Tuesday November 19, 2019 Susan Smolinsky & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: A TO Z (56D. All-inclusive, and a hint to 20-, 28-, 49- and 56-Across) - Each theme entry starts with A and ends with Z.

20. #1 in Major League Baseball career earnings: ALEX RODRIGUEZ.

28. 1970s joint U.S.-Soviet space flight: APOLLO SOYUZ.

 

49. Math class surprise: ALGEBRA QUIZ.

56. Musical genre of Tito Puente and Dizzy Gillespie: AFRO-CUBAN JAZZ.

Boomer here. Here I am on Tuesday, blogging on a puzzle by Hahtoolah and C.C.. This is their second collaboration.

Hahtoolah (Susan)

Across:

1. Longstocking of kiddie lit: PIPPI.

6. "Jason Bourne" star Damon: MATT.  I prefer MATT Dillon played by fellow Minnesotan, James Arness.

10. Shell rowers: CREW.  Speaking of the frozen tundra, CREW neck sweatshirts are appropriate attire this time of year.

14. Biting, as criticism: ACERB.

15. Sound reduced by carpeting: ECHO.  ECHO was a vehicle from Toyota.  I believe it failed.  It was the size of a roller skate.

16. Hill worker: AIDE.

17. Earl Grey relative: PEKOE.  C.C. loves tea.  I used to like an occasional orange PEKOE.

18. Old Roman fiddler: NERO.  I thought he was an Emperor.  Didn't know he fiddled around.

19. Buttonlike earring: STUD.  I used to see these sometimes on guys. Not me, I already have enough holes in my head.

23. Puppy's cry: YIP.  Give it a bottle, shut it up.

24. Chaney of "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925): LON.  Made a living being a spooky, scary guy.

25. Acidity nos.: PHS.  Not for me. I get a PSA blood test every month.

35. Function: ROLE.  I was in a high school production once. My ROLE was Noah.  I think P.J. Fleck wanted me to "Row the boat."

37. Actors' union, briefly: SAG.  Of course if your body start's to SAG, they'll retire you.

38. Remove from office: DEPOSE. Many government officials are being deposed with questions from Congress. But they are not being removed from office.

39. Fortified city of Castile and León: AVILA.

41. Diamond stat: RBI.  Anything over 100 is great in my humble opinion.

43. "MASH" corporal: RADAR.  Gary Burghoff played a great role.  Remember his first name on M.A.S.H. ??  Walter.

44. "Cape Fear" star: DE NIRO.  My all time favorite De Niro Movie was "Casino".  Hated Joe Pesci. glad he got whacked at the end.

46. Spinning toy: TOP.  "STOP HEY What's that sound, Everybody look what's going down."  (Buffalo Springfield).

48. Building bricks brand: LEGO.  LEGO my Eggo!

52. Arles article: LES.

53. Salad dressing ingredient: OIL.  That reminds me.  My van is due for a change.

54. Sis or bro: SIB.

63. "See ya!": TA TA.  "Well GO baby GO.  And I leaned back, and I closed my eyes ... and she left.  "The Hip Song" - Chad Mitchell Trio.

65. Acting independently: LONE.  Clayton Moore was the LONE Ranger.  I wanted to thank him.

66. "For real!": NO LIE.

67. "Um, that's fine": OH OK.

68. Villainous: EVIL.

69. Par-three clubs, often: IRONS.  Most par threes are over 100 yards.  I normally use a 7 or 9 wood which I carry.  What can I say??  I am old and the irons just don't hit the Titleist too far anymore.

70. Route-finding app: WAZE.  I usually just use Google.

71. Risqué message: SEXT.  Not me.  I don't text and I don't tweet.  I am too old to learn.

72. Common teen phase: ANGST.

Down:

1. Hemingway moniker: PAPA.

2. Eur. island country: ICEL.  Minnesota climate is pretty close this year.

3. Chow kin, briefly: PEKE.

4. Voting substitute: PROXY.  I always show up at the polls in November.  I did have to Proxy a vote for Hubert Humphrey in 1968 from Fort Campbell.

5. Spanish airline: IBERIA.

6. Darn: MEND.  Those Darn Hawkeyes spoiled the Gophers perfect record

7. Asian PC brand: ACER.  I did not know it was Asian.  I am looking at one right now.

8. Really excite: THRILL.  THRILL of victory, the agony of defeat.

9. "I can't top that": TOO GOOD. To be true. My High School Junior Varsity bowling team that I coach finished second in the conference final last Friday.  We had the lead with one game to go, and the other team shot a 187 to our 150.  Too bad there is no defense in bowling.

10. Job for a judge: CASE.

11. Upscale hotel: RITZ.  I bring these crackers to bowling on Mondays. My buddy brings the peanut butter and we snack between frames.

