand the protest demonstrations in Lansing.

66. Chris of women's tennis: EVERT.

67. Tell the waitperson what you want: ORDER.  I don't think you can tell them anymore.  You need to call it in and either pick it up at the drive thru window or have it delivered.

68. Entry charge: FEE. I used to have to pay a FEE for a stock market trade, but most online brokerages have cut them out.  Ain't competition great!!

69. Peddler's assortment: WARES.

Down:

1. Witch trial town: SALEM.  I used to smoke them once and awhile if I couldn't find Marlboro Menthol.  No more, I got unhooked 18 years ago.

2. Give a speech: ORATE.  I get a few minutes at the Graybar reunion in February. Many of the big shots ORATE.  I come on last and tell jokes. 

3. Nods off: DOZES.  First name BULL ??

4. Minnesota senator Klobuchar: AMY. We are waiting to see if Joe Biden selects her as VP candidate.

5. Get smart with: SASS.  I've done that

6. Like some Friday work attire: CASUAL.  Graybar started CASUAL on Fridays in my last few years.  I just dressed without a tie.  Some guys showed up pretty sloppy looking.

7. Butcher's cut: FLANK.  We have had virus trouble in our meat processing plants in Minnesota, Iowa. and South Dakota.  They are starting to reopen but I am not sure they are safe.

8. Boudoir apparel: LINGERIE.

9. Scouring pad brand: BRILLO.  We use SOS.  Sorry Brillo.

10. Houston sch.: RICE U.

11. Tentatively positive response: I THINK I DO.  Remember the little engine that could?  "I think I can, I think I can."

12. Arthur of "The Golden Girls": BEA.  Most of the "Golden Girls" are gone.  Only Betty White is still with us.

13. Repair approx.: EST.  I am getting really tired of "Car Shield" ads telling me it won't cost much.

18. Bone parallel to the radius: ULNA.

24. "You __ lucky!": ARE SO.  I guess so.  I cannot bowl, but luckily I got to play 18 holes last week.  One person per cart and keep six feet away from others.

26. Part of DVD: DISC.

27. String quartet strings: CELLO.  HEE HAW !!

28. "Frida" star Salma: HAYEK.

30. Pasta suffix: INI.  ???

33. Frost over: ICE UP.  Can't remember if I mentioned - The Monday after Easter I did not notice that our driveway ICED UP.  I went to take our garbage can to the curb and down I went.  When C.C. saw me lying on the driveway, she came racing out and down she went.  We got up and are a bit smarter now.

34. Elephant of children's lit: BABAR.

35. Barbra of "Yentl": STREISAND. My sister spells it BARBARA.

36. However, briefly: THO.  THO neither lady spells it BABAR.

37. Designer __: LABEL.

39. Belarus denial: NYET.

40. Lacking a musical ear: TONE DEAF. WHAT?  I an nose deaf but I can hear you now!

41. Sleep acronym: REM.

46. Make a difference: MATTER.  "It really doesn't MATTER if I'm wrong I'm Right"  Beatles.

47. Peaceful: SERENE.

48. Bart's bus driver: OTTO.  Maybe I OTTO have watched "The Simpsons".

50. Poet's forte: VERSE.

51. Old-time actress Mansfield or Meadows: JAYNE.  Jayne Meadows was married to Steve Allen.  Jayne Mansfield died in a tragic car crash many years ago.  She is the mother of Mariska Hargitay who is Lt. Benson on Law and Order SVU.

53. Deed holder: OWNER.  I own several bowling balls and a set of golf clubs, but I do not have a deed for them.  I perform DEEDS with them.

54. In what place: WHERE. At a bowling center or a golf course.

55. Alphabetizes, say: SORTS.  I've spent HOURS sorting baseball cards, but never alphabetically.  They have numbers on the back and most of mine are in numerical order.

58. Eject, as lava: SPEW.  Remember Mount St. Helens ?  I do

60. Fuss: ADO.  Not ADO, I said I DO.

61. As __: according to: PER.

63. Longoria of "Overboard" (2018): EVA.

Boomer

Monday April 27, 2020 Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

Theme: DOUBLE ROOMS (56. Hotel accommodations for couples, and a hint to both parts of 20-, 27- and 49-Acros) - Room can follow both two words in each theme answer.

20. Strategy with delaying tactics: WAITING GAME. Waiting room. Game room.

27. Rental industry with units for extra belongings: PUBLIC STORAGE. Public room. Storage room.

49. Household gathering to discuss something: FAMILY MEETING. Family room. Meeting room.

Boomer here.

I couldn't help but notice how the theme answers seem to fall into our fight with Covid-19. It certainly is a waiting game to try to get back to at least partially normal.  I am sure we all have family meetings to decide how to spend time while we stay at home.  And hotel accommodations??  I see reports on TV almost daily about Las Vegas and the empty hotels. In the meantime we have golf courses here that are open with strict rules.  I am still staying at home but I could try golf in a week or two.  Hoping you all are well and coping.

