Monday November 1, 2021 Susan Gelfand

Theme: SEESAWS (39. Vacillates ... or what you can do when you look at the starts of the answers to starred clues?)

17A. *Trendy terms: BUZZWORDS. Buzzsaw.

60A. *Popular cause to jump on: BANDWAGON. Band saw.

11D. *Mall anchors: CHAIN STORES. Chainsaw.

25D. *Game with paddles: TABLE TENNIS. Table saw.

Boomer here.  

Hello everyone. Last week we ventured into Western Wisconsin for a birthday trip and to SEE a casino.  Instead we SAW beautiful landscape and fall colors as we crossed the St. Croix river.  The St. Croix Casino was nothing that we have not SEEn before, but we had a good time.

Boomer, St Croix Casino Turtle Lake, 10/26/2021

Across:

1. Kid around with: JOSH.  The Twins have a player named JOSH Donaldson.

 

 

5. Wind with two reeds: OBOE.

9. Young fellow, in Ireland: BUCKO. The casino machines accepted a BUCK. Sometimes it paid back 50 cents.

14. Square footage, say: AREA.  I watch a bit of NFL football,  I am amazed at the AREA taken up by some of these stadiums. The playing field, then the seating for the ticket holders, and the parking AREA.   

15. Mama's mate: DADA.

16. Rapper Ice Cube's first name: O'SHEA. Jackson.

19. Cardinals and Orioles: TEAMS.  Talkin' baseball.  The Washington Football team does not have a name.

20. Runs in, cop-style: ARRESTS.  George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis.  Two of the cops involved are still awaiting trial

22. Ready for picking: RIPE.  A great time of year for apples and other fruit. 

23. Passage in a personal journal: ENTRY.  I have never used a journal.  Now at my age I do not remember everything.

26. Runs at full speed: SPRINTS.  I certainly do not do this anymore.

28. College courtyard: QUAD.

29. Guerrilla Guevara: CHE.

32. Curtain holders: RODS.  I remember installing in our home twenty or more years ago.  They are still up so I must have done something right.

33. Cities, informally: URBS.  I don't know about this.  I thought they were called "BURBS". 

34. "(Marie's the Name) __ Latest Flame": Elvis hit: HIS.

35. Dutch beer brand: AMSTEL.  When you say BUD you've said a lot of things nobody else can say.

38. Silent communication syst.: ASL.

41. Mine find: ORE. Or a state south of Washington.

42. Eyed lecherously: LEERED.

44. Rose of Guns N' Roses: AXL.

45. Not kosher: TREF.

46. Elevated on a peg, as a golf ball: TEED.  TEED off when you hit it, and TEED off when you miss the putt.

47. Hoped-for response to a marriage proposal: YES.

48. Splinter group: SECT.

49. Mongoose family member: MEERKAT.

52. Needing practice: RUSTY.  My bowling has been a bit RUSTY but I am working on it.  Time off for Covid was brutal.

53. Luxury hotel: OMNI.  Tiny Dodge in the 1980s

54. Ketchup-and-mayo dressing: RUSSIAN. I've never heard of Russian dressing.

58. Title film cousin: VINNY.  Gambini with Joe Pesci

64. Formal "Just me": IT IS I.  IT IS what it is.

65. Lake with the same first and last letter: ERIE.

66. Long skirt: MAXI.

67. German steel city: ESSEN.  Population over half a million.

68. Pro __: in proportion: RATA.

69. Fan favorite: IDOL.  Pop singer Billy with punk rock hair.

Down:

1. Boxer's quick punch: JAB.  I would not like to be on the receiving end of a George Foreman JAB.  I don't like his commercials either.

 

2. Christian sch. in Tulsa: ORU. Oral Roberts University.

3. States, slangily: SEZ.  Just SAYS spelled wrong. 

4. Ventures, as a guess: HAZARDS.  Ponds and Sand Traps.

5. Skunk's defense: ODOR.  I consider to be lucky to have never encountered a SKUNK.

6. Naked: BARE.

7. Betting ratios: ODDS.  I believe the ODDS at the Casino we visited were are quite a bit in the casino's favor.

8. Divisions for the Yanks and Mets: EASTS.

9. Automated spam sender: BOT.

10. Log-in needs: USER IDS.  I tried to develop passwords that were easy to remember but I cannot remember everything!!

12. Well-groomed: KEMPT.

13. Desert havens: OASES.

18. Dryly humorous: WRY.  A crossword talking about me ??

21. Spreads out one's arms and legs: SPRAWLS.  Great activity on a beach of one of Minnesota lakes.  Not too much fun in the winter though.

23. Math sign: EQUAL.  I used to always say it with an "S".

24. Hospital worker: NURSE. A thankless job, especially with the pandemic going on.

27. CD-__: data holders: ROMS.

29. Cracker cheese: CHEDDAR.  I always need a little on top of the Mozzarella on a pizza. 

30. Rush, old-style: HIE.

31. Op-ed piece, e.g.: ESSAY.  I always skip the Op-eds in the Minneapolis paper.  Not interested in others' opinion.

36. Upright: ERECT.

37. Southpaw: LEFTY.  Great reference which never made any sense.

39. Search for: SEEK.

40. Chopping tool: AXE.

43. Get the rest of the soap out of: RE-RINSE.  I need to perform this task because I still have real hair.

45. Tidal wave cousin: TSUNAMI.

49. Theater feature: MOVIE.  It's been a long time since C.C. and I have attended a movie.  Normally you can wait a few months and it's on TV.

50. Radiates: EMITS.

51. Potato or yam: TUBER.  Odd name for a vegetable.

52. Uncooked: RAW.

55. __ Lee: dessert brand: SARA.  Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee.

56. Sulky state: SNIT.  I will not mention politics.

57. "Good thinking!" thought: IDEA.

59. Yang's partner: YIN.

61. Wander (about): GAD.

62. Kitchen tool brand: OXO.  A line in a tic tac toe puzzle.

63. Naught: NIL.

Boomer