Theme: JOIN THE CLUB (55A. "That's exactly how I feel" ... or what each starred clue's first word can do? ) - The first word of each two-word theme entry can precede CLUB.
17A. *Title role in the 2009 Tony winner for Best Musical : BILLY ELLIOT. Billy club.
24A. *Advantage of some military goggles : NIGHT VISION. Nightclub.
45A. *Freetown is its capital : SIERRA LEONE. Sierra Club.
11D. *Unauthorized stories written by devotees : FAN FICTION. Fan club.
28D. *Pro shop freebie : GOLF PENCIL. Golf club.
Hello everyone, Boomer here and hopefully I'll be using one of those golf pencils today. I just hope those double digit numbers will fit in the small boxes on the card. I happened to think that the word "Puzzle" has two "Z"s as a double letter. There are a few other words with double Z but I was trying to think of a word with two Zs not together. I only came up with Marc Rzepczynski (Nickname "Scrabble"), a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. I wonder how many autographs he gets to sign each year.
Here goes today's puz zle:
Across:
1. Its median score is 100 : IQ TEST - You can now take these tests on the internet, but at the end they ask for your cell phone number. hmmmm
7. Weapon for Tyson : FIST - This of course would be the heavyweight ear muncher, Mike.
11. Christmas choice : FIR - I suppose, but a Norway Pine or blue spruce is a great choice also. Too bad most choices are green plastic trees from Walmart, paid for with gold plastic.
14. Former drug giant : SEARLE : Founded in Omaha, and once led by Donald Rumsfeld. Contributions included Celebrex and Nutra Sweet - (Aspartame)
15. Sans employment : IDLE - I would prefer "Sit at a stop light". Something we all do daily.
16. Enjoyed hors d'oeuvres, say : ATE
19. Drop off briefly : NAP
20. Shoe with a swoosh logo : NIKE - They must make a lot of $$$ on those shoes. Plenty to share with Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Michelle Wie, and others.
21. Tex-Mex snack : TACO
22. M-16, e.g. : RIFLE - Introduced in the Vietnam conflict. Light weight weapon.
26. Bottlenecks : LOGJAMS - Approach one on the highway and your engine will IDLE.
30. Not hard to grasp : BASIC
31. Plaza Hotel imp : ELOISE - Sorry, I really didn't get this one. Something about a hotel in New York, where I dare not go, after dark.
32. Write quickly : JOT - Scribble didn't fit
33. Sports car roof option : T-TOP - I think the Corvette was the first to sport a T-top. I never knew where they put the two roof pieces in case they were needed when it rained.
36. SkyMiles airline : DELTA - based in the huge Atlanta Airport. They have now merged with Northwest to have a major presence at MSP.
37. Make, as a sandwich : FIX
38. Ethiopia's Selassie : HAILE - Of course I remember Haile Selassie. I just can never remember how to spell his name.
39. Like flannel and fleece : SOFT - I might try like "a six and an ace"
40. Creepy-crawly : BUG
41. Tiered Asian temple : PAGODA - Also reasonably priced jewelry kiosk at many malls.
42. Butterfly's perch : PETAL - Another clue that got me.
44. Noble headpiece : CORONET - Also 110 of them followed J.P. Sousa's 76 trombones.
48. Response to a dare : CAN SO - We usually said "Can too!"
49. __ II razor : TRAC
50. Actor Morales : ESAI - Famous for role in "NYPD Blue".
54. Film buff's channel : AMC - Naturally I put TCM first. Pass the Wite-Out.
58. Stat for Ryan Howard : RBI - looks like Ryan and the Phillies are headed for the playoffs again. He is a horse, but my choice for MVP this year is the other Ryan. (Braun of the Brew Crew)
59. Having the knack : ABLE
60. Tough leather : OXHIDE - I've never known anything to be made of oxhide.
61. Subj. that helps people assimilate : ESL - Sorry, this clue escapes me
62. Niggling things : NITS - this one also
63. "Enough already!" : STOP IT
Down:
1. Publisher's ID : ISBN - I prefer puzzles with words
2. Royally named liner, briefly : QE II - see comment above
3. Heart-to-heart : TALK
4. Gardner of mysteries : ERLE - Of course famous for "Perry Mason" novels, and famous for crosswords because of the way his mom spelled his given name.
5. Shrewd : SLY - Or "Rocky" or the guy with the family Stone.
6. When strokes begin to count : TEE TIME - Oh, I thought it was not until after the second mulligan. (Or before the last gimme)
7. Rip off : FILCH
8. Couch potato's fixation : IDIOT BOX - Wow, I haven't heard the TV called that since someone thought of Boob Tube.
9. Pavement warning : SLO - could this be Slow without the W???
10. Game with tumbling blocks : TETRIS - I was addicted for awhile, but the game was not as mesmerizing as Pac Man.
12. Author Calvino : ITALO
13. Confine again, as swine : REPEN - I get it, but I'm not even sure if this is a word.
18. Trails : LAGS - Okay, but you won't hear Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing "Happy Lags to You".
