20A. *Begin preparing an evening meal : START DINNER. Start date. Dinner date.
11D. *Downpour : HEAVY RAIN. Heavy date. Rain date.
35D. *Steaming morning mugful : HOT COFFEE. Hot date. Coffee date.
Boomer here.
Good morning or afternoon (as the case may be) and a shout out to our normal Monday morning quarterback, Argyle, under care in the hospital. Best wishes and I am sure the crossword enthusiasts that frequent this blog hope you are back soon, so they won't have to put up with me.
Across:
1. Bird's crop : CRAW
5. Pols with a donkey symbol : DEMS - I cannot imagine two more questionable logos than a donkey and an elephant but it is what it is. I think Seinfeld jokes about it.
9. Specialized, committee-wise : AD HOC - I believe this is Latin for something. But Latin is a dead language, as dead as dead can be. First it killed the Romans, and now it's killing me. (From my high school days).
14. Operate with a beam : LASE
15. Natural burn soother : ALOE - Of course. What would a crossword puzzle be without a four- letter word with three vowels ?
16. Set of beliefs : CREDO - more Latin
17. "__ That a Shame" : AIN'T - I think Fats Domino said it first. Is Fats his real first name?
18. "Hold your horses!" : WHOA
19. Cybercommerce : E-TAIL - a clever spin word (not really a word) selling things on the internet (Like maybe on eBay which is not really a word either)
23. Nov. 11 honoree : VET - Yes I am and thankful for all the freebies offered on that day.
24. Capital of Minn. : ST PAUL - We Minnesotans had no trouble with this clue.
25. Taxi driver : CABBY
27. Many a '50s pompadour sporter : GREASER - I don't know. A pompadour is more like a Bryce Harper do while a greaser is more of a Fonz'.
30. Catastrophic 2017 hurricane : IRMA
33. "The fresh air is delightful!" : AAH - Or the first part of a sneeze.
36. Suffix with Jumbo : TRON - Seen now at most Ballparks
37. Spreads apart, as one's fingers : SPLAYS
39. Hunt like a cat : PROWL
41. Internet connectivity delay : LAG - Or Tiger Woods laying up on a par five.
43. "The Waste Land" poet T.S. : ELIOT
44. Tennis great Gibson : ALTHEA. Ann Marie Johnson's role In the Heat of the Night.
46. Starlet's goal : FAME
48. Org. with Bulls and Bucks : NBA - Chicago/Milwaukee connection.
49. Bonkers : LOCO
50. Tart plant stalk diced for pie filling : RHUBARB - A conversation between Earl Weaver and Ron Luciano. (May they rest in peace)
53. A : Z :: alpha : __ : OMEGA - We just returned from an OMEGA reunion in Las Vegas. It stands for Older More Energetic Graybar Associates.
55. Originate (from) : DERIVE
59. Arctic toymaker : ELF - I thought Santa made the toys, The elves just helped. But I have never been to the North Pole. But I live in Minnesota - weather is the same.
64. Civilian attire : MUFTI
66. Wordsmith Webster : NOAH - I think it was clued this way because no one knows if that other Noah had a surname.
67. Hertz fleet : CARS
68. Spring for a meal : TREAT
69. Fish in some cat food : TUNA - Cat Food ???? I don't like the clue. I grew up on tuna sandwiches, tuna casserole, and tuna salad, and I never meowed once. So there.
70. Otherwise : ELSE
71. Oozes : SEEPS
72. "Don't go" : STAY
73. Actress Cannon : DYAN - Was married to Cary Grant but it only lasted about 3 years.
Down:
1. Yearbook section : CLASS - "And the class of all of us was just part of history".
2. Grammy winner Bonnie : RAITT. She loves Minnesota and will be here for a concert this June.
3. "It's __": "No problem" : A SNAP - Sounds like an insurance company with a duck spokesman.
4. Counter-wiping aid : WET RAG - I guess two three letter words are okay.
5. Procrastinator : DAWDLER
6. Pre-college, briefly : EL-HI - Short for Elementary and High School, but I have never heard it.
7. Cow's hurdle, in rhyme : MOON - Where Alan Shepard played golf.
8. Mystical gathering : SEANCE
9. Severe, as criticism : ACERB
10. "__ & the Women": 2000 Gere film : DR T
12. "Garfield" dog : ODIE - Good old crossword Odie, another four letter word with three vowels
13. Future stallion : COLT - OR an Indianapolis football player.
21. Slowpoke in a shell : TURTLE
22. Body parts that may be pierced : EARS - I am so old that I remember when ears were the ONLY thing that people had pierced. Just two extra holes in the head.
26. List of charges : BILL - OR a Buffalo football player
28. Big name in ISPs : AOL - An acronym for "America on Line". Internet pioneers for sure.
29. Chaotic mess : SNAFU - I am sure every high school graduating class had a fellow with this nickname, and I don't think he liked it.
31. "Butt out," for short : MYOB. Mind Your Own Business. True, but I like Ben Franklin's motto "Mind your Business" which was used on a coin.
32. Dog in old whodunits : ASTA - From "The Thin Man" Movie. I am not old enough to remember the movie, but I seem to remember a TV series of the same name, with a dog of the same name also.
33. "C'mon, be __!": "Little help, please!" : A PAL
34. Woody's son : ARLO - Take the "City of New Orleans" train to "Alice's Restaurant" and get anything you want.
38. Looked closely : PEERED - OUCH - for a moment I thought this was another two- three letter word answer.
40. "To __ it may concern" : WHOM
42. Yak it up : GAB
45. 2012 Affleck thriller : ARGO. I did not see the movie, but I have corn starch of the same name in my cupboard.
47. Seized the opportunity : MADE HAY - and speed it up will ya'
51. Favorite hangouts : HAUNTS
52. Prepared (oneself), as for a jolt : BRACED - You may leave he orthodontist this way.
54. Does film splicing, say : EDITS
56. Lombardy's land : ITALY. Change the Y in the clue to an I and you have Green Bay Wisconsin.
57. Vice __ : VERSA
58. German steel town : ESSEN - I never visited this town, I was further North in a small town called Hardheim.
59. Rescue squad VIPs : EMTS - I keep posting that EMT is Electrical Metallic Tubing but nobody listens.
60. Light, to a moth : LURE - NO, NO, This an implement used to catch fish (not tuna) in Minnesota !!
62. Match in a ring : BOUT - I remember when these were on free TV every Friday night. I think it was sponsored by Gillette.
63. Singer Del Rey : LANA
65. Bojangles' dance genre : TAP - Nope, Mr. Bojangles did a soft shoe dance.
Boomer
Notes from C.C.:
I still have not been able to talk to Argyle. The phone is still off the hook. But Jennifer, Argyle's friend, told me that he is getting clearer and stronger. He even asked about me yesterday. So it's all good and comforting. She said they don't know how long he'll be in the hospital, but the next step is a rehab facility.
Sorry I don't have more information. I"ll let you know the exact surgery once I get Argyle's OK.
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| Dear Santa |
