Monday, June 3, 2019 Danny Reichert

Theme: Big Plus - Last word is a person who adds things up. And a Plus Sign is featured in the middle of the grid.

17A. One who shuns alcohol: TEETOTALER.

59A. Venomous European viper: BLACK ADDER.

11D. Club sandwich pickup spot: DELI COUNTER.

 

25D. "The Queen of Disco": DONNA SUMMER.

Boomer here.

FORE!  We are finally getting SUMMER temps here in the frozen tundra!  Years ago I used to be a bogey golfer.  Then ADDER stepped into my age and I needed a stroke COUNTER to figure my score.  But I am still at it, however the TOTALER is producing three digit numbers in the final figure.

Across:

1. Medium's board: OUIJA. I remember as a kid we thought this was spelled WEEGEE.

6. Diner side dish with cabbage: SLAW.  C.C, and my favorite.  We buy the bags already prepared with green and purple cabbage and chopped carrots.

10. Wood-shaping tool: ADZE.

14. "Bolero" composer Maurice: RAVEL.

15. Like takeout food: TO GO.  Not a favorite here.  I cannot remember any take out meals.

16. Flowery Hawaiian greetings: LEIS.  Tiny bubbles, in the wine.

19. European peaks: ALPS. Do people really ski down these ??

20. Resembling a classic sheriff's badge: STARLIKE.  Did sheriff Andy Taylor give one to Barney Fife?

22. Hoppy pub order, for short: IPA.

23. Stroll in the shallows: WADE.  The Vikings had a quarterback, Wade Wilson.  Sadly he left us in February at the age of 60.

26. Rent collector: LESSOR.  Funny name for a landlord.

27. Playfully shy: COY.  A real Mc.

28. "It's just __ manic Monday": the Bangles: ANOTHER. Pleasant Valley Monday, Here in status symbol land!

30. __Tax: tax prep software: TURBO.

32. Days __: hotel chain: INN. Kinda like Motel 6.  Clean, neat, and inexpensive.  That's the way I like it.

33. Navy vessel letters: USS.  How sad that the USS John McCain became an issue. 

34. Make it to midnight on New Year's Eve, say: STAY UP.  Not me anymore.  I am usually in the sack by 10:00 PM.

36. Melodies: TUNES.  "Should old acquaintance be forgot …"

38. Religious principle: TENET.

40. Hanukkah pancakes: LATKES.  I have never seen or tasted these.  However, since we are talking about golf, years ago I was a caddy at an exclusively Jewish Country Club, and those wonderful gentlemen generously paid for my services, some of which I used for tuition at my Catholic high school. Now as an assistant bowling coach there, I am occasionally invited to share in a religious service with a Priest, a Rabbi, and a Christian Minister. 

43. Pixar specialty, for short: CGI.

45. Golf ball perch: TEE.  I would not call it a perch. I have the kind that always tee up at the same height.  The problem is that sometimes my driver is not at that height at the bottom of the swing.

46. Canonized one: SAINT.  My high school honors Saint Benildus, a Christian brother and teacher.  He was not yet a Saint when I attended but was canonized in 1967.  My Benilde High School was joined by St. Margaret's Academy and is now attended by young men and women.  Several of each who are on the bowling team. 

47. Bow-and-arrow pros: ARCHERS.  I am reminded of pro golfer George Archer who won the Masters in 1969.  (Remember?  This was when the final four holes of Augusta were on CBS for maybe 2 hours of a Sunday in April.)

49. Beast with a beard: GNU.

51. Empower: ENABLE.

53. Formerly, old-style: ERST. I am thinking this is half a word WHILE I am working on this.

54. Drummer's __ shot: RIM. I hate it when NBA 7 footers hang on it after a dunk.

55. 17-Across' condition, always: SOBRIETY. Me too. I am told that Zytiga and alcohol don't like each other.

57. Peak: ACME.  Remember when the coyote, chaser of Road Runner, many times ordered something from ACME.  I think he got it from Amazon.

63. Sigh of relief: PHEW.  You use this when you hit the Titleist way right or left, and discover that it hit a tree and ended up in the fairway.