Across:

 1. Pull a pre-exam all-nighter: CRAM.  Or try to fit a dozen golf balls in one of those small pockets on your golf bag.

5. High-five sound: SLAP.  Or SLAP a 40 foot putt into the hole.

9. Hamster homes: CAGES.

14. Word in a bailiff's order: RISE.  "ALL RISE !"  Yankee Aaron Judge's nickname.

15. Comics possum: POGO.  POGO has internet games.  I play the Trivial Pursuit daily, but it seems that it will not be available next year.

16. Seashore recess: INLET.  In our lakes we call them bays.

17. Mail-routing abbr.: ATTN.

18. How some close NFL games are won: IN OT.  The NFL draft took place this week.  Now we have to wait and see if there will be a season.

19. Black, in Bordeaux: NOIRE.

23. There's no winner in one: TIE.  I have some TIEs in my closet that are winners.

24. Defense org.?: ABA.  American Bar Association.

25. Enticed: TEMPTED.  Yes I am TEMPTED to see if I can still hit the ball. FORE!

32. Grabbed a bite: ATE.

33. Loafer or moc: SHOE.  I have two pairs of bowling shoes and two pairs of golf shoes.  I have one pair of black leather dress shoes I only wear to church so they have been in the closet for awhile.

34. Outlying communities: EXURBS.  It seems that the virus is less dominant in rural areas.

37. Brown shades: TANS.

39. Push in some chips: BET.  Sorry, not available on the "Sin City" Strip for awhile.

41. Fab Four first name: PAUL.  Not JOHN.

42. "Jeepers!": SHEESH.

45. Agrees quietly: NODS.

48. Capote nickname: TRU.  I remember Truman's book "In Cold Blood" about a nasty murder in Kansas.

52. Pancake flipper: SPATULA.  The spat won't do it all by itself.  It needs an operator.

54. Not within walking distance: FAR.  Where Aaron Judge hits baseballs.

55. Ab neighbor: PEC.  A bushel and a pec and a hug around the neck.  (Doris Day.)

62. Dog collar dangler: ID TAG.  We called them "Dog Tags". Mandatory item to wear in the Army.

64. When many start lunch: NOON. I usually start mine about 11:00 but that's AM so it's noon somewhere. 

65. Slender wind: OBOE.

66. Eat away at: ERODE.  I can ERODE a bag of sunflower seeds.  When I had real teeth I would eat the salted in the shell variety.  Now I just settle for the seeds.

67. Lump of dirt: CLOD.  Golfers call it a divot.  Pick it up and put it back where you found it.

68. Bread with hummus: PITA.

69. Sensitive skin spots: SORES.  Golfers may get these on their feet in the Spring.

70. Cooped cluckers: HENS.  Plenty of them at my Uncle Bill's farm on Burnikel Road in Siren Wisconsin.

71. Place to hold a snifter: STEM.

Down:

1. Stick in one's __: CRAW.  Does a CRAW have a father?? CRAWDAD ??

2. "Lovely" musical meter maid: RITA.  Lovely Rita meter maid, may I inquire discreetly, when are you free to take some tea with me ?  (Sergeant Pepper's Lonely hearts club band.) I own the vinyl album on a bookshelf.

3. Piedmont wine center: ASTI.

4. __ telepathy: MENTAL.  You need some of this to finish these puzzles.

5. Veggie favored by Popeye: SPINACH.  I'm strong to the finish, cuz I eat my spinach.

6. Like epic novels: LONG.  "A LONG, LONG time ago, I can still remember when the music used to make me smile."  Don McClean - "American Pie".  I have that one next to SGT. Pepper.

7. Super-excited: AGOG.

8. Idaho product: POTATO.  At least I have not heard of those being scrapped and not sent to market.

9. HBO-owned broadcaster: CINEMAX.  These guys are going crazy now with movie theaters closed.

10. "It's __-brainer!": A NO.  A Doctor.  Dr. No - Bond, James Bond.

11. Beautiful people, as a group: GLITTERATI.

12. Like a fog-enshrouded cemetery: EERIE. Actually these days, nearly any quiet walk in the evening. 

13. Jouster's mount: STEED.  A five-letter word for horse.

21. Sacred Nile bird: IBIS.  A Latin word for a bird with a long beak.

22, Not more than: MERE. We went to the grocery store for milk and canned fruit and spent a MERE $100.00 

26. Scrolling PC key: PG UP.

27. Frisks, with "down": PATS. A TSA guy frisked me at the airport in February. Evidently my hernia created a problem.  TSA guys do not look too busy now.

28. Salt Lake City's state: UTAH. The great Salt Lake is the eight wonder of the world.  I have only driven by the Southern Shore on I-80 but it is magnificent.  The only puddle we have that comes even close is our Mille Lacs Lake in Central Minnesota.  

