Theme: START OF PLAY
(63. Opening kickoff, say, and what both parts of 17-, 30- and
47-Across can be) - Both words in each theme entry can precede PLAY.
17. Football non-passing offense: RUNNING GAME. Running play. Game play.
30. Get one more card for twice the bet, in blackjack: DOUBLE DOWN. Double play. Downplay.
47. Car engine measure: HORSE POWER. Horse play. Power play.
Boomer
here. Hello from the Land of 10,000 lakes. We had a deluge of rain
last week but the good news is a return to summer today and all week. I
will be hitting the golf links tomorrow but I am pretty busy bowling
which ignores the weather. 170-191-214-575 last Thursday. Maybe it's
coming back.
Across:
1. Really big hit: SMASH. "The game of life is hard to play". It'S M*A*S*H
6. Numero uno, with "the": BEST.
We have a "Best Buy" near our home. Not sure if it is a really Best
Buy. C.C. and I stopped in last week. I saw refrigerators priced at
over $3500.00!
10. One always ready with quick comebacks: WIT. So's your old man !
13. W.C. Fields persona: SOUSE. Sorry, I've heard of W.C. But I am not old enough to remember his antics.
14. Strand during a sleet storm, say: ICE IN. Sleet is a bit of a mixture of rain and snow. We don't see that much in MN. We get only lots of snow.
16. Green prefix: ECO.
19. Fish eggs: ROE.
Does not appeal to me. I have heard that you can turn some of it into
caviar with a little curing and salt. You can have it. Earlier some
kids in Edina MN pulled a 70 year old sturgeon (and about 7 feet long)
out of a creek that was about 3 feet deep. Not sure if it had ROE.
20. __ the table: arrange silverware and such: SET. 6 wins in a tennis match.
21. MBA or MFA: Abbr.: DEG.
22. Behind, or hit from behind: REAR END.
My Van got whacked two years ago in St. Paul. Amazing Abra found a
perfect rear bumper assembly on their network and had it fixed in one
day.
24. Farm song refrain: EIEIO. "Old McDonald had a farm" "And on this farm he had a hamburger, French fries, and a chocolate shake."
26. Hasenpfeffer, e.g.: STEW.
27. Open-and-__ case: SHUT.
34. 36-Across skunk Pepé: LE PEW. Mel Blanc took leave of Bugs Bunny to be Pepé's voice.
36. Warner Bros. creation: TOON. Yes he is in Warner Brothers CARTOONS. Th Th That's All Folks!
37. Author Tolstoy: LEO. Astrological sign. We left behind on August 23 I think.
38. European peak: ALP. It's a big mountain but also an Electric Utility in Alexandria MN.
39. "Gosh, look at the time": IT'S LATE. "You better get on home" (Ricky Nelson)
42. Sundial seven: VII. How do they tell time with these things above the Arctic Circle??
43. You, to Goethe: SIE.
44. "Peter Pan" dog: NANA.
45. Sediment: DREGS.
51. Arthur of tennis: ASHE.
I was never much of a tennis fan, but this man was the Tiger Woods of
tennis. The first and only African-American to win a bunch of titles
and awards in his chosen sport. Sadly passed away at age 49, RIP Mr.
Ashe.
52. "Unforgettable" singer: COLE. His real name was Nat Adams Coles. But to me he was a King!
53. Peter, Paul or Mary: SAINT. I get it but I do like their music. Especially "Right Field".
55. Philosophy school with no classes?: MARXISM.
58. Biol. or geol.: SCI.
59. "Bingo!": AHA.
62. Australian bird: EMU. Electrical and Mechanics Union.
66. Sailor's "Help!": SOS. Dot Dot Dot Dash Dash Dash Dot Dot Dot. Thank you Mr. Morse.
67. Woodsy path: TRAIL. "Happy Trails to You." Roy Rogers.
68. Deed: TITLE. I remember that "Title Deed" was printed on all of the Monopoly property cards. Thank you Parker Brothers.
69. Gallery hangings: ART. Paul's pal, Mr. Garfunkel.
70. Bldg. with a pool: YMCA.
71. "I Am of Ireland" poet: YEATS.
Down:
1. Lat. and Est., once: SSRS.
Super Seniors. You have to be over 70 to bowl in the "Super Senior
classification" in the Midwest Senior Classic tournaments. Now that I
made the age, my bowling went over the hill.
2. Grimace: MOUE.
3. Em, to Dorothy: AUNT. "We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz".
4. Nine-digit ID: SSN. I have had the same number for 60 years. Plus I think my card is 40 years old.
5. Alpine heroine: HEIDI.
6. Astros Hall of Famer Craig __: BIGGIO. Played 19 years for the Astros. Inducted into Cooperstown in 2015.
7. Cardio readout: ECG.
I am going to assume that my heart is okay. They check my BP and pulse
when I go in but I don't remember getting a stethoscope treatment at
all.
8. Blacken: SEAR. Add an "S" and a Roebuck and you have a failed retailer.
9. Schedule opening: TIME SLOT.
10. Human/canine shape-shifters: WEREWOLVES. Minnesota Basketball team We are.
11. Screen symbol to click on: ICON.
12. Open-__ shoes: TOED. I have a pair of Under Armors but I rarely wear them. What if I dropped a bowling ball on my foot??
15. Tidied, as a room: NEATENED.
18. Require: NEED. "Do you NEED anybody"? (Beatles Sgt. Pepper's) They got by with a little help from their friends.
23. Cabernet color: RED. Cincinnati baseball player.
24. Summer in Lyon: ETE.
25. Western bad guys: OUTLAWS. I kind of miss the old Spaghetti Westerns.
27. Cut drastically, as prices: SLASH. "Black Friday" is less than two months away, BUT the best deals usually come around December 23.
28. Prefix for "sun": HELIO.
29. Elite group: UPPER CRUST. My favorite is "No Upper Crust" Pumpkin Pie. On the day before Black Friday.
31. Fancy neckwear: BOA. A big snake.
32. Mull over: WEIGH.
Oh, that's the first think the clinic does before the BP and pulse. I
am at 184 but my old 38" waist pants are too big, but I have trouble
fitting into 36. Why don't the pants guys make a 37" waist. Or is that
just in the upscale Men's wear that charges $5.00 per inch??
33. Bam, bang or boom: NOISE.
35. Sommelier's menu: WINE LIST.
40. Complex woven textile: TAPESTRY. "Season's change with the scenery, weaving time in a TAPESTRY, won't you stop and remember me?" (Simon and Garfunkel)
41. __-Caps: candy: SNO. Last week it was mountains.
46. Backstabber: RAT.
48. Fenway team, familiarly: SOX. Also a team at Guaranteed Rate Field. South side of the Windy City.
49. SoCal Latinx neighborhood: EAST LA.
50. Puerto __: RICO. I'm sure we all are relieved that Dorian missed that poor island.
54. Really cool: NIFTY.
55. Big butte: MESA. Butte is a city in Montana. Mesa is in Arizona.
56. Love, in Lima: AMOR.
57. Hat-tipper's word of address: MAAM.
59. Opposite of baja: ALTA.
60. "Stop right there!": HALT. Gimme your Dough.
61. Shipboard yeses: AYES. I still maintain these are "AYE AYES".
64. Rocker Ocasek: RIC.
65. Dessert pastry: PIE.
I used to work at a restaurant named after Matt Perkins. They served
decent food and excellent desserts. Many of them are closing around
here. Do you have one where you live? They still advertise on TV.
Boomer