64. Kid's building block: LEGO.  I see this frequently in puzzles.  We did not have them when I was a kid, but I seldom see "Tinkertoys" in a puzzle.  There is a huge LEGO display and store in the amusement park area at Mall of America. 

65. Egypt's capital: CAIRO.

66. Response during attendance-taking: HERE. "Making each day of the year …. Here, There, and Everywhere !"

67. Physics work units: ERGS.

68. Used a keyboard: TYPED.  We had a "Royal" when I was a kid.  I learned on a "Smith Corona".  However I am nowhere near as quick as C.C.  I think she could do 100 WPM.  Now there's a three-letter acronym with all consonants.

Down:

1. Scrap of food: ORT.  I had an ort of watermelon this weekend.

2. Dubai's fed.: UAE.  Nice place to visit but I cannot afford to live there.

3. "__ been had!": I'VE.  I've had it with three letter words.

4. Globetrotting group: JET SET.

5. Multitudes: A LOT.

6. Creepy watchers: STARERS.  Saw a few of these at the Golden Bear's Memorial Tournament.  Did you hear that he is auctioning his 18 major tournaments Rolex and the result will benefit the Children's health charity that Jack and his wife, Barbara founded. He is expecting around $18 Million!!

7. Lounges around: LOLLS.  Laughing out loud with a Lucky Strike.

8. Ones who discriminate against seniors: AGEISTS.  I have never heard of this but if I meet one I will kick him right in the knee.  (That's all the higher that my leg goes now.)

9. Exercise routine: WORKOUT.  Maybe if I do this I could kick higher ??

10. Chicken __ king: A LA.  I wonder if they sell this at the KFCs in Alabama

12. Nada: ZIPPO.  I used to have a Zippo lighter when I smoked.  So did every other smoker that I knew.  I think they are collector's items now.  (The plastic butane throw away ones made Zippo obsolete.)

13. A college applicant may have to write one: ESSAY. Yup, now that they caught rich people buying their kids way in.

18. Accounts: TALES.

21. Inconsistent: ERRATIC.  My golf swing.

23. Stand by: WAIT.  For my buddy to tee off.

24. Declare void: ANNUL.  Take a mulligan.

29. "Siberian" dogs: HUSKIES.  Nickname for Saint Cloud State College (MN) Sports.  Huskies sounds a little more fierce than Gophers

31. "Later": BYE.  "Bye Bye Love, Bye Bye Happiness"  Everly Brothers.

35. Equals on a jury: PEERS. I'll have to look into that.

37. Approx. landing hr.: ETA.  I was reading in "Money" Magazine the other day that SPIRIT Airlines has improved in reaching their ETA on time.  We used Sun Country in February and they were late both ways. 

39. Student's hurdle: TEST.

41. Dignify: ENNOBLE.

42. Less likely to tip over: STABLER.  Ken Stabler was Quarterback for the Oakland Raiders.  Ken Passed away in 2015.  The sports world lost Bart Starr (Green Bay) and Bill Buckner, (Cubs, Red Sox and others) last week.

43. Colorful cats: CALICOS.

44. Like the alphabet with alpha and beta: GREEK.  Jimmie the Greek was a famous Las Vegas Bookmaker.

48. Prime time?: HEYDAY.  "Say Hey" Willie Mays began his career in Minneapolis for the Millers in 1951.  I only saw him once in person in 1957 when the Giants came to town for an exhibition.  He hit a home run over the left field bleachers and into Met Stadium parking lot.  About 500 feet from home plate.

49. Visual aid in a statistics text: GRAPH.

50. Specialized market segment: NICHE.  I pronounce this NIKE.  They make inferior equipment.

52. Fort __, NC: BRAGG. Named after General Braxton Bragg.  Huge Army base.  I was never invited there.

56. Social skill: TACT.

58. Female sheep: EWE.  I think C.C. put some pickle relish on her watermelon.  How's that for EWE.?

60. Elegant dance floor move: DIP.  Ritz Crackers are pretty good into the French onion DIP.

61. Poetic "before": ERE.

62. Curtain holder: ROD.  We just installed one in our shower.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Happy birthday to our talented Owen, who turns 69 years old today, I think. May you stay forever young to entertainment us for years to come, Owen!