29. Philanthropist: BENEFACTOR.

30. Get all blubbery: SOB.

31. So, so small: TEENY.  Itsy bitsy yellow polka dot bikini.

35. Severely overcook: BURN.  Or one half of a surname.

36. Fake coin: SLUG.  I have never seen or used one.  I guess they are great subway cheaters in NYC. 

38. Couch or bench: SEAT.  Rosa Parks would not give hers up.  Way to go, Rosa.

40. Quarterback Brady: TOM.  With the Buccaneers now.

43. Erasure marks: SMUDGES.

44. Big Island port: HILO.  I have never been to Hawaii but I know it's on the biggest Island.

46. Comes to the aid of: DEFENDS.

47. Scorch: SEAR.

50. Cape Canaveral event: LAUNCH.  I have only been to central Florida but I know Canaveral is off the eastern coast on what is sort of like a long island.  Maybe it is called a cape ?

51. Bunches of Brownies: TROOPS.  My buddies in Hardheim Germany were also called TROOPS.

52. Seekers of intel: SPIES.  Bond, James Bond.

53. Martinez with three Cy Youngs: PEDRO.  Pretty good pitcher with the Green Monster behind him.

57. Tree trunk: BOLE.

58. Minnesota's state bird: LOON.  That is our bird.  We are all a bit LOONIE.

59. Last bio: OBIT.

60. Bit of dust in a sunbeam: MOTE.

61. Tailor's line: SEAM.

63. Drink suffix: ADE.

Boomer

Monday April 20, 2020 Joe Kidd

Theme:  MAD SCRAMBLE (59. Frantic rush, or a hint to each set of circles)

17. Like a versatile wardrobe: MIX AND MATCH.

28. Partner for the big high school dance: PROM DATE.

 

35. Seafood-based party bowlful: CLAM DIP.

38. Chess game blunder: BAD MOVE.

48. Dined: HAD A MEAL.

Boomer here. 

I am not "MAD" at all. Our Minnesota governor, Tim Walz decided that the golf courses in Minnesota may open up.  Covid-19 rules apply. One person per cart, no ball washers, no rakes in bunkers, and modified holes so you can retrieve your ball without touching the pin. We had a 60 degree day Saturday here in the land of 15,000 lakes and the courses were busy.  I talked with one of my golf buddies on Saturday and we decided to wait a couple of weeks and let the grass turn green.  Six feet distancing still applies.

Across:

1. Open spaces: GAPS.  We have a GAP store in Maplegrove and C.C. also found one a few years ago in Las Vegas.

5. Ancient Roman orator: CICERO.

11. Tablet download: APP.

14. "This doesn't look good!": UH OH.  A 7-10 split ?

15. "The old-fashioned way" to make money, in an old ad: EARN IT.  Or stay at home and wait for your stimulus $$$ to show up.

16. Hawaiian welcome: LEI.

19. Implore: BEG.  Excuse me for saying this, but I really do not like the ASPCA ads on TV.

20. Mark of Zorro: ZEE.

21. Gloomy thinkers: BROODERS.

23. Sub detection device: SONAR.  You can detect a submarine or also find out how deep is the water.

26. Devious: SLY.  "And the family Stones."

27. The "E" in Q.E.D.: ERAT.  Latin for "WAS".  I have no idea about Q and D.

30. Full of pluck: GRITTY.  Is this NITTY ??

32. Place for a bud or a plug: EAR.  What?  I can't EAR you.

33. Solves, with "out": FIGURES.  Sorry, I just cannot FIGURE OUT these puzzles.

42. Hastily donned: THREW ON.  Sure would like to watch a new MLB game this summer.

44. Geese flight formation: VEE.  We have a grocery chain from Iowa called "Hy-Vee". Last Monday they were out of milk!!

45. Alabama seaport: MOBILE.

51. 2010 Apple debut: IPAD.

52. Butter serving: PAT.  A name for Patrick or Patricia, or a tap on your behind.

53. Young women: GIRLS.

54. Sell for: RETAIL AT.  The Mall.  They have high rent, they have to gouge you.

57. Bikini top: BRA.

58. Little hill crawler: ANT.

64. Hair-stiffening stuff: GEL.  Wow, it's been years since I used that stuff.  "A little dab'll do ya".

65. Not ready to eat, as fruit: UNRIPE.  I am not so old...I still buy green bananas.

66. Fairway club: IRON.  I carry a 3,5,7,and 9 Callaway metal woods.  I only use irons when I get within about 75 yards.  I know it sounds crazy, but I am old.

67. Before, in verse: ERE.

68. Up-and-down playground fixture: SEESAW.  Teeter totter, bread and water ...

69. Auction-ending word: SOLD.  Going Once, Going Twice ...

Down:

1. Chewing __: GUM.  Did you know that Judy Garland of Grand Rapids Minnesota, (Not Michigan) was named Frances Gumm ?

2. Sushi tuna: AHI.

3. Quaint curse: POX.   Sounds like a TV network.

4. Captain Marvel's magic word: SHAZAM.

5. Formally hand over: CEDE.  I give up!

6. Beatles' "__ the Walrus": I AM.

7. Seafood item needing to be cracked: CRAB LEG.  I have never tried them.  I usually have shrimp for lunch on Fridays.

8. Way to get in: ENTRY.  Or a lottery chance to win a dollar. That's all we ever win.

9. Puerto __: RICO.  I have not heard much about Covid-19 from Puerto Rico.  They got whacked by a hurricane a couple of years ago.  I hope they are all safe.

