Theme: TWIST TOPS (64.
Easy-to-remove caps ... or one way to get the starts of the answers to
starred clues?) - The first words are all anagrams of TOPS.
17. *Chooses not to partake in: OPTS OUT OF.
25. *Random quality-control measure: SPOT CHECK.
30. *Often herky-jerky animation technique: STOP MOTION.
45. *Rainbow-end rewards: POTS OF GOLD.
Boomer here. This is a TOPS of a puzzle.
I have been hinting for a while, and we finally pulled the trigger on a new Hyundai Santa Fe. We were looking at a white one, but when I sat behind the wheel, I could not resist shouting "Hi Oh Silver!" I also called the sales person Tonto. So C.C. decided that Navy Blue might be a better choice. The vehicle has all wheel drive which may come in handy after a Minnesota snowfall.
Speaking of Minnesota weather, it is 34 degrees this morning so I am giving my golf clubs a rest.
Across:
1. "I get it!": AHA.
4. Swamp, briefly: QUAG. Is this not a MIRE??
8. Trails through the woods: PATHS. Not sure if golf carts have all wheel drive. Maybe "Carts on paths only" is the rule of the day.
13. Zero, in soccer: NIL. I think NIL is between SLIM and less than NONE
14. "Star Trek" communications officer: UHURA.
16. Crosswise, shipwise: ABEAM. Only drove in the daytime so far so I have not used the ABEAM.
19. Cocoon occupant: LARVA.
20. Six-sided state: UTAH. I've driven through on I-80. Nice lake to the north.
21. What the big hand indicates: HOUR. TV news show "60 Minutes."
22. Part of PTA: Abbr.: ASSOC. Also part of our townhome management company.
23. North or South Asian country: KOREA. I think our vehicle is made in the good old USA, but the parent company is in South Korea.
27. Actress Behrs of "2 Broke Girls": BETH.
29. Wide shoe size: EEE. A Duck foot??
35. DNA test kit item: SWAB. Also used to test for the nasty virus.
39. Scarecrow material: HAY. "I could while away the hours,
conferring with the flowers, consulting with the rain. And my head I'd
be scratchin' while my thoughts they'd be hatchin' if I only had a
brain". "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".
40. Stinker: SO AND SO.
42. Hurry, to Shakespeare: HIE.
43. Angry cat's warning: HISS. I may have heard a snake say this once or twice.
47. Cobbler's punch: AWL.
49. Small stream: RILL.
50. *Lickety-split: POSTHASTE. Sounds like a brand of toothpaste.
56. Front-end wheel alignment: TOE IN. Instruction on a pair of boots??
59. Second half of most musicals: ACT II. I learned "Sound of Music" only had 2 acts.
63. Showed again: RERAN. I watch a lot of "Law and Order" reruns during the afternoon.
66. Panfry: SAUTE.
67. Cocktail garnishes: ZESTS. Two or more bars of soap.
68. Boy king: TUT.
69. Key above Shift: ENTER. Only on the right side. I checked and "Caps Lock" is on the left.
70. Roof problem: LEAK.
71. UFO crew, they say: ETS.
Down:
1. Aimée of "8 1/2": ANOUK.
2. Aware of: HIP TO. "For a long time now I've been aware, that I'm so HIP the rest of the world is square." Chad Mitchell Trio.
3. Young acolytes: ALTAR BOYS. I never signed up for this job. I had many friends who did.
4. Quid pro __: QUO.
5. "Not a chance": UH UH.
6. Parking lot occupants: AUTOS. Lots of shiny new Hyundais on the dealer lot we visited.
7. Word after study or social: GROUP.
8. Royal residence: PALACE.
9. Embarrasses: ABASHES. You may get these if someone burns your ABS.
10. To the point: TERSE.
11. Wreak __: cause mayhem: HAVOC. Like a Viking's game.
12. Hit hard: SMACK.
15. Curly hairdo: AFRO. I do not have enough hair. Erik Agard and Kyle Troup (PBA Bowler) are very close.
18. Animal sheared for wool: SHEEP. Wake up! Little boy Blue!
24. Casino cash dispensers: ATMS. Gosh, who would have to use an ATM in a casino??
26. Stretching muscle: TENSOR.
28. Flashy publicity: HOOPLA. "Though it never made the New York Times, in the Daily News the caption read." Simon and Garfunkel.
30. "Button it!": SHH.
31. Mai __: cocktail: TAI.
32. Confucian path: TAO.
33. Loan pmt. part: INT. I have no interest in loans with interest. I have paid enough.
34. Pigs out (on): ODS.
36. Musical symbol with no stem: WHOLE NOTE.
37. Feel sick: AIL. Luckily with all my AILments, I only felt sick once all summer.
38. Word with room or board: BED.
41. "Think nothing __": OF IT.
44. Quench: SATIATE.
46. Be a bad winner: GLOAT. No worries for me on the golf course. I never won anything.
48. Crybaby: WHINER. I never WHINED about not winning.
50. Break down, as a sentence: PARSE.
51. Arctic or Atlantic: OCEAN. Who might remember the first "Ocean's 11" with the Las Vegas "Rat Pack"??
52. Walk proudly: STRUT. Not me, I use a cart. 53. __ bath: therapy treatment: SITZ. Not a bath, but on a recent visit to the doctor I have been complaining about leg weakness. The doctor had me sit on the edge of a bed and he held my legs and asked me to push. I nearly knocked him off his chair, so he decided my legs were okay.
54. Sauna wrap, often: TOWEL.
55. Beethoven's "Für __": ELISE.
57. Contribution to the discussion: INPUT.
58. Egg holders: NESTS.
61. Whodunit pooch: ASTA. The Thin Man's dog.
65. Disapproving sound: TSK. You need three of these.
Boomer