12. LSU URL letters: EDU.

13. Elope, say: WED.  This is between Tues and Thur.  You should probably wait for the weekend to elope.

21. They sometimes attract: Abbr.: OPPS.  I did not know opposites have nicknames.

22. Racing giant Bobby: UNSER.  Like father, like son.

25. Italian fashion house: PRADA.  The devil wears this.

26. Crude abode: HOVEL.  Add an "S" in front and you have a crude snow removal tool.

27. David's weapon: SLING.  All you need to go Goliath hunting.

29. 10-Across tool: OAR.  P.J. Flecks need these to "Row the Boat".

30. Rainbow flag letters: LGBTQ.

31. National gemstone of Australia: OPAL.  I think this is my October birthstone.

32. Alpine melody: YODEL.  LADY WHOO

33. Customary practice: USAGE.  Thanksgiving is coming USAGE in the stuffing.

34. Binary system digits: ZEROS.  There is only one in the Beetle Bailey strip.

36. Peace Nobelist Wiesel: ELIE.

40. Ann __, Michigan: ARBOR.  Wolverines took care of the Spartans there Saturday

42. Debtor's promise: IOU.  Ever wonder why this acronym is not IOY ??

45. Team nicknamed the Birds: ORIOLES.  Legendary Brooks Robinson and Cal Ripken Jr.  cannot help them anymore.

47. Italian tower town: PISA.

50. Niche: ALCOVE.

51. Alphabetically last flower on a list of familiar ones: ZINNIA.  Nice flowers.  We might try them next spring.

55. Tennis great Borg: BJORN.

57. The Piltdown Man, notably: FAKE.

58. Operating system since the '60s: UNIX.

59. Orion's __: BELT.  Pabst Blue Ribbon??

60. Sleep like __: A LOG.  Sometimes yes - Sometimes not so much.

61. Cab alternatives: ZINS.

62. Lemon peel: ZEST.  I used to use this soap in the shower.  I did not know it was a lemon peel.

63. AAA service: TOW.

64. "Eureka!": AHA.

Boomer

Monday, November 18, 2019 Kurt Krauss

All IN.  The last word of each theme answer rhymes with IN, but each has a unique spelling.

17-Across. Swashbuckling leading man of Hollywood's Golden Age: ERROL FLYNN.  Errol Flynn (né Erroll Leslie Thomson Flynn; June 20, 1909 ~ Oct. 14, 1959) was born in Tasmania.  Shortly after moving to Hollywood, he landed the plumb role as Peter Blood in the movie Captain Blood.  He was a relatively unknown actor at the time, but with the role, he shot up to stardom.  A few years later, he was charged with and tried for statutory rape, but was ultimately acquitted.

27-Across. German Shepherd of '50s-'60s TV: RIN TIN TIN.  Rin Tin Tin (Sept. 1918 ~ Aug. 10, 1932) was an actual German Shephard and movie star.  Rin Tin Tin was a rescue dog found on the battlefield during World War I.  His American owner trained him to act in silent movies.  After his death, several other dogs were acquired the name to appear in additional Rin Tin Tin movies.

41-Across. North Vietnamese leader with a trail named for him: HO CHI MINH.  Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890 ~ Sept. 2, 1969) was the President of North Vietnam from 1945 until his death in September 1969.

55-Across. Hotel chain since 1952: HOLIDAY INN.  Holiday Inn is a British-owned American chain hotel.  It is a subsidiary of InterContinental Hotels Group.

Hahtoolah here.  Fear not, my friends, Boomer will be making a surprise appearance later this week.

Across:

1. Aquarium: TANK.

5. Yeshiva teacher: REBBE.  The word  rebbe comes from a Hebrew word meaning teacher.  The word is used primarily by the Hasidic movement of Judaism.

10. Dance in a pit: MOSH.  Mosh is a form of dancing where the dances jumps up and down, often violently bumping into other dancers.

14. Iranian money: RIAL.  As of last week, the 1 Rial was worth 0.000030 US Dollars.

15. For all to hear: ALOUD.

16. Baja's opposite: ALTA.  Today's Spanish Lesson.

19. Precious: DEAR.

A Precious Deer.

20. Delivers, as a convention-opening speech: KEYNOTES.  The individual making the speech is referred to as a Keynote Speaker.

21. Donny or Marie: OSMOND.  Back in the late 1970s, Donny (né Donald Clark Osmond; b. Dec. 9, 1957) and Marie Osmond (née Olive Marie Osmond; b. Oct. 13, 1959 ) were a brother and sister singing duo who also hosted a variety show called Donny and Marie.

23. Hairstyles: DOs.  //  And 50-Down. Bee home: HIVE.  Also a hair style.

24. Art Deco designer: ERTÉ.  Erté (né Roman Tyrtov; Nov. 23, 1892 ~ Apr. 21, 1990) was a Russian-born French artist.  He went by Erté, which is the French pronunciation of his initials.  His drawings are very stylized.

25. Barbara of "Mission: Impossible": BAIN.  Barbara Bain (née Mildred Fogel; b. Sept. 13, 1931), was known as Cinnamon Carter on Mission: Impossible.  Can you find Barbara?

