Monday September 16, 2019 Paul Coulter

Theme: START OF PLAY (63. Opening kickoff, say, and what both parts of 17-, 30- and 47-Across can be) - Both words in each theme entry can precede PLAY.

17. Football non-passing offense: RUNNING GAME. Running play. Game play.

30. Get one more card for twice the bet, in blackjack: DOUBLE DOWN. Double play. Downplay.

47. Car engine measure: HORSE POWER. Horse play. Power play.

Boomer here.  Hello from the Land of 10,000 lakes. We had a deluge of rain last week but the good news is a return to summer today and all week. I will be hitting the golf links tomorrow but I am pretty busy bowling which ignores the weather. 170-191-214-575 last Thursday.  Maybe it's coming back.

Across:

1. Really big hit: SMASH.  "The game of life is hard to play".  It'S M*A*S*H

6. Numero uno, with "the": BEST. We have a "Best Buy" near our home. Not sure if it is a really Best Buy.  C.C. and I stopped in last week. I saw refrigerators priced at over $3500.00!

10. One always ready with quick comebacks: WIT.  So's your old man !

13. W.C. Fields persona: SOUSE. Sorry, I've heard of W.C. But I am not old enough to remember his antics.

14. Strand during a sleet storm, say: ICE IN.  Sleet is a bit of a mixture of rain and snow.  We don't see that much in MN.  We get only lots of snow.

16. Green prefix: ECO.

19. Fish eggs: ROE.  Does not appeal to me. I have heard that you can turn some of it into caviar with a little curing and salt. You can have it.  Earlier some kids in Edina MN pulled a 70 year old sturgeon (and about 7 feet long) out of a creek that was about 3 feet deep.  Not sure if it had ROE.

20. __ the table: arrange silverware and such: SET.  6 wins in a tennis match.

21. MBA or MFA: Abbr.: DEG.

22. Behind, or hit from behind: REAR END. My Van got whacked two years ago in St. Paul.  Amazing Abra found a perfect rear bumper assembly on their network and had it fixed in one day.

24. Farm song refrain: EIEIO.  "Old McDonald had a farm"  "And on this farm he had a hamburger, French fries, and a chocolate shake."

26. Hasenpfeffer, e.g.: STEW.

27. Open-and-__ case: SHUT.

34. 36-Across skunk Pepé: LE PEW.  Mel Blanc took leave of Bugs Bunny to be Pepé's voice.

36. Warner Bros. creation: TOON. Yes he is in Warner Brothers CARTOONS. Th Th That's All Folks!

37. Author Tolstoy: LEO.  Astrological sign. We left behind on August 23 I think.

38. European peak: ALP.  It's a big mountain but also an Electric Utility in Alexandria MN.

39. "Gosh, look at the time": IT'S LATE. "You better get on home"  (Ricky Nelson)

42. Sundial seven: VII.  How do they tell time with these things above the Arctic Circle??

43. You, to Goethe: SIE.

44. "Peter Pan" dog: NANA.

45. Sediment: DREGS.

51. Arthur of tennis: ASHE.  I was never much of a tennis fan, but this man was the Tiger Woods of tennis.  The first and only African-American to win a bunch of titles and awards in his chosen sport.  Sadly passed away at age 49,  RIP Mr. Ashe.

52. "Unforgettable" singer: COLE.  His real name was Nat Adams Coles.  But to me he was a King!

53. Peter, Paul or Mary: SAINT.  I get it but I do like their music.  Especially "Right Field".

55. Philosophy school with no classes?: MARXISM.

58. Biol. or geol.: SCI.

59. "Bingo!": AHA.

62. Australian bird: EMU.  Electrical and Mechanics Union.

66. Sailor's "Help!": SOS. Dot Dot Dot  Dash Dash Dash Dot Dot Dot.  Thank you Mr. Morse.

67. Woodsy path: TRAIL.  "Happy Trails to You."  Roy Rogers.

68. Deed: TITLE.  I remember that "Title Deed" was printed on all of the Monopoly property cards.  Thank you Parker Brothers.

69. Gallery hangings: ART.  Paul's pal, Mr. Garfunkel.

70. Bldg. with a pool: YMCA.

71. "I Am of Ireland" poet: YEATS.

