Wednesday August 7, 2019 Mark McClain

Theme: PLUMBERS (60. '70s covert White House intelligence group ... and, in a more conventional sense, a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues)

17. *Secret stage exit: TRAPDOOR.

25. *Forte of Savion Glover and Gregory Hines: TAP DANCING.

35. *Impractical hope: PIPE DREAM.

51. *Pass/fail metaphor: SINK OR SWIM.

Boomer here, filling in another blog gap.

Hail, Hail the gang's all here. We are still concerned about a wicked hail storm we had on Monday this week.  Hoping our new replaced roof from last spring was not damaged.

Across:

1. "__ your age!": ACT.  If someone told me that, I would need to walk bent over and drool.  Maybe I could fall and not get up.

4. Many 4WD autos: SUVS. Got a Grand Caravan right now, but C.C. and I are considering an SUV.  I went through a Bronco and two Explorers in years gone by, but the van is providing us with dependable service, so we might wait a year or two. Vehicles are expensive and I really do not like the back and forth when buying a vehicle. Do any of you own a Hyundai Santa Fe?

8. Oafish: CLUMSY.

14. Feel badly about: RUE.  Wasn't she one of the Golden Girls??

15. Slightly: A BIT.  The plumber might need to change a bit to drill a hole in the wall.

16. 100-lawmaker group: SENATE.  After this weekend, I hope they can get together and pass some gun control legislation, but I don't have a lot of hope.

19. Gets ready to drive: TEES UP.  That is me about 10:00 AM today. Fore!!

20. Tempe sch.: ASU.

21. Out of the wind: ALEE.

23. A, in many orgs.: ASSN.

24. Frosts, as cupcakes: ICES. Not just cupcakes. You should see our 10,000 lakes in about 5 months.

28. Comes clean?: BATHES.  Taking advantage of the plumbing.

30. Persuaded: WON OVER.

31. Northern Iraqi city: MOSUL.

32. Indian flatbread: NAAN.

34. Botch the job: ERR.  To ERR is human, but it could cause an unearned run.

39. Brief writer, briefly: ATT. Boo! CBS is having some dispute with AT&T's DirecTV so I am unable to watch the end of PGA tournaments.  Hope they settle before the NFL season starts .

42. Blew away: AWED.

43. Pick up the tab: TREAT.  Are you hungry for a treat.  Want food that's fun to eat.  Then go to the Golden Arches, in your neighborhood ...

47. Low-cost product: CHEAPIE. We get great deals on watermelon at Aldi, but be careful.  Sometimes if you go for the Cheapie, you get what you asked for.

50. Midsize Chevy: IMPALA. My family had a 1962 model back then.  Two door hardtop, nice car.

54. Cruise stopover: ISLE.  Right in our Minneapolis city of lakes we have "Lake of the Isles".  You may have seen it on the intro of the Mary Tyler Moore show.  C.C. and I have walked that path many times.

Boomer, Lake of the Isles, 2016

55. Night in Paris: NUIT.

56. Array in a British pantry: TINS. I don't think you have to be British, although we don't have a pantry. We keep them in a drawer.

57. Lobster dinner accessory: BIB.

58. Become fond of: WARM TO.

63. Singer who was 15 in 2009 when his debut EP "My World" was released: BIEBER.  Of course I am into baseball cards, and I have to mention that Topps made a huge error on Cleveland pitcher Shane Bieber's 2019 baseball card, referring to him as "Justin" on the back of the card.

64. "Downton Abbey" title: EARL.  I think he was a Duke.

65. Droop: SAG.

66. Passions: ARDORS.

67. Salon colors: DYES.  Too strong, just use a tint.

68. "Inside the NBA" network: TNT. NBA has their own DirecTV channel but Ted Turner has a piece of everything.

Down:

1. Sotheby's showing: ART.  I cannot believe the prices they get at some of their auctions.

2. Liqueur named for an island: CURACAO.

3. Dollhouse dishes: TEA SETS.  I have three sisters. I believe each of them had one or two of these.

4. Downcast: SAD.

5. WWII subs: U-BOATS.

6. It's tuned an octave higher than a cello: VIOLA. Twins pitcher Frank helped win the World Series in 1987.  I was there.

7. Penicillin target: STREP.

8. Omaha winter hrs.: CST.  Same as Minneapolis and my friend Husker Gary.

9. Womack of country: LEEANN.  Leeann Chin is an Asian restaurant chain famous in Minnesota but has expanded to about 50 locations throughout the Midwest.

10. Worldwide cultural org.: UNESCO.

11. Enormous: MASSIVE.

12. Major upset, say: STUNNER. Even the 1962 Mets won 40 games. Lost 120, finished 60 games behind the pennant winning Giants, but got revenge in 1969.

13. Slangy "Sure": YEP.

18. Pecs builder: PUSHUP.  I was never able to do more than 30, now I would struggle to do 3.  Richard Gere did pretty well in "Officer and a Gentleman".

22. Name of eight English kings: EDWARD.  The Royals keep naming their kids after themselves.

24. PC pioneer: IBM.  They used to have a hand in everything electronic.  Now I think IBM stands for International BIG Machines. 

26. Tops: A-ONE.  I don't think I was ever A-ONE.  However in 1968 I was ONE-A and then I was Drafted.

27. Watchdog warning: GRR.

29. New Haven collegian: ELI.

32. Most recent: NEWEST.  Twins NEWEST member Sam Dyson, already on the IL with sore biceps.  He needs to get well and lower his 91.00 ERA.

33. Fruit drink suffix: ADE.  LemonADE in the shade.

36. Pliers unit: PAIR.  Never knew why they were called pairs since they are one piece. Not like shoes, socks, gloves, or dice.

37. Bill-filled device: ATM. My bank only dispenses 20s, In Las Vegas you can get 100s then you go to the craps table and turn them into 20s.

38. Onetime Dr Pepper rival: MR PIBB.

39. Apt. coolers: ACS.

40. Vanishing point?: THIN AIR.  See 100s in 37-Down.

41. Like many veteran professors: TENURED.  I am a tenured baseball card collector.  C.C. is a tenured crossword constructor.

44. Least challenging: EASIEST.

45. High-fiber Kellogg's cereal: ALL-BRAN. I have also seen their 40% Bran Flakes.  Makes about as much sense as if General Mills had 40% Cheerios.

46. __ kwon do: TAE.

48. With hands on hips: AKIMBO.

49. Wizard with a scar: POTTER.  M.A.S.H. Colonel Sherman Potter played by Harry Morgan.  I remember him from "Dragnet" also.

50. Confident reply: I'M SURE.

52. Cleaned with a cloth: WIPED.  I get fairly wiped out trying to finish Saturday's puzzles.

53. Woodwork pattern: INLAY.  I have not heard much about the Cathedral Notre Dame.  I am sure it had many INLAID treasures.

58. Fighters' org.: WBA.

59. "Grey's Anatomy" sets, briefly: ORS.  My father served in the Pacific islands as a medic in WWII. We had a copy of "Grey's Anatomy" on the bookshelf at home.  I never opened the book, I could not even pronounce the title. 

61. D.C. United org.: MLS.  I see kids playing soccer on the local fields, but I WILL NEVER attend a major league soccer game because they tore down one of my favorite bowling centers to build a stadium for the team.

62. Police dept. rank: SGT.  SGT. Joe Friday played by Jack Webb in "Dragnet"

Boomer