Theme: SURPRISE TEST
(54. Unexpected classroom announcement ... and, initially, one hiding
in each set of puzzle circles) - Three different tests are hidden in
each theme entry.
20. Protective net above a cradle: DREAM CATCHER.
34. Government prosecutor: STATE'S ATTORNEY.
40. Reduced responsiveness to medication: DRUG RESISTANCE.
Boomer here.
Hello
everyone, and thank you for all the well wishes and birthday
greetings. C.C. and I had a great Saturday meeting my son and
daughter-in-law at the local Native American casino known as Mystic Lake
in a south suburb of Minneapolis. (Shakopee). We enjoyed the buffet and
then risked a few bucks in the casino. (I'm pretty cheap, I play for
nickels).
Across:
1. Autos: CARS. My mother worked for CARS at the VA. (Stood for Central Accounts Receivable Service).
5. Cutlass automaker: OLDS. Yup this is a car. I never had a Cutlass, but I had a couple of Olds gas hogs in the 60s.
9. Stick-on design: DECAL.
14. Fever with chills: AGUE. Gesundheit!
15. Hide, as a bone: BURY. I often wondered how the bone tastes when the dog digs it up ?
16. 100 bucks: C NOTE. Or, 100 male deer in a GEICO commercial.
17. Breadbasket item: ROLL.
18. Read bar codes on: SCAN.
They are amazing! I have a bar code on my VA ID and checking in to the
clinic it reads the bar code and knows more about me than I do.
19. "Wizard of __ Park": Edison: MENLO.
Thomas Edison was a wizard and set up shop in Menlo Park, New Jersey,
near Newark. Since I had a long history with Graybar Electric, I
sometimes feel I owe my career to Thomas Edison.
23. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO. Huge City !
24. Some tech sch. grads: EES. I think the puzz is pointing at Electrical Engineers.
25. Type of energy or reactor: ATOMIC. Don't get too close to this.
29. '60s-'70s quarterback Tarkenton: FRAN.
NFL Vikings Hall of Famer. Number 10. I remember some of the magic he
worked back in 1961, when the Vikings were an expansion team!
31. Content cat sound: PURR. PURRfect !
33. Spanish gold: ORO. Our Records Only
37. Philip of "Kung Fu": AHN.
38. Live and breathe: ARE. This are an interesting clue
39. "Ich bin __ Berliner": JFK: EIN. Yes, I am old enough to remember this speech, but I am sure younger folks have heard this line many times.
45. "Casablanca" pianist: SAM. Play it again !
46. She sheep: EWES.
47. Blues singer James: ETTA. Also Miss Kett
48. At first, second or third: ON BASE. I might have guessed UMPIRE
50. Long __ of the law: ARM.
51. Airline to Stockholm: SAS.
58. Gorge: CHASM.
61. Aesop's also-ran: HARE. I never believed that story about the tortoise .
62. "East of Eden" director Kazan: ELIA.
63. Blender button: PUREE. Just make sure you have that rubber top on the thing or you will have puree all over your counter.
64. Barely makes, with "out": EKES. We eked out a few dollars on a 2 cent machine at Mystic Lake Saturday.
65. A short distance away: NEAR.
66. Accumulate: AMASS. We DID NOT amass a fortune at Mystic Lake however.
67. "Wild" frontier place: WEST. Remember Mr. West who played Batman ?
68. IRS form IDs: SSNS. You may give your last four, but not the whole works.
Down:
1. King and queen: CARDS. We played Jacks or better Saturday
2. Greek marketplace: AGORA.
3. Hitchhiker's principle?: RULE OF THUMB. Is there also a rule of finger ?
4. Actress Ward: SELA.
5. Lewd: OBSCENE.
6. "Star Wars" mastermind: LUCAS.
George Lucas created this epic movie. If you purchased a few of the
figures in 1977, you may have a fortune. however, I bought baseball
cards.
7. "Dang!": DRAT.
8. Lip-__: mouth the words: SYNC. Not allowed at karaoke
9. U.S. capital transit system: DC METRO. I've never been to DC. Couldn't get the votes.
10. First month of el año: ENERO.
11. Pro's opposite: CON. Jails are full of these.
12. Braves, on scoreboards: ATL. They didn't quite make it to the World Series this year, but I remember who beat them in the 1991 Series.
13. DiCaprio, in fan mags: LEO. Short for Leonardo. Famous for "Titanic"
21. Potatoes partner: MEAT. Remember the Wendy's Commercial lady. "Where's the Beef?"
22. "B.C." cartoonist Johnny: HART.
26. Tennis great with nine Grand Slam singles titles: MONICA SELES.
27. Goodnight woman of song: IRENE. "I'll see you in my dreams."
28. Coquettish: COY.
30. Tolled like Big Ben: RANG. The Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback does not toll.
31. Romeo's rival: PARIS. I never read Shakespeare so I will take the word for this.
32. Salt Lake City team: UTES.
34. Leftovers wrap: SARAN. I never liked the way it sticks to itself, but it seals better than wax paper.
35. Postage-paid enc.: SASE. Acronym
36. Cost of living?: RENT. And any other thing on which you spend money.
40. Brit. military award: DSO.
41. Job applicants' preparations: RESUMES. Rez oo may, not Re zoom
42. Pretty pitcher: EWER. Not Chris Sale or Clayton Kershaw ??
43. Most concise: TERSEST. I always thought Terse had a little anger in it too.
44. "Don't look __ like that!": AT ME.
49. Beasts of burden: ASSES. No comment
50. Buenos __: AIRES. It took me a while to learn that this is pronounced Ireez.
52. From China, say: ASIAN.
53. Popular performers: STARS. Dallas Hockey Team. (Formerly Minnesota North Stars).
55. "That was close!": PHEW.
56. Leaves gatherer: RAKE. A necessary tool this time of year.
57. Addition column: TENS. Gymnastics scores for Nadia.
58. Auditing pro: CPA.
59. Run smoothly: HUM. Option if you cannot sing.
60. Altar in the sky: ARA.
I know this is Latin, but I could never see the so called pics in any
of these constellations, except for the big dipper. And it did not look
like a bear.
Boomer