32. Beach head-turners: HUNKS.

33. Forest moon that's home to the Ewoks: ENDOR.  A reference to the Star Wars movies.  Ewoks are creepy looking little critters.

34. Dedicated poem: ODE.

35. First chip in the pot: ANTE.

36. Tokyo's country: JAPAN.

37. Pinot __: white wine grape: GRIS.  What's the difference between Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio?

38. Geol. or chem., e.g.: SCI.  Geology and Chemistry are fields of Science.

39. Nattily dressed fellows: DUDES.

40. Fortune-teller's card: TAROT.  Everything you wanted to know about Tarot Cards, but were afraid to ask.

43. City near Provo: OREM.

44. "SportsCenter" channel: ESPN.  Originally known as the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.  Where all y'all should have been watching the LSU fighting tigers beat Ole Miss in football last Saturday by a score of 58-37.

45. Gear tooth: COG.

46. "Peanuts" newspaper section: COMICS.  Charles Schulz really didn't like the name Peanuts for his comic strip.

49. Jeep model named for a tribe: CHEROKEE.

54. "I get it now!" cries: AHAs!

57. Trap fluff: LINT.

58. __ Oyl: OLIVE.  Olive Oyl was created in 1919, thus she is celebrating her 100 birthday this year.  She appeared in the comic strips for 10 years before she became Popeye's girlfriend.

59. Advance, as money: LEND.

60. Enemies: FOES.

61. Package sealers: TAPES.

62. Pre-revelry nights: EVES.

Down:

1. Long haul: TREK.

2. Suffix with billion: -AIRE.  Who wants to be a Billionaire?

3. __ a soul: no one: NARY.

4. Ice cream bar named for a Yukon river: KLONDIKE.  What would you do for a Klondike bar?

5. Rapids transports: RAFTS.

6. Fashion monthly: ELLE.  This fashion magazine first began publication 71 years ago this month.

7. Pop music's Backstreet __: BOYS.  A boy band from the 1990s.

The band 20 years later.

8. Pastry that might be sticky: BUN.

9. Ralph Kramden's pal: ED NORTON.

 

10. Drama set at an advertising agency: MAD MEN.  This show, starring Jon Hamm, was a fascinating look into the advertising business in the 1960s.  The show ran from July 2007 to May 2015.

11. Bread spread: OLEO.

12. Laurel seen with Hardy: STAN.  Stan Laurel (né Arthur Stanley Jefferson; June 16, 1890 ~ Feb. 23, 1965) and Oliver Hardy (né Norvell Hardy; Jan. 18, 1892 ~ Aug. 7, 1957) were a comedy duo best known for their slapstick routines.

13. Difficult: HARD.

18. Diving birds: LOONS.  Hi, Canadian Eh!

22. Swizzle: STIR.  Hence the Swizzle Stick.

24. Hyphen-like mark: EN DASH.  Who knew there were so many sizes?

25. Con game: BUNCO.

26. Bit of high jinks: ANTIC.

27. Transfer to memory, as data: READ IN.

28. Best way to sign: IN PEN.  Also the way some of us do the crossword puzzles.

29. MLB exec Joe: TORRÉ.  Joseph Paul Torré (b. July 18, 1940) was the manager of the New York Yankees from 1996 to 2007.  He is currently serving in the capacity as Major League Baseball's chief baseball officer.  He began his baseball career with Milwaukee Brewers in 1960.

30. "Take the cake" or "cream of the crop": IDIOM.

31. Home on a branch: NEST.

32. Diner fare: HASH.  My grandmother used to make beet hash.  As I recall, it was pretty tasty.

36. Basketball scoring technique: JUMP SHOT.

37. Grotesque architectural figure: GARGOYLE.  Some of the most famous gargoyles are found on Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  Sadly, the Cathedral burned earlier this year.  I am not sure of the status of its Gargoyles.  This is my favorite gargoyle that was found on the roof.

39. Part of DVD: DISC.

40. Irish lullaby start: TOORA.

42. Thieves' bank jobs: HEISTS.

45. Hands over: CEDES.

46. Cow kid: CALF.

47. State east of Indiana: OHIO.  It's the State that's Round on the Ends and Hi in the Middle.

48. Horse hair: MANE.

49. Paper holder: CLIP.  Remember Clippy?

51. Ukraine's capital: KIEV.  In the Ukraine, the preferred spelling is Kyiv.  Both the city and the country have been in the news recently.

52. Feminine suffix: -ENNE.

53. Breaks off: ENDS.  Think of breaking off, or ending, a relationship.

56. Suffix with pay or Cray-: -OLA.  As in Payola or Crayola.  One is a crayon, the other is a crime.  Getting a box of 64 Crayolas was really special.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  I hate to spread rumors, but what else can I do with them?  ~  Amanda Lear (b. Nov. 18, 1939), French singer and painter.