Tuesday, April 7, 2020 Gary Larson

You're Such a Ham.  The word "Ham" is found spanning the two words of each theme answer.

17-Across.   *   New Jersey city on Raritan Bay: PERTH AMBOY.

25-Across.   *   Leader of the pack: ALPHA MALE.

38-Across.   *   It prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures: FOURTH AMENDMENT.  The text of the 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution reads:

     "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

49-Across.   *   Light-bulb-over-the-head instance: AHA MOMENT.

And the unifier:
61-Across. Spam relatives ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: CANNED HAMS.

Across:

1. Unresponsive state: COMA.

5. Loosen up, to a pitcher: THROW.

10. Light bulb unit: WATT.  The Watt is a unit of power, as defined by the International System of Units (SI) as a "derived unit of 1 joule per second, and is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer."  All clear now?  It is named after James Watt (Jan. 19, 1736 ~ Aug. 25, 1819), a Scottish inventor.  The important thing is to know that when you flip the switch on your wall, the overhead light goes on!

14. Welcoming: OPEN.  Many restaurants are now open for take-out only.  They still welcome those orders, though.

15. African howler: HYENA.

16. "Sin City" actress Jessica: ALBA.

Jessica Marie Alba (b. Apr. 28, 1981)

19. Thick slice: SLAB.

20. Semicircle, say: ARC.

21. Green Gables girl: ANNE.  Anne of Green Gables is children's novel first published in 1908 by Lucy Maud Montgomery (Nov. 30, 1874 ~ Apr. 24, 1942) about a young orphan girl who is sent to two middle-aged sibling who wanted to adopt a boy to help with the farm.  Instead, they got .  It is set in Prince Edward Island, Canada.  I remember visiting the Anne of Green Gables Museum with my family when I was young, and after I had read the book.

22. Kick back: CHILL.

23. Comic Smirnoff: YAKOV.  Yakov Smirnoff (b. Jan. 24, 1951) was born in Odessa, Ukraine.  He emigrated to the United States in the 1970s.  Oh, and by the way, that's Dr. Smirnoff to you.  Last year he earned his doctorate in psychology.

28. Wiener schnitzel meat: VEAL.  I'll just note here that eating veal is controversial due to the treatment involved in how the animals are raised.  Enough said.

30. Red Sea country: YEMEN.

31. Trembling trees: ASPENS.

34. Terrier's sound: ARF.  A crossword staple.

35. Disney frame: CEL.  A crossword staple.

42. Boy king: TUT.  His formal name is Tutankhamun.  His tomb is said to be cursed.  You be the judge.

43. Mr. Rogers: ROY.  Oh, I forgot about Roy Rogers (né Leonard Franklin Slye; Nov. 5, 1911 ~ July 6, 1998).  The only Mr. Rogers that I could think of was Fred Rogers (né Fred McFeely Rogers; Mar. 28, 1928 ~ Feb. 27, 2003).  Roy Rogers' 3rd wife was Dale Evans (née Oct. 21, 1912 ~ Feb. 7, 2001).  He was her 4th husband.

44. Cleared from the board: ERASED.

45. Family car: SEDAN.  Did you know that the word Sedan was first used to describe a car in 1912?

48. Elvis' middle name: ARON.  Elvis Presley (Jan. 8, 1935 ~ Aug. 16, 1977), of course.  There is some controversy over his middle name.  It is sometimes spelled as Aaron.

52. Sherpa's land: NEPAL.

56. Large pears: BOSCS.

57. Actress Skye: IONE.  Ione Skye (née Ione Lee Leitch; b. Sept. 4, 1970) makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.

59. The "E" in BCE: ERA.  As in Before the Common Era.

60. Boo-boo: OWIE.

64. Tease mercilessly: RIDE.

65. Curved moldings: OGEEs.  O, Gee!  It looks rather like this doorway.

66. Frozen drink brand: ICEE.

67. Souvenir shop apparel: TEEs.

68. Lyrics: WORDS.

69. Rx items: MEDS.

Down:

1. Insured's contribution: CO-PAY.

2. Wagner work: OPERA.  Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 ~ Feb. 13, 1883) wrote many operas, but he is probably best known for his Ring Cycle, a series of 4 operas.  The Ring Cycle is loosely based on Norse mythology.  Many opera houses recently performed the Ring Cycle over the course of 4 years starting in 2013 to mark the 200th anniversary of Wagner's birth.  A brief bio of Wagner. 

3. Pharmaceutical giant: MERCK.  Merck is one of the largest pharamceutical companies in the world.  It was incorporated in New Jersey.