10. Roman emperor for three months: OTHO.

11. Physicist Einstein: ALBERT.  Was he FAT??

12. View with interest: PEER AT.

13. Pen for porkers: PIG STY. I seem to remember my Mother using that name to describe my bedroom.

18. Unhip type: NERD.  Lambda, Lambda, Lambda got their revenge

22. Reason-based faith: DEISM.

23. Blueprint detail, briefly: SPEC.

24. Daunting exam: ORAL.  Open wide.

25. Romance writer Roberts: NORA.  Crummy DA on Law and Order.

26. R.E.M. frontman Michael: STIPE.

29. Blazing: AFIRE.  Jack London wrote a story about how not to build one.

30. Three-legged piano: GRAND.

31. Color of Hester Prynne's "A": RED.

34. WWII naval threat: U BOAT.

36. Crete's highest pt.: MT IDA.  Remember Charley Weaver from Mount IDY ??

37. UPS competitor: DHL.  Maybe so, but I do not think UPS is worried.

39. Mind-matter link: OVER.

40. __ marsala: Italian restaurant choice: VEAL.  I am stuck on pork chops and hamburger.  Worried about all the processing plant closures in the U.S.

41. Sniggler's catch: EELS.

43. Doodad: WHATSIS.

45. Desert illusion: MIRAGE.  Nice hotel in Las Vegas.  Expensive buffet though.

46. First game in a series: OPENER.  Still waiting for the MLB.  Of course we will need to see 6 feet of distance between fans.

47. War movie scene: BATTLE.  "In 1814 we took a little trip, along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississippi."

49. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.

50. Great Lakes natives for whom an Ohio county is named: MIAMIS.

52. Mission priest: PADRE.  San Diego MLB player.

55. Irreverent Don of talk radio: IMUS.  Never listened to him.

56. Turnpike division: LANE.

57. Make, as tea: BREW.  Milwaukee Baseball team, "The BREW Crew".

60. Tax whiz, briefly: CPA.

61. Sis' sib: BRO.

62. Online "Ha-ha!": LOL.  Not funny.

63. Come to a close: END.  This is it.  We made it.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Dear Agnes lost another sibling. Her sister Mary passed away last Monday. Here is the obit page. Thanks for the Legacy page, Spitzboov!. Here are the happy sisters at St Patrick's Day in 2019.

L-R: Anne, Agnes, Eileen, Mary, and Peggy.

 

Monday April 13, 2020 Kurt Krauss

Theme: Colorful Songs

17. Colorful Top 10 Beatles hit: YELLOW SUBMARINE.

21. Colorful Top 10 Prince hit: PURPLE RAIN.

37. Colorful Top 10 Lemon Pipers hit: GREEN TAMBOURINE.

46. Colorful Top 10 Rolling Stones hit: BROWN SUGAR.

54. Colorful Top 10 Santana hit: BLACK MAGIC WOMAN.

Boomer here.  

Looks like a rainbow of colors in the puzzle.  "Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what's on the other side?"  (Kermit).

Across:

1. Time gone by: PAST.  While traffic is lighter than normal, Many cars are flying PAST, driving recklessly and we had over 12 fatal accident in Minnesota last week. Almost as many Covid-19 deaths.

5. Wedding VIPs with playlists: DJS.  DJS DJS, why not just invite me to sing.

8. Shot of liquor: JIGGER. I thought a Jigger was 1-1/2 shot.  But I gave up liquor in favor of chemo pills.

14. Do recon at, as an enemy camp: SCOUT OUT.

16. Collection of beehives: APIARY.

19. Apple mobile platform: IOS.

20. "When is a door not a door?," e.g.: RIDDLE.  Duh, when it's ajar.

26. GPS suggestions: RTES.  These days people just ask Siri on their phone.

27. Bad picnic omen: ANT. It still amazes me how they build their houses in the middle of our driveway.

28. Treasure container: CHEST.  Mine contains my rib cage.

33. Vienna's land: Abbr.: AUS. Austria.

34. Delhi dress: SARI.  Sounds like the voice in the phone.

36. Hamm's "Mad Men" role: DRAPER.  I am confused.  Hamm's is a St. Paul beer.  They sponsored a very famous bowling team in Minneapolis. The team won a national all events title in 1965, and two 5 man team ABC championships in 1970 and 1972.  The last surviving member of that team and a good friend of mine, Bob Hanson passed away last month.  He was 93.

Bob and his son Gregg

40. Open, as a present: UNWRAP.

41. "Jeopardy!" first name: ALEX.  I watch two episodes nearly every day.  Remember I am stuck in the basement with a TV set and nowhere to go.  Alex is a bit boring, but I absolutely admire him for hanging in there with pancreatic cancer.

42. Moon lander, for short: LEM.  Short for Lunar Excursion Module.  I think Apollo 11 left it on the moon, but I cannot see it from here.