Down:

1. Lat. and Est., once: SSRS.  Super Seniors.  You have to be over 70 to bowl in the "Super Senior classification" in the Midwest Senior Classic tournaments. Now that I made the age, my bowling went over the hill. 

2. Grimace: MOUE.

3. Em, to Dorothy: AUNT.  "We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz".

4. Nine-digit ID: SSN.  I have had the same number for 60 years. Plus I think my card is 40 years old.

5. Alpine heroine: HEIDI.

6. Astros Hall of Famer Craig __: BIGGIO.  Played 19 years for the Astros. Inducted into Cooperstown in 2015.

7. Cardio readout: ECG.  I am going to assume that my heart is okay.  They check my BP and pulse when I go in but I don't remember getting a stethoscope treatment at all.

8. Blacken: SEAR. Add an "S" and a Roebuck and you have a failed retailer.

9. Schedule opening: TIME SLOT.

10. Human/canine shape-shifters: WEREWOLVES.  Minnesota Basketball team We are.

11. Screen symbol to click on: ICON.

12. Open-__ shoes: TOED.  I have a pair of Under Armors but I rarely wear them.  What if I dropped a bowling ball on my foot??

15. Tidied, as a room: NEATENED.

18. Require: NEED. "Do you NEED anybody"? (Beatles Sgt. Pepper's) They got by with a little help from their friends.

23. Cabernet color: RED.  Cincinnati baseball player.

24. Summer in Lyon: ETE.

25. Western bad guys: OUTLAWS. I kind of miss the old Spaghetti Westerns.

27. Cut drastically, as prices: SLASH.  "Black Friday" is less than two months away, BUT the best deals usually come around December 23.

28. Prefix for "sun": HELIO.

29. Elite group: UPPER CRUST.  My favorite is "No Upper Crust"  Pumpkin Pie.  On the day before Black Friday.

31. Fancy neckwear: BOA.  A big snake.

32. Mull over: WEIGH.  Oh, that's the first think the clinic does before the BP and pulse.  I am at 184 but my old 38" waist pants are too big, but I have trouble fitting into 36.  Why don't the pants guys make a 37" waist.  Or is that just in the upscale Men's wear that charges $5.00 per inch??

33. Bam, bang or boom: NOISE.

35. Sommelier's menu: WINE LIST.

40. Complex woven textile: TAPESTRY.  "Season's change with the scenery, weaving time in a TAPESTRY, won't you stop and remember me?"  (Simon and Garfunkel)

41. __-Caps: candy: SNO.  Last week it was mountains.

46. Backstabber: RAT.

48. Fenway team, familiarly: SOX. Also a team at Guaranteed Rate Field. South side of the Windy City.

49. SoCal Latinx neighborhood: EAST LA.

50. Puerto __: RICO. I'm sure we all are relieved that Dorian missed that poor island.

54. Really cool: NIFTY.

55. Big butte: MESA.  Butte is a city in Montana.  Mesa is in Arizona.

56. Love, in Lima: AMOR.

57. Hat-tipper's word of address: MAAM.

59. Opposite of baja: ALTA.

60. "Stop right there!": HALT.  Gimme your Dough.

61. Shipboard yeses: AYES.  I still maintain these are "AYE AYES".

64. Rocker Ocasek: RIC.

65. Dessert pastry: PIE. I used to work at a restaurant named after Matt Perkins.  They served decent food and excellent desserts.  Many of them are closing around here. Do you have one where you live?  They still advertise on TV.

Boomer

Tuesday, August 27, 2019, Paul Coulter

It's Meaningless!  The first letter of each word in the theme answers (M and T), when said aloud together, sounds like EMPTY.

17-Across. Toy on a track: MODEL TRAIN.

24-Across. Native growth in an Asian orchard: MANGO TREE.  Mangos are so good in a fruit salad.

39-Across. Grilling accessory: MEAT THERMOMETER.

49-Across. Result of too-tight jeans, perhaps: MUFFIN TOP.

And the Unifier:

62-Across. Blather, and a phonetic hint to the four other longest answers: EMPTY WORDS.  The word Empty like the letters M and T.

Across:

1. Makes a hasty getaway: LAMS.

Lambs on the Lam.

