Theme: ZITI (64. Tubular pasta ... and a phonetic hint to 17-, 23-, 51- and 60-Across) - Each theme entry is in the pattern of Z* T*.
17. Complete quickly, as a test: ZIP THROUGH.
23. Predecessor to Millard Fillmore: ZACHARY TAYLOR.
51. Strict rule-enforcement policy: ZERO TOLERANCE.
60. Buddhist meditation sites: ZEN TEMPLES.
Boomer here.
Well,
normally I try to think of something clever to relate however this
past week has been extremely forgettable. I know C.C. has been relaying
some of my aches and pains and I have been treating arthritis without
good results. Finally on Tuesday I developed a severe pain in my
shoulder and I said enough is enough. On Wednesday, C.C. and I went to
the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis and after several hours of tests,
we were told that bone cancer has invaded my body. We are determined to
follow all doctors' instructions and fight this thing like
crazy. Thank you for caring.
Across:
1. Crispy fried chicken part: SKIN. Washington NFL Team ??
5. Foolish sort: TWIT. Not me, but millions of folks go on Twitter to Tweet. Are they Twits?
9. Neeson of "Silence": LIAM.
13. Cancún currency: PESO. The peso has lost a bit of ground to the dollar. I think a peso is worth about a nickel
14. Nonspeaking street performer: MIME. Do mimes always paint their faces white?
15. Cellist Casals: PABLO.
16. "__ it first!": I SAW.
19. Spring melts: THAWS. The favorite part of a Minnesota spring. Trust me, I know.
21. Lake crossed traveling from Ohio to Ontario: ERIE. I think this great lake supplies most of the snow for the spring thaw in Buffalo NY.
22. Golf course standard: PAR. Did you have a look at the Ryder Cup course? Making pars was a challenge on some of those holes.
27. "Later, Jacques": ADIEU. "I'll hang my harp on the weeping willow tree, and may the world go well with thee."
28. Northern sky sight: AURORA.
31. Mixed-breed barker: MUTT. Mindful of the "Mutt and Jeff" comics of long ago.
34. Isl. of Australia: TASM.
Tasmania. Home of the Tasmanian devil which looks like a little bear.
But there was also a Tasmanian comic devil who looked like he could have
a role in "Star Wars"
36. Remove mist from, as a windshield: DEFOG.
I wonder if there was a lot of these clever accessories in the early
days of automobiles or if you needed a rag on your front seat.
37. Sushi tuna: AHI.
38. Grabbed a chair: SAT.
39. Praiseful poem: ODE. "It was the third of June, the day Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge."
41. Angsty music genre: EMO.
42. Lovestruck teen from Verona: ROMEO. Wherefore art thou? Or is this the first name of a car named Alfa?
44. Houston MLBer: STRO. If this slang is OK, then the Minnesota team would be nicknamed "Wins". I doubt it.
46. Unexpected problem: SNAG. Anyone ever fix stockings with clear nail polish?
47. Angelic figure: CHERUB.
49. Transplant to a new container: RE-POT.
56. Margaret of stand-up: CHO.
58. Chilly: COOL. This is the favorite word of the entire "Pawn Stars" cast.
59. Get the better of: ONE UP. Was a typical Ryder Cup score, before it got worse.
65. Geometry calculations: AREAS.
66. Brazilian soccer legend: PELE.
Everyone has heard of this Soccer star, but I have never attended a
soccer match. I am still a little ticked off when they tore down a
bowling center in St. Paul to build a soccer stadium.
67. Actor Baldwin: ALEC. I enjoy his parody of President Trump on SNL. I don't think the Prez likes it much, though.
68. Sore throat sign: RASP.
69. Part of GPS: Abbr.: SYST.
70. Some cameras, for short: SLRS. Single lens.
Down:
1. Dog group that includes the Akita: SPITZ. Mark was an Olympic swimmer, and has a nice gold medal collection.
2. "Tik Tok" singer: KESHA.
3. Author Asimov: ISAAC. His trivia quizzes appear in our paper daily. I just do Sudoku.
4. "Yet another problem?": NOW WHAT. One of my dear mother's exclamations.
5. Tabloid TV debut of 2007: TMZ.
6. Xbox 360 competitor: WII. I never owned one of these, but I heard they had a fun bowling game.
7. Driving force: IMPETUS.
8. Colorful aquarium fish: TETRA.
9. Poet __-tzu: LAO.
10. Active ingredient in Advil: IBUPROFEN. I have a full pharmacy on my dresser. Got to read every label to see what fights with what.
11. Pond growth: ALGA. This is a singular form of algae. I don't think you will ever see any alga alone on a pond.
12. Jay of "Last Comic Standing": MOHR.
15. Musical intro: PRELUDE. Most famous was Lawrence Welk popping his cheek with a finger. I think you need to be my age to remember.
18. "Howdy there!": HI YA.
20. Pathetic: SAD.
24. Beatles' meter maid: RITA. May I inquire discreetly? When are you free to take some tea with me?
25. First Irish Literature Nobelist: YEATS. 1923.
26. Miner's strike: ORE. St. So. of Wash.
29. Egg-shaped tomato: ROMA
30. Spellbound: AGOG.
31. Artist Chagall: MARC.
32. "Looks like trouble!": UH OH.
33. Mountain and Pacific, e.g.: TIME ZONES. So if you leave the East Coast at noon and fly to Las Vegas, do you have to eat lunch again?
35. Gourmet mushroom: MOREL.
38. Reporter's contacts: SOURCES. Mostly anonymous, but everyone always wants to know.
40. Info: DOPE. Also slang for one who has no info.
43. Before, poetically: ERE.
45. Streetcar: TROLLEY. Generally gets power from an overhead source. Not like the SF cable cars.
46. Sonnet sections: STANZAS.
48. Market upswing: BOOM. My nickname is Boomer, sometimes my friends will shorten it.
50. Gold, to José: ORO. We used to use this as an acronym for "Our Records Only".
52. Big name in trading cards: TOPPS. I have a long history with Topps. I love their "Heritage Chrome" and my 1955 Topps Doubleheader set.
53. Sam of "Jurassic Park": NEILL.
54. More adorable: CUTER.
55. Heroic sagas: EPICS.
56. Industry mogul: CZAR.
57. Zeus' jealous wife: HERA.
61. Touch lightly: TAP. Bowl and leave a ten pin on a pocket hit.
62. Lolling trio?: ELS. Golfer Ernie. Not invited to the Ryder Cup because he is from South Africa.
63. Erector __: SET. Of course I had one as a kid.
Boomer