43. English county on the North Sea: ESSEX.

44. Absorbed, as a cost: ATE.  Or finished, like a hamburger.

45. A bit, in music: POCO.

49. __ of Liberty: STATUE.  It bothers me when the Statue appears in Liberty Mutual commercials.  ("Give me your tired, your poor.  Your huddled masses yearning to breath free.)

53. Granola kernel: OAT.  "Mares eat oats, and does eat oats, but little lambs eat ivy.  A kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you ?"

60. Portable HP, say: LAPTOP.  Where I put my bowling ball when I'm changing shoes.

61. All tangled up: IN A SNARL.

62. Dwell constantly (on): OBSESS.

63. Home of MLB's Cardinals: STL. Also home of a river we send them called the Mississippi.  There is a power plant dam on the Mississippi about a mile from our home.  C.C. and I have walked across it many times.  It's a little less than a mile across up here.  I've been to St. Louis and it's about 4 miles across there.  Must be even wider as it heads to Louisiana.

Boomer, August 2, 2019

64. A few: SOME.

Down:

1. College maj. for a future therapist: PSY.

2. Trick taker, usually: ACE.  ACE hardware stores were designated essential up here and are open during our stay at home order.  We did not need any hardware.

3. Note after fa: SOL.  "SOL a needle pulling thread, La, a note that follows SOL.  TI, a drink with jam and bread ! That will bring us back to DOE.  The hills are alive, with the Sound of Music.

4. Dutch floral export: TULIPS.  We are receiving temps in the 30s this week.  Too early to tiptoe through the TULIPS.  Tiny Tim.

5. Search for water: DOWSE.

6. Gravy, on menus: JUS.  I thought Au Jus was just juice before you add the flour.

7. Guy's name spelled with an alphabet sequence: STU. 

8. Pack very tightly: JAM IN. Anyone JAMMING IN for a party these days is asking to be a statistic.

9. Apple tablet: IPAD.

10. Encircle with a belt: GIRD.  I have a Copper Fit one,  But do not call it a girdle.

11. O'Grady of "NYPD Blue": GAIL.  I think I have seen every episode twice.  I think Gail hooked up with Greg Medavoy.  Andy Sipowitz called his medical problem "Prostrate Cancer".

12. Sea eagle: ERNE.

13. Corned beef on __: RYE.  Seems like forever since St. Patrick's Day when our governor locked us down.  No sauerkraut sandwich for me.

15. Home Depot purchase: TOOL.  I guess Home Depot and Lowe's are still open here.

18. Petrol pumper: BRIT.

21. Czech Republic capital: PRAGUE.  We have a "New PRAGUE" in Minnesota.  I suppose it may have been settled by Czech immigrants at one time.

22. About-faces: U-TURNS.  No U-Turns, but C.C. and I get out for a walk now and then when our thermometer hits 50, and we see a lot of traffic, and I don't think they are going to a grocery store, post office or bank.  Maybe they are going to Home Depot or Lowe's. 

23. Adjusts, as a hem: RESEWS.

24. __ avis: RARA. RA RA RA for SKY U MAH

25. Lively, in music: ANIMATO.

28. Central idea: CRUX.

29. Kramden laugh syllable: HAR.  HAR, HAR, HARDY HAR, HAR

30. Literary wrap-up: EPILOG.

31. Five Nations tribe: SENECA.  Settled near Lake Ontario.

32. Aftershock: TREMOR.  In 1968, I lived through one of these at Fort Campbell, KY.  The next day we learned that it was felt in a number of states.  Anybody remember this ?

34. Munchies, in adspeak: SNAX.

35. Novak Djokovic's org.: ATP.

36. Anonymous John: DOE. A deer, a female deer, Re a drop of golden sun, Mi, a name I call myself, Fa a long long way to run See 3 Down.

38. Before, old-style: ERE.

39. Huffed and puffed: BLEW.  Who's afraid of the big bad wolf ??

44. Length times width, for a rectangle: AREA.  More geometry for the weak.

45. Hoaxes: PUT-ONS.

46. Dirt road irregularities: BUMPS.  We have plenty of these in MN.  I guess they cannot fill the damage with tar until the weather warms up.

47. Diet-friendly: NO-CAL.  I am stuck on Diet Pepsi.

48. Carpentry tools: SAWS.

49. Concrete section: SLAB.

50. Lights-out music: TAPS.  This was traditional on an army base.  Stop what you are doing, face a flag and salute.

51. Part of un drame: ACTE.

52. Bout enders, briefly: TKOS.  Back in the days of Clay and Foreman, there were some vicious TKOs.

54. Rain-__ gum: BLO.  Never heard of this.  We had Fleer and Double Bubble, but we preferred Topps baseball card gum.  This was in the 60s and 70s.  I don't think Fleer printed cards until the 80s.  except they printed a small set in 1963, but no one cared much. 

55. PX patrons: GIS.  We had a huge one at Fort Campbell. When I got to Hardheim Germany, the PX was just a small room where you could buy cigarettes and aspirin.

56. Bad result for a QB: INT.

57. Cultural Revolution chairman: MAO.

58. Branch: ARM.  I have two.  I never knew they were called branches.

59. Phillies' div.: NLE.  I wonder if there will be a season this year.  A Major League baseball stadium is not a place where spectators can hover six feet apart with a mask on.