5. Insect stage after larva: PUPA.

9. Bathroom wall piece: TILE.

13. Not many: A FEW.

14. Umpires' decisions: CALLS.  I initially tried Balls.  Unfortunately, it fit all too well.

16. Cabinet dept. with a windmill on its seal: ENER.  As in the Department of Energy.  There are several other items on the seal in addition to the windmill.

19. Volcanic output: LAVA.  //  And 26-Down: Volcanic output = ASH.

20. WWI French soldier: POILU.  Raise you hand if you knew this non-Tuesday word.  The word literally means "hairy" or "hairy one."  Many of the front line French infantrymen were from rural, agricultural backgrounds and wore beards and bushy mustaches.

21. Almanacs, calendars, etc.: YEARLIES.

23. Drag one's feet: STALL.

The first time I saw stalls like these was in a hotel in Beijing.

25. Philosopher __-tzu: LAO.

27. Mme., in Madrid: SRA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

28. Money for the poor: ALMS.

32. Ancient colonnade: STOA.

35. Bumper sticker word: ELECT.

42. Award for "Green Book": OSCAR.  The movie Green Book won Best Picture as well as the Best Original Screenplay.

43. Spanish appetizer: TAPA.  Yummers!

44. Ward of "Once and Again": SELA.  Sela Ward (née Sela Ann Ward; b. July 11, 1956) also starred in the in the 2019 television show FBI.

45. Korean soldier: ROK.  Another non-Tuesday word.  The Republic of Korea Army is known as ROK.

47. Springsteen's "Born in the __": USA.

54. TV monitoring device: V-CHIP.  The "V" may stand for either Violence or Viewer Controlled.

59. Directed: OVER SEEN.

60. Maine college town: ORONO.  My alma mater.

61. "Star Trek" helmsman: SULU.

65. "The Time Machine" race: ELOI.  These fictional post-humans from H.G. Well's 1895 novel have become a crossword staple.

66. Gave an address: SPOKE.  Not a physical address, but an oration.

67. Foul mood: SNIT.  //  And 55-Down: In a foul mood:  CROSS.  I liked how these to clues and answers CROSSed.

68. Director Gus Van __: SANT.  Gus van SANT (b. July 24, 1952) is a film director, best know for Good Will Hunting and My Own Private Idaho.

69. Laundry blemish: SPOT.

70. Red and Coral, but not pink: SEAS.  Nailed it!  The Red SEA is between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.  It's a great place for snorkeling.  The Coral SEA is off the east coast of Australia.

Down:

1. Reading lights: LAMPS.

2. Underway, to Sherlock: AFOOT.

3. TV, radio, newspapers, etc.: MEDIA.

4. "Great!": SWELL.  I first tried Super, then Sweet!, before the perps finally led me to SWELL.

5. Interest rate fig.: PCT.  As in Percent.

6. Short-lived Egypt-Syr. alliance: UAR.  As in the United Arab Republic.  It was a sovereign state from 1958 to 1961.

7. __ del Rey: L.A. beach community: PLAYA.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  Playa is Spanish for Beach.

8. Roswell crash victim, supposedly: ALIEN.

9. Stretch the truth: TELL TALES.

10. "... bombs bursting __": IN AIR.

11. Protective river embankment: LEVEE.

12. Clear from the blackboard: ERASE.

15. Hitches: SNAGS.

18. Temporary calm: LULL.

22. Composer Ned: ROREM.  Ned Rorem (b. Oct. 23, 1923) is an American composer.  In 1975, he won a Pulitzer Prize for Music.

24. Sacred choral piece: MOTET.

28. Latin "I love": AMO.

29. French article: LES.  Today's French lesson.

30. Rock's Fleetwood __: MAC.

31. Tropical food that has a five-point shape when sliced: STAR FRUIT.  The fruit is quite tasty.

33. U.K. singer Rita __: ORA.  I am not familiar with Rita Ora (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora; b. Nov. 26, 1990).

34. Intensify: AMP UP.

36. Hot time on the Riviera: ÉTÉ.  More of today's French lesson.  Summer on the Riviera is a Hot Time.

37. Cartoon frame: CEL.

38. La-la lead-in: TRA.

40. Square root of neuf: TROIS.  And now for today's math lesson in French.  The square root of 9 is 3.

41. Western treaty gp.: OAS.  As in the Organization of American States.

46. "Trick" joints: KNEES.