4. Industrious crawler: ANT.

5. Word in a comparison: THAN.

6. Pew book: HYMNAL.

7. Buck the system: REBEL.

Rebel Wilson (b. Mar. 2, 1980)

8. Beatle bride: ONO.  Yoko Ono (b. Feb. 18, 1933) makes frequent guest appearances.  John Lennon was her 3rd husband.

9. "No __!": "Uh-uh!": WAY.  No Way did you miss this answer!

10. Message on a dusty car: WASH ME!  My car desparately needs a good wash.  It has been sitting idle in my carport for the past three weeks collecting pollen.  I did take it for a spin the other day just to give it a bit of a "let stretch."

11. NATO and others: ALLIANCES.

12. Pre-Little League game: T-BALL.   

13. Card-playing surface: TABLE.

18. Lack, briefly: HAVEN'T.

22. Cell pic taker: CAM.  As in the camera in the cell phone.

24. Walkie-talkie word: OVER.  Roger that.

26. Combustible pile: PYRE.

27. Playboy founder Hugh: HEFNER.  Hugh Marston Hefner (Apr. 9, 1926 ~ Sept. 27, 2017) published the first issue of Playboy in 1953.  Thursday marks the 94th anniversary of his birth.

29. Hindu retreat: ASHRAM.  Some are quite exotic.

31. Away from the bow: AFT.

32. Trifling amount: SOU.

33. Saves for later: PUTS ASIDE.

34. __ Ray, one of folk rock's Indigo Girls: AMY.  I know of the Indigo Girls.

Amy is on the right.  Emily Saliers is on the left.

36. Chicago-to-Lansing dir.: ENE.  As in East-North-East.

37. Inc., in England: LTD.

39. Top of the line: A-ONE.

40. Went on and on: DRONED.

41. Pride of lions?: MANE.

46. Show hosts: EMCEES.

47. One side of a two-column list of rules: DOS.

48. Made up (for): ATONED.

49. Scrub the launch: ABORT.

50. Mandel of "America's Got Talent": HOWIE.  Howie Mandel (né Howard Michael Mandel; b. Nov. 29, 1955) got his start on St. Elsewhere, a hospital drama that aired from 1982 to 1988.

51. San Fran gridder: NINER.

53. Tranquility: PEACE.

54. Packing heat: ARMED.

55. Does high-tech eye surgery on: LASES.

58. Legendary loch: NESS.  Real or a Hoax?  You be the judge.

61. Milk source: COW.

62. Previously: AGO.

63. Pronoun that's a homonym of a religious song: HIM. vs Hymn.

Here's the Grid:

Be safe, everyone and mind those stay-at-home orders.  They really can help the spread of the virus.

Monday April 6, 2020 Norfleet Pruden

Theme: BROADWAY (52. Where the answers to 20-, 24-, 36- and 46-Across have appeared in lights) - Places that are also Broadway plays.

20. Where Will Rogers was born: OKLAHOMA.

24. Where Bulls and Bears are cheered: CHICAGO.

36. Where the Beverly Hills Hotel is located: SUNSET BOULEVARD.

Boomer here.  

24A. did not mention the White Sox or Cubs. I told C.C. today that I really did not mind being stuck in the basement with the TV. However, I wish there was a Twins game or a golf tournament to watch.  I am stuck with reruns. But I am proud of my state's governor because his early action regarding closing of non-essential business (Bowling centers not essential???) seems to have people in their homes and the Covid-19 has not devastated our population as seriously as other parts of the US.  And of course I realize that this Crossword Corner has visitors from all over our country and I hope all of you are safe and we can get by this pandemic.

Across:

1. Worshipped one: IDOL.  My vote is for Buddy Holly.

5. Outer garments for Batman and Superman: CAPES.  Don't tug on Superman's CAPE, don't spit into the wind, and Don't mess around with Jim Croce.

10. Kite stabilizer: TAIL.  Brings back old times.  My Mom used to say "Go fly a Kite", and I did.

14. Congregation area: NAVE.  Not any Congregations here in the places of worship.  First time that I can remember Easter being "Stay at home". 