Boomer

Monday April 6, 2020 Norfleet Pruden

Theme: BROADWAY (52. Where the answers to 20-, 24-, 36- and 46-Across have appeared in lights) - Places that are also Broadway plays.

20. Where Will Rogers was born: OKLAHOMA.

24. Where Bulls and Bears are cheered: CHICAGO.

36. Where the Beverly Hills Hotel is located: SUNSET BOULEVARD.

Boomer here.  

24A. did not mention the White Sox or Cubs. I told C.C. today that I really did not mind being stuck in the basement with the TV. However, I wish there was a Twins game or a golf tournament to watch.  I am stuck with reruns. But I am proud of my state's governor because his early action regarding closing of non-essential business (Bowling centers not essential???) seems to have people in their homes and the Covid-19 has not devastated our population as seriously as other parts of the US.  And of course I realize that this Crossword Corner has visitors from all over our country and I hope all of you are safe and we can get by this pandemic.

Across:

1. Worshipped one: IDOL.  My vote is for Buddy Holly.

5. Outer garments for Batman and Superman: CAPES.  Don't tug on Superman's CAPE, don't spit into the wind, and Don't mess around with Jim Croce.

10. Kite stabilizer: TAIL.  Brings back old times.  My Mom used to say "Go fly a Kite", and I did.

14. Congregation area: NAVE.  Not any Congregations here in the places of worship.  First time that I can remember Easter being "Stay at home". 

15. Popeye's main squeeze __ Oyl: OLIVE.  "I'm strong to the finish 'cuz I eat my spinach."

16. Meat safety agcy.: USDA.

17. Boring party, say: DRAG.  How about a quarter mile race??

18. Light measure: LUMEN.  Graybar sold GE Lamps by the watt, not by the LUMEN.

19. D.C. MLB team: NATS.  Short for Nationals. Our Twins used to be called Senators when they played in Washington D.C.

22. King with a golden touch: MIDAS.  I used them once for brakes and it was not a great experience.

23. Ripped: TORN.

26. Parisian parting: ADIEU.  "I'll hang my heart on the weeping willow tree, and may the world go well with thee."

29. Capital of Greece: ATHENS.  Capital of grease - Kentucky Fried Chicken.

31. Goes down to defeat: LOSES.

32. Reddish-brown horse: ROAN. ROANs will be running in Louisville in September this year. Maybe.

33. Color variant: HUE.

40. Decide (to): OPT.

41. Sabrina portrayer Melissa Joan __: HART. "Sabrina the Teenage Witch".

42. Noncom nickname: SARGE.  Beetle's boss SARGE Snorkel.

43. Quagmire: MORASS.  I'll leave this one alone.

45. Bygone: OLDEN.  Mets Pitcher - an Olden but a Gooden.

46. Where Arthur ruled the court: CAMELOT.  It's where you park your camel when you are going shopping at the mall.

49. Against: ANTI.

51. Make one's case: PLEAD.  I PLEAD NOT Guilty.

56. What no centipede has exactly 100 of, oddly: LEGS. I never counted a centipede.

57. Roles on 52-Across: PARTS.  I was Noye in a play by Benjamin Britten.  I built a boat and sailed it in a fludde.  Best part about it was it was in an all girls school so all the animals in the cast were girls. God was from De La Salle.

59. First-rate: A ONE.  "A One and A two"  Lawrence Welk.

60. Eurasian border river: URAL.

61. Erupt, as tempers: FLARE.  This is what I miss a lot, when Ron Gardenhire (Now in Detroit) comes out of the dugout to visit with an umpire.

62. Skipjack or yellowfin: TUNA.  I've only heard of StarKist.

63. PlayStation maker: SONY.

64. Formally gave up: CEDED.

65. __ out a living: barely manages: EKES.  Many people are in this predicament.  I hope the stimulus helps my fellow Americans.

Down:

1. Prefix with Chinese: INDO.  C.C.'s friends in China are mostly Outdoor.

2. __ horse: long shot: DARK.  "DARK STAR" was a thoroughbred that won the 1953 Kentucky Derby.  I had a friend who called himself Dark Star and he was a handicapper at our own Canterbury Downs track.  I never knew his real name but he was a customer at my baseball card store and a great friend.  He had a membership at our Interlachen (home of a Solheim Cup) and also at Riviera in California.  RIP Dark Star.

3. Shaped like the president's office: OVAL.  Also the track at Indy.  Not sure if the 500 is still scheduled for Memorial Day this year.

4. Inheritors: LEGATEES.

5. Red, white or blue: COLOR.

6. Wellesley grad: ALUMNA.  I get it.  You need to be female to be an ALUMNA.

7. Fine cotton: PIMA.

8. Mother of Cain and Abel: EVE.  I have heard of them but no one has ever told me what year they lived.  My faith tells me that if EVE never took a bite out of that apple, we would not be dealing with the coronavirus this year.