23. "Did we get the bid?" : IS IT A GO - a little slangy
24. Orion Mars mission gp. : NASA
25. Acid container : VAT - I'm a baby boomer where acid was LSD. I thought they kept wine in a vat, or maybe I'm just whining.
26. Some arena displays, briefly : LEDS - Acronym for Light emitting diodes. Not too excited about using a plural form.
27. Bar from a dairy case : OLEO - I object! A bar from a dairy case might be an Eskimo Pie, a Klondike bar, or a Dreamsicle. Oleo comes in sticks, tubs, or bags. The clue could be fake butter, corn oil spread, Iowa butter, or banned in Wisconsin.
29. Pre-speech obstacle : JITTERS - Just picture everyone in the audience naked.
32. St. Patrick's Day dance : JIG - After a few green beers.
34. Ye __ Shoppe : OLDE
35. Bog fuel : PEAT - I've heard of peat bogs. Not sure if the fuel would be any good.
37. Big name in online poker : FULL TILT - Turns out that whether or not you won, you still lost. Players accounts were raided to pay the big shots. Ponzi Poker??
38. March __: Carroll character : HARE - "No time to say hello, good bye, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late"
40. Sound at a shearing : BAA - Yup, I Baa'd every time my dad cut my hair
41. Stormy weather gear : PONCHOS - Plastic ones were seen frequently at ballparks this year.
43. USC athlete : TROJAN - In a little trouble with the NCAA, but who isn't. Barely squeaked by the Gophers a couple of weeks ago, (And the Gophers aren't that good, even with a coach named Kill).
44. Cold weather wear : COAT - And the cold weather will be here sooner than you think.
45. Give the creeps : SCARE
46. Sonnet line fivesome : IAMBS
47. Maritime birds : ERNES - Terns and ernes seem to turn up in many puzzles
50. Footsteps-in-an-empty-hallway sound : ECHO - Didn't like the clue. I'd prefer something like Alps answer, or Yodel back atcha.
51. Blunder : SLIP
52. BMW rival : AUDI
53. "Yeah, sure!" : I BET - "I BET I can't SLIP into an AUDI"
56. Shizuoka sash : OBI
57. Phone no. addition : EXT
Answer grid.
Boomer
Note from C.C.:
I'd like to share with you a few recent pictures of Boomer and his sports collection.
17A. *Title role in the 2009 Tony winner for Best Musical : BILLY ELLIOT. Billy club.
24A. *Advantage of some military goggles : NIGHT VISION. Nightclub.
45A. *Freetown is its capital : SIERRA LEONE. Sierra Club.
11D. *Unauthorized stories written by devotees : FAN FICTION. Fan club.
28D. *Pro shop freebie : GOLF PENCIL. Golf club.
Hello everyone, Boomer here and hopefully I'll be using one of those golf pencils today. I just hope those double digit numbers will fit in the small boxes on the card. I happened to think that the word "Puzzle" has two "Z"s as a double letter. There are a few other words with double Z but I was trying to think of a word with two Zs not together. I only came up with Marc Rzepczynski (Nickname "Scrabble"), a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. I wonder how many autographs he gets to sign each year.
Here goes today's puz zle:
Across:
1. Its median score is 100 : IQ TEST - You can now take these tests on the internet, but at the end they ask for your cell phone number. hmmmm
7. Weapon for Tyson : FIST - This of course would be the heavyweight ear muncher, Mike.
11. Christmas choice : FIR - I suppose, but a Norway Pine or blue spruce is a great choice also. Too bad most choices are green plastic trees from Walmart, paid for with gold plastic.
14. Former drug giant : SEARLE : Founded in Omaha, and once led by Donald Rumsfeld. Contributions included Celebrex and Nutra Sweet - (Aspartame)
15. Sans employment : IDLE - I would prefer "Sit at a stop light". Something we all do daily.
16. Enjoyed hors d'oeuvres, say : ATE
19. Drop off briefly : NAP
20. Shoe with a swoosh logo : NIKE - They must make a lot of $$$ on those shoes. Plenty to share with Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Michelle Wie, and others.
21. Tex-Mex snack : TACO
22. M-16, e.g. : RIFLE - Introduced in the Vietnam conflict. Light weight weapon.
26. Bottlenecks : LOGJAMS - Approach one on the highway and your engine will IDLE.
30. Not hard to grasp : BASIC
31. Plaza Hotel imp : ELOISE - Sorry, I really didn't get this one. Something about a hotel in New York, where I dare not go, after dark.
32. Write quickly : JOT - Scribble didn't fit
33. Sports car roof option : T-TOP - I think the Corvette was the first to sport a T-top. I never knew where they put the two roof pieces in case they were needed when it rained.
