Theme: BRANDED (40A. Labeled ... or, divided into three parts, what surrounds the answers to starred clues)- Read it as BR and ED.
17A. *More than just indoctrinated : BRAINWASHED.
62A. *Brunette : BROWN-HAIRED.
11D. *Hit at an intersection, maybe : BROADSIDED.
28D. *Alert and peppy : BRIGHT-EYED.
Boomer here.
Good morning or afternoon as the case may be. I am excited to notice that daylight hours are getting longer again, but not too enthused about double digit below zero temperatures. You would think after 70 years in Minnesota I would be used to winter, but I am already looking forward to Springtime.
Across:
1. Bottomless gulf : ABYSS
6. See 8-Down : MAJOR 8D. With 6-Across, prime minister before Tony Blair : JOHN - I don't pay much attention to British politics. I remember Tony Blair and Winston Churchill.
11. Murphy __ : BED - tough clue. Not many homes have a Murphy bed anymore.
14. Lerner collaborator : LOEWE
15. "That's my wish" : I HOPE
16. "Fahrenheit 451" novelist Bradbury : RAY - 'Twas also a good movie.
19. Ducks' home: Abbr. : ORE - Strange name for a college football team, almost as odd as Gophers or Badgers.
20. Hindu retreat : ASHRAM
21. Available to watch anytime : ON DEMAND
23. Classic Fords : LTDs I owned one years ago. An affordable but upscale model. I believe it competed with the Chevy Impala.
25. Pomegranate bit : SEED - There are about 100 seeds in one fruit. Said to be very healthy.
26. Three-time Pulitzer-winning playwright : ALBEE - most famous for "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf" (About a middle aged couple named Martha and George). I'm not sure if George chopped down the pomegranate tree.
29. Big letters in home security : ADT - American District Telegraph - Their security packages are pretty expensive though.
32. Costume items for horror movie villains : MASKS
35. __ of paradise : BIRD - HOF Indiana Pacer. Larry is on a 1981 rookie card with Magic
36. Top : BLOUSE - Blouse is a good word. Top is a lousy clue.
38. CD yield : INT - Yes, and not very much these days.
39. "Rope-a-dope" boxer : ALI - The Greatest ?
41. Actress Ruby : DEE - I remember her in "A Raisin in the Sun" with Sidney Poitier.
42. Pester : NAG
43. Irritated reply to "Aren't you ready yet?" : I AM NOW
44. Toolbar button with a question mark : HELP
45. Messenger service replaced by Google Hangouts : GCHAT - Is this one of those social media things ?
47. Suffix with front : IER - I get it but I am not sure about suffixes in Crossword Puzzles.
48. Area component : WIDTH - times length and you got it.
49. Lipstick holder : TUBE
51. High-five sound : SLAP - We do high and lower fives in bowling, but no slaps.
53. Homers, in baseball lingo : GOES YARD - Dinger, four bagger, outta here, Sportscasters must have thousands of names for a home run.
57. Have high hopes : ASPIRE - Frank Sinatra - "Once there was a silly old ram, thought he'd bust a hole in a dam." He had high hopes.
61. At all : ANY - Again, I did not like the clue. It's like people saying "As Well" instead of "Too".
64. Frozen water : ICE - Plenty up here in MN. People drive their vehicles on the lakes. (We have 10,000 of them. Not me though. Every year we have stories of cars breaking through to the bottom of a lake.
65. Cry after a golfer's ace : IT'S IN - I don't think so, but I have never witnessed a hole in one in person and I have never made one either.
66. Human __ : BEING
67. Journalist Koppel : TED
68. The ones here : THESE
69. Newspaper copy : ISSUE
Down:
1. "Sin City" actress Jessica : ALBA - A couple of "Sin City" s and a "Good Luck Chuck".
2. Knight of the Round Table : BORS - Never heard of him. OK, he was a buddy of Lancelot.
3. "You said it!" : YEAH
4. Blew in circles, as the wind : SWIRLED - Or how Dairy Queen makes a Blizzard.
5. 100-lawmaker group : SENATE - You probably heard that one of our senators resigned. As of January 2, 2018, Minnesota will be one of only four states represented by two female senators.
6. Actress Farrow : MIA - Gossip tabloids exploded with stories about Mia and Frank Sinatra. She got her career started on "Peyton Place" which I never watched. I remember her in "Rosemary's Baby" - Although I hated the movie.
7. "Got it" : AH SO - I have never been to Japan, but I doubt if they say this.
9. Newspaper essays : OP-EDs - Opinion / Editorials. Not my favorite section.
10. Used, as credit card rewards : REDEEMED - Could be, however - Has anyone ever redeemed Gold Bond Stamps? How about S & H Green stamps?
12. Merit : EARN
13. Made blue, in a way : DYED - Tricky clue
18. Iraq War concern: Abbr. : WMD
22. "Do __ favor ... " : ME A
24. Sandwich meat : SALAMI - Baloney had too many letters
26. Go out with __ : A BANG
27. Flowery candle scent : LILAC - Green grow the lilacs all sparkling with dew.
30. "No man is an island" poet : DONNE
31. Henry VIII et al. : TUDORS - The Tudor Monarchy lasted from 1485 - 1603. I did not know that, I Googled it. I thought Tudor was a body style of a car.
33. Prepared to pray : KNELT
34. Two-time NBA MVP Curry : STEPH - Turned down a trip to the White House.
36. Bikini half : BRA
37. Wrap (up) : SEW - Once again, I feel the clue does not fit
40. Gradually : BIT BY BIT - Nothing gradual about these coins.
44. Many Woodstock attendees : HIPPIES - Could be an opinion. Woodstock was in New York State. Hippies were flower children of northern California. I am not sure how many could travel 3000 miles when they made their living begging for quarters.
46. Ger. neighbor : AUS (Austria) - A relatively small country near Munich.
48. Sushi condiment : WASABI - really bad tasting mustard. I think you need granite taste buds to put this in your mouth.
50. Third of eight : EARTH - Used to be nine, then Pluto ran away.
52. "Well, __-di-dah!" : LAH
53. Walking pace : GAIT
54. Previously : ONCE
55. Wine choice : ROSE - To be a true Rose wine, you need one of those little hash marks above the "E". Otherwise, it's just a flower.
56. Sobriety checkpoint concerns, for short : DWIs - We have DWIs in Minnesota, (Not Me), but I have never seen a sobriety checkpoint. Other states?
58. Spring flower : IRIS
59. Bausch + Lomb product : RENU - A must for contact lens users.
60. Brink : EDGE - Or could be a Ford SUV.
63. Peoria-to-Green Bay dir. : NNE - If you really want to go to Green Bay. Some guys were shirtless Saturday at Lambeau's 4 degree Packers/Vikings game. What a way to get on TV!
Boomer
Notes from C.C.:
Happy Birthday to dear Dudley, who's been with our blog since April 2010. Dudley started the "Rabbit, Rabbit" tradition, WBS (What Barry Said) and a few other popular blog Abbrs. This picture was taken during Montana's visit to Northeast in September, 2013.
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| Left to right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana |
Look at this special pizza Christmas gift Dear Gary and his wife Joann made for their granddaughter Elise!