9. Capitol Hill VIP: SEN.  Our Senator Amy Klobuchar (Last four pronounced "SHAR") has a husband who contracted Covid-19.  He has recovered and is taking it easy at home.

10. Forum garments: TUNICS.  Similar to some religious vestments.  Not being used too much recently.

11. Carne __: taco filling: ASADA.

12. Luggage label: ID TAG.  We have tags that slip into holder on the outside of our luggage.  Not sure if we'll be flying too much any more.  MSP is a Delta parking lot.

13. Rodeo rope: LASSO.

21. Social unit sharing the same dwelling: HOUSEHOLD.  Sounds more like holding down a house, which we are doing to comply with our governor's direction.

22. State nicknamed the "Land of 10,000 Lakes": MINNESOTA.  Shame on anyone who did not get this on the first try.  Actually it's a lie - we have over 15,000 lakes, but who's counting.

24. __ En-lai: CHOU.

25. Recover from injury: HEAL.  Go away virus.!!

26. In addition: ALSO.

27. Make spiffy: DO UP.

28. Stevie Wonder's "__ She Lovely": ISN'T.  "Life and Love are the same."

30. Harness race paces: TROTS.  "Not a wholesome trotting race, NO, but a race where they set down right on a horse!!  Like to see some stuck up jockey boy sittin' on Dan Patch?  Makes your blood boil what I should say.  Professor Harold Hill in "The Music Man".

33. Difficult: HARD.  We used to have an AWA pro wrestler named Hard Boiled Haggerty.

34. Strong desire: URGE.

35. 8-Down's first home: EDEN.  Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant's home is in EDEN Prairie MN.

37. Tropical root vegetable: TARO.  I think if you add a "T" you have fortune telling cards.

38. Babysitter's bane: BRAT.  My son's name is BRET.  I used to tell friends that I named him right, but I spelled it wrong.

39. Bear out, as feelings: VALIDATE.  My handicapped parking permit has been validated.  I have a temp right now but I am supposed to get the official rear view mirror hanger by June.  Not holding my breath, our DMV is at minimum duty.

43. Pitifully small: MEASLY. So many folks with MEASLY unemployment insurance.  I hope the stimulus helps them out.

44. Existentialist Jean-Paul: SARTRE.

46. Not quite a B: C PLUS.  Oh yeah!  I am familiar with that grade.

47. Last Olds model: ALERO.  I used to love Oldsmobiles in my younger years.  I owned a 1957 - 98 and a 1961 - 88 with a 394 engine.  Yes, I got a few tickets.

48. Mullally of "Will & Grace": MEGAN.

50. Snooped (around): NOSED.  Reminds me of Pete Nokio in the GEICO commercials.

52. Slim nail: BRAD.  Remember Seinfeld's Elaine's Mr. Pitt ?  Well this Mister BRAD Pitt is no longer married to Angelina or Jennifer.

53. "The Caine Mutiny" author Herman: WOUK.

54. Diarist Frank: ANNE.

55. Affirmative votes: YEAS.  The Senate approved the Stimulus 96-0.  That vote tally is unheard of in this day and age.

57. Rank below cpl.: PFC.  I was there once.  I ended up a Specialist 5.  Not bad for an Army rookie.

58. Lager alternative: ALE.  I like the Ginger kind.

Boomer

Monday March 30, 2020 Annemarie Brethauer

Theme: HOME STRETCH (59. Last leg of a race ... or a hint to the circled letters) - H, O, M, E are stretched out in each theme answer.

 

17. Studio feature that produces reverb: ECHO CHAMBER.

25. Very popular movie star, e.g.: HOT NUMBER.

37. 2017 Day-Lewis film with multiple Oscar nominations: PHANTOM THREAD.

50. Talk Like a Pirate Day greeting: AHOY, MATEY.

Boomer here.  

We are still dealing with the Covid-19 and our Governor has ordered us to stay HOME.  I expect the same advice or command for most of you also. Also the Major Leagues have been delayed unfortunately so we will not hear Joe Nuxhall "Rounding third and heading for HOME."  I do not have a Gene Autry CD or tape singing "HOME, HOME on the Range"  So all I can do is hope that you are all Safe at Home.  It's a baseball thing.

Across:

1. Run __ of the law: get in trouble: AFOUL.  Return to home plate after hitting A FOUL.

6. Seized SUV, say: REPO.  Hopefully the stimulus will help folks pay their bills so they do not suffer a REPO.

10. Pumpkin dessert: PIE.  Thanksgiving.  Don't forget a little Cool Whip on top.

13. Style: MANNER.  Mind your MANNERs while eating that pie.

15. Wind instrument in Donovan's "Jennifer Juniper": OBOE.  Donovan was a bit of a weird duck, but I liked some of his songs.

16. "__ ideas?": ANY.  to deal with coronavirus ?  Stay HOME.

19. GPS choice: RTE.  Get your kicks, on RTE66.

20. AFL partner: CIO.

21. Pool-filling aid: HOSE.  Remember when Kevin Costner grabbed a HOSE and created a rainout in  "Bull Durham".  They did not have coronavirus to cancel their game.