36. SkyMiles airline : DELTA - based in the huge Atlanta Airport. They have now merged with Northwest to have a major presence at MSP.
37. Make, as a sandwich : FIX
38. Ethiopia's Selassie : HAILE - Of course I remember Haile Selassie. I just can never remember how to spell his name.
39. Like flannel and fleece : SOFT - I might try like "a six and an ace"
40. Creepy-crawly : BUG
41. Tiered Asian temple : PAGODA - Also reasonably priced jewelry kiosk at many malls.
42. Butterfly's perch : PETAL - Another clue that got me.
44. Noble headpiece : CORONET - Also 110 of them followed J.P. Sousa's 76 trombones.
48. Response to a dare : CAN SO - We usually said "Can too!"
49. __ II razor : TRAC
50. Actor Morales : ESAI - Famous for role in "NYPD Blue".
54. Film buff's channel : AMC - Naturally I put TCM first. Pass the Wite-Out.
58. Stat for Ryan Howard : RBI - looks like Ryan and the Phillies are headed for the playoffs again. He is a horse, but my choice for MVP this year is the other Ryan. (Braun of the Brew Crew)
59. Having the knack : ABLE
60. Tough leather : OXHIDE - I've never known anything to be made of oxhide.
61. Subj. that helps people assimilate : ESL - Sorry, this clue escapes me
62. Niggling things : NITS - this one also
63. "Enough already!" : STOP IT
Down:
1. Publisher's ID : ISBN - I prefer puzzles with words
2. Royally named liner, briefly : QE II - see comment above
3. Heart-to-heart : TALK
4. Gardner of mysteries : ERLE - Of course famous for "Perry Mason" novels, and famous for crosswords because of the way his mom spelled his given name.
5. Shrewd : SLY - Or "Rocky" or the guy with the family Stone.
6. When strokes begin to count : TEE TIME - Oh, I thought it was not until after the second mulligan. (Or before the last gimme)
7. Rip off : FILCH
8. Couch potato's fixation : IDIOT BOX - Wow, I haven't heard the TV called that since someone thought of Boob Tube.
9. Pavement warning : SLO - could this be Slow without the W???
10. Game with tumbling blocks : TETRIS - I was addicted for awhile, but the game was not as mesmerizing as Pac Man.
12. Author Calvino : ITALO
13. Confine again, as swine : REPEN - I get it, but I'm not even sure if this is a word.
18. Trails : LAGS - Okay, but you won't hear Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing "Happy Lags to You".
23. "Did we get the bid?" : IS IT A GO - a little slangy
24. Orion Mars mission gp. : NASA
25. Acid container : VAT - I'm a baby boomer where acid was LSD. I thought they kept wine in a vat, or maybe I'm just whining.
26. Some arena displays, briefly : LEDS - Acronym for Light emitting diodes. Not too excited about using a plural form.
27. Bar from a dairy case : OLEO - I object! A bar from a dairy case might be an Eskimo Pie, a Klondike bar, or a Dreamsicle. Oleo comes in sticks, tubs, or bags. The clue could be fake butter, corn oil spread, Iowa butter, or banned in Wisconsin.
29. Pre-speech obstacle : JITTERS - Just picture everyone in the audience naked.
32. St. Patrick's Day dance : JIG - After a few green beers.
34. Ye __ Shoppe : OLDE
35. Bog fuel : PEAT - I've heard of peat bogs. Not sure if the fuel would be any good.
37. Big name in online poker : FULL TILT - Turns out that whether or not you won, you still lost. Players accounts were raided to pay the big shots. Ponzi Poker??
38. March __: Carroll character : HARE - "No time to say hello, good bye, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late"
40. Sound at a shearing : BAA - Yup, I Baa'd every time my dad cut my hair
41. Stormy weather gear : PONCHOS - Plastic ones were seen frequently at ballparks this year.
43. USC athlete : TROJAN - In a little trouble with the NCAA, but who isn't. Barely squeaked by the Gophers a couple of weeks ago, (And the Gophers aren't that good, even with a coach named Kill).
44. Cold weather wear : COAT - And the cold weather will be here sooner than you think.
45. Give the creeps : SCARE
46. Sonnet line fivesome : IAMBS
47. Maritime birds : ERNES - Terns and ernes seem to turn up in many puzzles
50. Footsteps-in-an-empty-hallway sound : ECHO - Didn't like the clue. I'd prefer something like Alps answer, or Yodel back atcha.
51. Blunder : SLIP
52. BMW rival : AUDI
53. "Yeah, sure!" : I BET - "I BET I can't SLIP into an AUDI"
56. Shizuoka sash : OBI
57. Phone no. addition : EXT
Answer grid.
Boomer
Note from C.C.:
I'd like to share with you a few recent pictures of Boomer and his sports collection.