48. Declare openly: AVOW.

49. Exodus leader: MOSES.

50. Throat dangler: UVULA.

51. Serious criminal: FELON.

52. Subs at the office: TEMPS.  As in Temporary workers/

53. "Hop __": Dr. Seuss book: ON POP.

56. "Stormy Weather" singer Lena: HORNE.

57. Mumbai's land: INDIA.

58. Twitter updates: POSTS.

63. Ring ref's decision: TKO.  As in Technical KnockOut.

64. To this point: YET.

Here's the Grid:

I'll leave you with a QOD:  There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves.  ~  Lyndon B. Johnson (né Lyndon Baines Johnson; Aug. 27, 1908 ~ Jan. 22, 1973)


Notes from C.C.: 

Happy 71st birthday of dear Lemonade (Jason), who's been guiding us on Friday puzzles since March 2010. This is a picture from his trip to Oo' homeland a few years ago. Happy birthday, the king!

Oo and Lemonade

Sunday August 18, 2019 Paul Coulter

Theme:  "Done to a T" - T is added to to the end of each familiar phrase.

22A. Naughty young athlete?: SPORTS BRAT. Sports bra.

24A. Materials on a king's palette?: ROYAL PAINT. Royal pain.

34A "Don't worry about that, Mr. Gingrich"?: IT'S NOTHING NEWT. It's nothing new.

 

52A. "The Alien Simpsons" character?: MARS BART. Mars bar.

55A. Watery world?: SEA PLANET. Sea plane.

77A. Defective phone download?: BAD APPLET. Bad apple.

79A. Large pub band?: BAR NONET. Bar none.

 

94A. Tiny golf course rental?: SUBCOMPACT CART. Subcompact car.

111A. Strategy using a heavily pine-tarred bat?: STICKY BUNT. Sticky bun.

113A. Tiff about a checkup?: HEALTH SPAT. Health spa. 

We've seen adding T or T sound puzzles in LAT before. Paul's has T's consistently added in the end. And he has 10 of them. Heavy themage in a 142-word grid.

Across:

1. Name on toy vehicles since 1964: HESS. Most of rusty toy trucks are Tonka.

5. '50s first lady: MAMIE.

10. Architect Saarinen: EERO.

14. Become unhinged: SNAP.

18. Bridge toll unit: AXLE.

19. Whirlpool brand: AMANA. Just don't buy GE, so glitchy. 

20. "Ah, me!": ALAS.

21. Arcade pioneer: ATARI.

26. Energy-saving tactic: POWER CUT.

27. AOL, e.g.: ISP.

29. Military chaplain: SKY PILOT. New term to me.

30. Platform for Siri: IOS.

31. Cons: ANTIS.

33. Biting: ACERB.

40. Less taxing: EASIER.

43. Pouts: MOUES. Like this.

44. Oxlike antelope: GNU.

45. Syndicate: CARTEL.

47. Chinese culinary general: TSO.

48. Fine things?: ARTS.

49. Cartoon flapper: BOOP.

50. Cabinet dept. with an atom on its seal: ENER.

51. 1995 court VIP: ITO. Lance.

59. Doo-wop syllable: SHA.

60. Big size, in a small way: LGE. Large. "in a small way" just indicates an abbreviated answer.

61. Operatic chorus: BRAVOS.

65. Chip features: RIDGES.

66. Organic fuel: PEAT.

67. Deprive of courage: UNMAN.

68. Ex-baseballer Martinez: TINO. Here he is with a more famous Yankee.

69. Photos, say: IMAGES.

72. Not diluted much, if at all: STRONG.

73. __ v. Wade: ROE.

74. Dusk, to Donne: EEN.

81. Deg. for a writer: MFA.

82. Red analog: BEET. There are also golden beets these days.

84. Trounce, down south: WHUP.

86. Global extremity: POLE.

87. Lulu: PIP.

88. "Ageless Body, Timeless Mind" author: CHOPRA.

90. "__ the fields we go ... ": OER.