22. Spa sigh: AAH.

23. Fifty percent: HALF.

30. Advanced in age: ELDERLY.  They say they are most vulnerable to the virus.

33. Museum of Natural __: HISTORY.  "Jeopardy" has HISTORY categories frequently.  Who was the first U.S. President to give the State of the Union address on Television ?

34. Goat's cry: MAA.  I thought it was BAA, but I never owned a goat.

35. Pasta sauce brand: RAGU.  Lots of this in our fridge and cupboard.

36. Poe's "Annabel __": LEE.  Who remembers Pinky LEE ?

41. True master: PRO. I am also missing the PGA on TV.  They show reruns, but it's just not the same.

42. Days, to Diego: DIAS.

43. Famous Downing Street address: TEN.  If your not yet sick of me mentioning the virus, Boris Johnson, PM of the UK at 10 Downing Street got a positive shortly after Prince Charles received the same.

44. Bone-muscle connectors: TENDONS.

46. Like moody Romantic heroes, as first described in the works of a British lord: BYRONIC. Lord Byron.

52. Centers of activity: LOCI.  Keep six feet apart and no more than 10.

53. Before, to poets: ERE. "And I heard him exclaim ERE he rode out of site"

54. Untidy condition: MESS.  Clean it up!!

57. __ Van Winkle: RIP.  Sew it up!!

58. Sassy West: MAE.

63. SUV's "U," briefly: UTE.

64. "Easy to Be Hard" musical: HAIR.  "I'm HAIRY noon and nighty Night Night, HAIR is a fright".  The Cowsills.

65. Way out of jail: PAROLE.  Or just draw a "get out of jail free" in Monopoly.

66. Ed.'s backlog: MSS.

67. "Don't move, Rover!": STAY.  Do people still name their dogs "Rover"?

68. More sensible: SANER.

Down:

1. "Cocoon" co-star Don: AMECHE.

2. Spa skin-care treatment: FACIAL.  Need not go to a SPA.  Just watch TV commercials.

3. Waiting for a phone rep, maybe: ON HOLD.  Our stimulus payments are ON HOLD for about three weeks I am told.

4. Tres menos dos: UNO. Three minus two.

5. Solidarity's Walesa: LECH.  Created a "Solidarity" movement in Poland, now he is removed from politics - retired in Poland, age 76.

6. Juliet's love: ROMEO.  "Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou ROMEO"

7. Tidal reflux: EBB.  Caused by the moon.

8. "Nevermore" poet: POE.  "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,"  (That's all I remember).  Freshman English was hard.

9. Poet's contraction: O'ER. "O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave."

10. Geometry curve: PARABOLA.  Freshman Geometry was just as hard.

11. Losing money, colorfully: IN THE RED.  Many portfolios IN THE RED right now, but they are coming back.  Don't listen to me, I am not a financial advisor but I do watch CNBC. 

12. Organ with a pupil: EYE.

14. Letter after pi: RHO.  That's Greek to me.

18. Pallid: ASHY.  I quit smoking many years ago, so my home and car are not ASHY.

22. Check no.: AMT.

24. National Preparedness Month org.: FEMA.  Counting on them for help.

26. "Is __ legal?": THAT.

27. First of two nearly identical words to a tucked-in tot: NIGHTY.  See 64A,  I'm Hairy noon and NIGHTY night, night.

28. Loan shark: USURER.

29. Whiskey grain: RYE.  No Whiskey left hear, but I do have part of a Rye loaf.  Left over after Reuben sandwich season.

31. Hit-or-miss: RANDOM.

32. Rita Moreno, e.g.: LATINA.

35. Apt. ad count: RMS.  Must be tough on people living in apartments.

37. Warms in advance: PRE-HEATS.  We got a new stove, and the view shows the oven temp while it is warming up.  When it gets to the requested temp, it beeps like crazy - about 6 times.

38. Award recipients: HONOREES.

39. Hops kiln: OAST.

40. Organic compound: ENOL.

41. School support org.: PTA.  Jeannie C. Riley - "The day my mama socked it to the Harper Valley PTA"

45. Color, as hair: DYE.

46. Tournament passes: BYES.  The entire Major League Baseball is getting a BYE right now.

47. McAfee rival: NORTON.  Ralph Kramden's buddy who worked in the sewer.

48. Frozen spike: ICICLE.  We get many off our gutters over the winter.  They are all gone now.

49. Coded writing: CIPHER.

51. Nail-filing board: EMERY.  Never used one.  I have clippers.

55. Car care brand: STP.  Saint Paul.

56. Mex. ladies: SRAS.

58. "The word" in silence: MUM.  The GEICO's Gecko has a MUM who makes small biscuits.  It's a secret recipe.

59. FDA overseer: HHS.  Or the High School of every city that starts with "H".

60. Breakfast grain: OAT.  General Mills Cheerios are very tasty.  I'm stuck on Wheat Chex for now.  Hy Vee had a big sale.

61. Hamm of soccer: MIA.

62. Important period: ERA.  Important Stat for a pitcher if they ever get going.

Boomer