Monday November 25, 2019 Ed Sessa

Theme: BEHIND TIME (59A. Later than expected ... and where the ends of the answers to starred clues may be found) - Time can precede the last word of each theme entry.

17A. *Soccer ref's formal warning: YELLOW CARD. Time card.

27A. *Letter box access: MAIL SLOT. Time slot.

45A. *Area where cellphones don't work: DEAD ZONE. Time zone.

11D. *Sneak into the shot: PHOTO BOMB. Time bomb.

35D. *iPad's giant ancestor: MAIN FRAME. Time frame.

Good morning everyone. Vikings did not play, Gophers did okay, I went back to a 16 pound bowling ball, That's all I have to say.

Across:

1. Pole on the Pequod: MAST.

5. Conclude from evidence: INFER.

10. Auto loan figs.: APRS.  Between Mars and Mays.

14. Smoothie berry: ACAI.

15. Land, in France: TERRE. Add Haute and you may land in Indiana.

16. Talk over tea: CHAT.

19. Like wet mud pies: OOZY.

20. Bullring bravo: OLE. Lena's husband and Sven's buddy.

21. Like dried-out mud pies: CAKY.  If this is a word, it is ICKY.

22. Cerebral __: brain layer: CORTEX.  I did not know the brain had layers.  Did the scarecrow need a cortex??  Does the Great and Powerful Wizard have a cortex in the Castle of Oz?

24. Name of many pharaohs: RAMSES. Oh, I thought it was the names of NFL L.A. Football players.

26. Singer Mars: BRUNO.  When I was a kid, we had a German Shorthair named Bruno. Long story.  My dad took me pheasant hunting with Bruno. The crazy dog would scare up birds 100 yards away in the cornfield out of range of our shotguns.  Dad was not too happy.

30. Emeril catchword: BAM. Add another BAM and you have Pebbles Flintstone's friend.

33. Like XLII, numeral-wise: ROMAN. Forty Two!  How do you do?

36. Elevator innovator: OTIS.  We had one of these at the first Graybar warehouse that I worked at.  We would load it up with Chance hardware and it went right to the basement. Sometimes stopped a little below floor level.

37. Classic theater name: ROXY.  Moxy, Floxxy and Cottontail .

38. Eurasian border range: URAL. There are a lot of mountains. Mostly in Russia.

39. Fiber sources: BRANS.  Raisin Bran, All Bran,-- I prefer Wheat Chex.

40. Four-leaf clover, to some: OMEN.

41. Astronaut Armstrong: NEIL.  "We come in peace for all mankind".

42. Apartment payment: RENT.  Musical on Broadway.

43. "In Xanadu did __ Khan ... ": Coleridge: KUBLA.

44. Weigh station unit: TON.  No really it's only 16 pounds.  Feels like a ton.

47. Weighty exam: FINAL.

49. Montblanc topper: PEN CAP.  I only use retractibles

53. Prohibited: FORBAD.  I suppose FORBADE did not fit in the grid.

55. Biblical "you": THEE.

57. Rose of rock music: AXL.  Does he want to buy a vowel?

58. "Sorry to say ... ": ALAS.  ALAS THEE CAME and went to RENT.

62. Opposite of went: CAME.

63. Bay window: ORIEL.  My sis has a bay window in her San Francisco home. I never knew it was  called an ORIEL.   

64. Many an Omani: ARAB.

65. Like two, not one: EVEN.  Your score if you make all pars.

66. Simultaneous equation variables: X AND Y.  I never was much good at algebra.

67. No longer here: GONE.  But not forgotten, Oh my darlin' Clementine.

Down:

1. Big city big shot: MAYOR.  Running for president, I thought it was Pete's first name.

2. Amtrak express train: ACELA.

3. Witch trial town: SALEM.  "You can take SALEM out of the country but ??? you cannot take the country out of Salem".  Did you notice how all the cigarette ads have been replaced by new Medicare plans?  Ask your doctor if CAMELs are right for you. 

4. Shop __ you drop: TIL. "There were bells, on a hill, but I never heard them ringing - 'Til there was you"  Professor Harold Hill's on hand and River City Gonna have a boys band.

5. Formal words of confession: IT WAS I.  No, it was you!

6. Hickey spot: NECK.  "How in the heck can I wash my neck, if it ain't gonna rain no more."

7. Start to unravel: FRAY.

8. Slip up: ERR.  I think MLB calls it an ERROR.

9. Disaster relief organization: RED CROSS.  This time of year we all get requests for help.  I think the Red Cross is a solid organization.

10. Seed that grows squirrels?: ACORN.  I think it grows OAKS.  Boy do they ever make a mess on sidewalks this time of year.

12. Level with a wrecking ball: RAZE.  Wrecking balls are seldom used in Minnesota.  You would not believe the townhomes, apartment buildings, and multi business warehouses going up in the open spaces. No wrecking ball needed to clear space.

13. River of Hades: STYX.

18. Neptune's realm: OCEAN.  OCEAN'S 11 - Clooney and Pitt a tricky pair.

23. Part of KO: OUT.  Also the result for Twins vs. Yankees. And the Yankees didn't even have "Yankee Hankys"

25. Petite: SMALL.  Been pretty close to XL all my life.  I think C.C. is a small.

26. Cheesy pancake, perhaps: BLINTZ.

28. Cosmetics giant: L'OREAL. Some of the plush stores in our malls have cosmetic counters and ladies who ask you to try some cosmetic spray.  Then you find out it's $135 per ounce.

29. Lamp support: STAND.

31. Ice skating feat: AXEL.  I think I mentioned when I was a kid and we had an "Axel and his Dog" treehouse show every afternoon.  He would show "Our Gang" and "Laurel and Hardy" reruns.  I miss that guy,

32. Mimicking bird: MYNA.

33. Littlest of the litter: RUNT.

34. Snack sometimes eaten from the inside out: OREO.  Good old black and white cookie.  A crossword favorite.

37. City where Joan of Arc died: ROUEN.

39. Loaf holder: BREADBOX.  Remember some of those old quiz shows where a staple question was "Is it bigger than a breadbox?{

43. Weak- or knock- follower: KNEED.

45. Crime scene sample: DNA.  Do Not Ask!

46. In full view: OPENLY.

48. "Peer Gynt" dramatist: IBSEN.

50. Egypt's capital: CAIRO.

51. Guy felling trees: AX MAN.  We have an interesting chain of stores here in the Twin Cities called "The Ax Man."  They buy large lots of overstock from other businesses, display it like my garage floor, and sell it cheap.  I stop in and look now and then, but I don't buy much.  I already have a  lot of stuff in my home.  I wonder if the Ax Man might be interested.

52. Annapolis frosh: PLEBE.  This is not derogatory.  Some of them might grow up to be Admirals.

53. Clock front: FACE.  Point it at the stereo so it can face the music.

54. Norse king: OLAV.  I believe there were five of them.

55. Girl Scouts' __ Mints: THIN. I think these were the most popular. A year ago I asked for sugar free cookies and I was sold "Gluten Free".

56. Hurried, old-style: HIED.

60. Historical period: ERA.  Could be an "Earned Run Average"

61. Kids' game with a safe area: TAG.  You're it.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

1) Here is a nice article about Boomer at Benilde-St. Margaret's, where Boomer helps coaching the kids every year. Thank you, John Sabol, Max Johnson, the bowling team and Benilde-St. Margaret's Marketing & Communications team. You all made this season special for Boomer.

2) Happy Birthday to our talented and adventurous Picard!