91. Graf rival: SELES.

92. They may be driven: CATTLE. Nice clue.

98. Bailiwicks: AREAS.

100. Slogs: PLODS.

101. Bygone New Zealand bird: MOA.

102. Last of seven, for many: SATURDAY. Sunday in Chinese calendars.

105. UFO crew, in theory: ETS.

106. Curbside pickup places: BUS STOPS.

115. Recesses: NOOKS.

116. Miscellany: OLIO.

117. Stand in a studio: EASEL.

118. Adjutant: AIDE.

119. Envy and others: SINS.

120. Fill-in: TEMP.

121. Singer Springfield: DUSTY.

122. Word of medical advice: REST.

Down:

1. Door fastener: HASP.

2. Big show: EXPO.

3. Tedious: SLOW.

4. Arid: SERE.

5. Phillie Phanatic, for one: MASCOT.

6. Waylay: AMBUSH.

7. K follower: MART.

8. Minute or moment lead-in: IN A.

9. Consuming, as time: EATING UP.

10. Secret Service agent's accessory: EARPIECE. I remember watching Chinese version of "In the Line of Fire". John Malkovich killed this nice girl simply because she's from Minneapolis, which I had never heard of then.

11. "Do Ya" rock gp.: ELO.

12. Bottom-feeding fish: RAYS.

13. 1970 World's Fair site: OSAKA. Where Osaka was born.

14. Way up: STAIRS.

15. Nervous habit: NAIL-BITING.

16. Cartoonist Peter: ARNO.  The New Yorker.

17. Big East team: PITT.

21. Court loser's option: APPEAL.

23. Chamber groups: TRIOS.

25. École cousin: LYCEE. "Nice school" would be a Saturday clue. The answer could be either. 

28. RR stop: STN.

31. Part of A.D.: ANNO.

32. Bittersweet farewell: SWAN SONG.

34. Mosque officials: IMAMS.

35. Judaic spiritual text: TORAH. Followed by 36. Buddhist spiritual text: SUTRA.

37. 1987 Costner role: NESS.

38. Gershwin's "__ Rhythm": I GOT.

39. "Poems are made by fools like me" poem: TREES.

41. Cosmetician Lauder: ESTEE. Their best product. So expensive.

42. Origins: ROOTS.

46. Song syllable: TRA.

49. Author Harte: BRET.

53. Obscenity cover-up: BLEEP.

54. Showing shock: AGASP.

56. Former: PRIOR.

57. Bedding: LINEN.

58. Big deal: ADO.

61. Flatter: BUTTER UP.

62. GI's furlough: R N R.

63. Latin lover's word: AMO.

64. Vehicle with sliding doors: VAN. We have a van. We hope to click this Santa Fe back home next year.

66. Links letters: PGA.

68. Under-the-sink assembly: TRAP.

69. High-tech debut of 1981: IBM PC.

70. Underworld society: MAFIA.

71. Novel's screen version, e.g.: ADAPTATION.

72. Oozes: SEEPS.

74. WWII bomber __ Gay: ENOLA. And 76. Desert trial: N TEST.

75. Fisherman with pots: EELER. Always think of this old fisherman. His eels are the best.

78. Debt-heavy corp. takeover: LBO. Leveraged buyout.

79. Pat on the back, maybe: BURP.

80. Crude gp.?: OPEC. Crude oil.

83. Place setting setting: TABLETOP.

84. Fuel storage structure: WOODSHED.

85. Does some tailoring: HEMS.

88. Store employees: CLERKS.

89. Exciting: HEADY.

91. Put away for later: STASH.

93. Rollers on the road: TRUCKS.

95. Bunk: COT.

96. Charm: AMULET. My friend Roberto wears an Evil Eye.

97. Like serious mistakes: COSTLY.

99. Cousin of a clog: SABOT.

102. IRS IDs: SSNS.

103. Yours, to Yvette: A TOI. One more French: 114. Évian water: EAU.

104. "Throw the __ Log On, Uncle John": P.D.Q. Bach madrigal parody: YULE.

106. Low pitch: BASS.

107. Peter the Great, e.g.: TSAR.

108. '60s sitcom boy: OPIE.

109. Stationer's stock: PADS.

110. Editorial "let it stand": STET.

112. Matchstick-removing game: NIM.

Glad Picard's surgery went smoothly. Liquid diet for 2 weeks sounds so hard!

Irish Miss (Agnes) told me her nausea is under control, but the pain is still here. She can now sleep in her own bed, so that's a bit of progress. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. We need our corner sunshine back to the blog soon.

Light to Right : Anne, Agnes, Eileen, Mar, and Peggy (3/17/2019)

C.C.