Theme: PICK ME UP (62. Morale booster ... or words that might suggest the arrival of one of the circled words)
16. Happy-go-lucky: CAREFREE.
24. Meddlesome types: BUSYBODIES.
38. Pie à la mode choice: VANILLA ICE CREAM.
50. Anxiety resulting from being stuck indoors: CABIN FEVER.
Boomer here.
CABs
are pretty pricey, I got rid of the VAN when we stopped doing baseball
card shows and flea markets, so we purchased a new car last year but to
my surprise it did not have a CD player. Thank you so much desper-otto
for fixing us up with some great music!
I was supposed to have today off however one of my teammates went fishing so as you read this, I am probably on the lanes at Super Bowl in Ramsey, Minnesota.
Across:
4. Merlot and Malbec: REDS. Cincinnati lost their Red legs a few years ago.
8. Surname at Tara: O'HARA.
13. Thurman in films: UMA. Strange name for a lady. Also she has a daughter named LUNA.
14. British noble: EARL.
15. Particle in a nucleus: PROTON.
18. Supper, say: REPAST. Sorry but I have never heard anyone say "Breakfast, Lunch, and Repast."
19. Ancient Andeans: INCAS. I did hear Jimmy Durante say "INKA"
20. Seek the affections of: WOO.
22. The "E" in HOMES: ERIE. The Great lakes, of course. I have only seen "S" and "M".
23. Fizzles out: DIES.
27. Germ-killing brand: LYSOL.
29. Norse explorer Ericson: LEIF.
30. As well: TOO. Also.
32. Cry from a sty: OINK. That's the way it is spelled but it really does not sound that way.
34. State-sponsored gambling game: LOTTO. I have seen these but Minnesota raises money with scratch off LOTTO. However the state also seems to raise our taxes.
42. Tolerate: STAND.
43. PBS science series: NOVA. Chevrolet named a compact car NOVA.
44. Chick-to-be, maybe: EGG. Or you might just find it in your potato salad.
45. April 1 "honoree": FOOL.
48. First head of the USSR: LENIN.
54. Apples on desks: MACS. Big hamburgers from the Golden Arches?
57. Codebreaker Turing: ALAN. This is the first name of my
bowling buddy who couldn't make it this morning. I heard that he went
fishing. I really cannot imagine why anyone would fish rather than
bowl. This is the land of 10,000 lakes but also the land of 10,000
LANES.
58. Public health org.: FDA. This is for the Food and Drugs but we hear more from the CDC in these COVID times.
59. Bird that beats a birdie?: EAGLE. I have one in my golf career. It was on a 490 - par five. I was on the green in two and made a thirty foot putt.
60. Small, sizewise: PETITE. These are mostly C.C.'s clothes. She just does not know how to eat like us Minnesotans.
65. Left the building: EXITED.
66. Texan's neighbor: OKIE. From Muskokie.
67. Cooperstown stat: RBI. It's a decent statistic, but
sometimes a batter can earn one with a fly ball, a man on third, and
less than two outs. That's baseball !
68. Gathered, as leaves: RAKED. We are in the middle of FALL
here in the Northland and our leaves are falling like Astros opponents.
We have a service that picks them up, but it seems heaven forbid, they
don't want to come back and do the job more than once.
69. Use a Kindle: READ.
70. Fed. benefits provider: SSA. All of us old timers are getting a 5.9 % raise in 2022. And by the way, prices are going up 20 - 40% on almost everything.
Down:
2. Saudi neighbor: OMANI.
3. Spanish port city: BARCELONA. Right on the Atlantic Coast. I wonder if they have ships and containers waiting to be unloaded there.
4. NFL officials: REFS. I think only one is a REF. Others are line judges and back judges.
5. Spot for a bud: EAR.
6. "The Chronic" Dr.: DRE.
7. Gobs and gobs: SLEWS.
8. Smeltery supply: ORE. Also wondering if OREgon has ships and containers on their coast.
9. Wished one could have: HOPED FOR. My Mom's name was HOPE and I think she may have HOPED for a boy on October 27, 1947.
10. Gaming giant: ATARI. Played it forever back in the 1990s.
11. TV personality O'Donnell: ROSIE.
12. Starts a poker pot: ANTES. It was a nickel in the Caddyshack at Oak Ridge Country Club back in the 1960s
15. Examine thoroughly: PROBE. Then we had the opportunity to Examine 5 cards Thoroughly.
17. "No sweat!": EASY. I usually do not sweat when I bowl, but that doesn't make it easy.
21. Tall, skinny Olive: OYL. Popeye's girlfriend.
24. Bubble, as water: BOIL. 212 degrees F.
25. Forearm bone: ULNA.
26. Tin Man's lubricator: OILCAN. I seem to remember the Red Sox
had a pitcher named "OIL CAN" Boyd. He had a relative that worked at a
grocery store that we frequented. So one day I gave him a baseball
card... of OILCAN Boyd.
28. Convinced of: SOLD ON.
30. Hotel room sets: TVS.
31. Meal opening?: OAT. Oatmeal. Mine is usually WHEAT or CORN .
33. All in the family: KIN. Archie and Edith Bunker.
35. Many "Twilight" characters: TEENAGERS.
36. Kids' chasing game: TAG. I never wanted to be "IT".
37. Texter's "Heavens!": OMG.
39. Limitless: INFINITE.
40. "Merry old" king: COLE. Then there was Nat King ....
41. Always: EVER.
46. Eliminated, gangland-style: OFFED.
47. Went first: LED. Four Major League baseball teams LED but when the playoffs came they "WENT OUT FIRST." Sorry TTP.
49. Spiritual guide at a mosque: IMAM.
50. Frivolous escapade: CAPER.
51. Amazon Echo assistant: ALEXA. Is she related to Siri?
52. Craft to dye for: BATIK.
53. Aircraft's trail: VAPOR.
55. After-school groups: CLUBS. I have fourteen of these in a
bag in the garage. Bowling season has started and I really do not like
to play golf on windy 55 degree days.
56. Old photo tone: SEPIA.
59. Barely got, with "out": EKED. Last Monday I EKED out a 194 game. We'll see what happens today.
61. Bill's co-adventurer: TED.
63. Name on a 1950s campaign button: IKE. I remember him. "EISENHOWER" did not fit on the campaign buttons.
64. Intelligence-gathering org.: CIA. "The CIA'S subversive, and
SO' S the FCC. There's no one left but THEE and WE, and we're not sure
of THEE." "John Birch Society" Chad Mitchell Trio.
Boomer