15. Popeye's main squeeze __ Oyl: OLIVE.  "I'm strong to the finish 'cuz I eat my spinach."

16. Meat safety agcy.: USDA.

17. Boring party, say: DRAG.  How about a quarter mile race??

18. Light measure: LUMEN.  Graybar sold GE Lamps by the watt, not by the LUMEN.

19. D.C. MLB team: NATS.  Short for Nationals. Our Twins used to be called Senators when they played in Washington D.C.

22. King with a golden touch: MIDAS.  I used them once for brakes and it was not a great experience.

23. Ripped: TORN.

26. Parisian parting: ADIEU.  "I'll hang my heart on the weeping willow tree, and may the world go well with thee."

29. Capital of Greece: ATHENS.  Capital of grease - Kentucky Fried Chicken.

31. Goes down to defeat: LOSES.

32. Reddish-brown horse: ROAN. ROANs will be running in Louisville in September this year. Maybe.

33. Color variant: HUE.

40. Decide (to): OPT.

41. Sabrina portrayer Melissa Joan __: HART. "Sabrina the Teenage Witch".

42. Noncom nickname: SARGE.  Beetle's boss SARGE Snorkel.

43. Quagmire: MORASS.  I'll leave this one alone.

45. Bygone: OLDEN.  Mets Pitcher - an Olden but a Gooden.

46. Where Arthur ruled the court: CAMELOT.  It's where you park your camel when you are going shopping at the mall.

49. Against: ANTI.

51. Make one's case: PLEAD.  I PLEAD NOT Guilty.

56. What no centipede has exactly 100 of, oddly: LEGS. I never counted a centipede.

57. Roles on 52-Across: PARTS.  I was Noye in a play by Benjamin Britten.  I built a boat and sailed it in a fludde.  Best part about it was it was in an all girls school so all the animals in the cast were girls. God was from De La Salle.

59. First-rate: A ONE.  "A One and A two"  Lawrence Welk.

60. Eurasian border river: URAL.

61. Erupt, as tempers: FLARE.  This is what I miss a lot, when Ron Gardenhire (Now in Detroit) comes out of the dugout to visit with an umpire.

62. Skipjack or yellowfin: TUNA.  I've only heard of StarKist.

63. PlayStation maker: SONY.

64. Formally gave up: CEDED.

65. __ out a living: barely manages: EKES.  Many people are in this predicament.  I hope the stimulus helps my fellow Americans.

Down:

1. Prefix with Chinese: INDO.  C.C.'s friends in China are mostly Outdoor.

2. __ horse: long shot: DARK.  "DARK STAR" was a thoroughbred that won the 1953 Kentucky Derby.  I had a friend who called himself Dark Star and he was a handicapper at our own Canterbury Downs track.  I never knew his real name but he was a customer at my baseball card store and a great friend.  He had a membership at our Interlachen (home of a Solheim Cup) and also at Riviera in California.  RIP Dark Star.

3. Shaped like the president's office: OVAL.  Also the track at Indy.  Not sure if the 500 is still scheduled for Memorial Day this year.

4. Inheritors: LEGATEES.

5. Red, white or blue: COLOR.

6. Wellesley grad: ALUMNA.  I get it.  You need to be female to be an ALUMNA.

7. Fine cotton: PIMA.

8. Mother of Cain and Abel: EVE.  I have heard of them but no one has ever told me what year they lived.  My faith tells me that if EVE never took a bite out of that apple, we would not be dealing with the coronavirus this year.

9. Capitol Hill VIP: SEN.  Our Senator Amy Klobuchar (Last four pronounced "SHAR") has a husband who contracted Covid-19.  He has recovered and is taking it easy at home.

10. Forum garments: TUNICS.  Similar to some religious vestments.  Not being used too much recently.

11. Carne __: taco filling: ASADA.

12. Luggage label: ID TAG.  We have tags that slip into holder on the outside of our luggage.  Not sure if we'll be flying too much any more.  MSP is a Delta parking lot.

13. Rodeo rope: LASSO.

21. Social unit sharing the same dwelling: HOUSEHOLD.  Sounds more like holding down a house, which we are doing to comply with our governor's direction.

22. State nicknamed the "Land of 10,000 Lakes": MINNESOTA.  Shame on anyone who did not get this on the first try.  Actually it's a lie - we have over 15,000 lakes, but who's counting.

24. __ En-lai: CHOU.

25. Recover from injury: HEAL.  Go away virus.!!

26. In addition: ALSO.

27. Make spiffy: DO UP.

28. Stevie Wonder's "__ She Lovely": ISN'T.  "Life and Love are the same."

30. Harness race paces: TROTS.  "Not a wholesome trotting race, NO, but a race where they set down right on a horse!!  Like to see some stuck up jockey boy sittin' on Dan Patch?  Makes your blood boil what I should say.  Professor Harold Hill in "The Music Man".

33. Difficult: HARD.  We used to have an AWA pro wrestler named Hard Boiled Haggerty.

34. Strong desire: URGE.

35. 8-Down's first home: EDEN.  Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant's home is in EDEN Prairie MN.

37. Tropical root vegetable: TARO.  I think if you add a "T" you have fortune telling cards.

38. Babysitter's bane: BRAT.  My son's name is BRET.  I used to tell friends that I named him right, but I spelled it wrong.

39. Bear out, as feelings: VALIDATE.  My handicapped parking permit has been validated.  I have a temp right now but I am supposed to get the official rear view mirror hanger by June.  Not holding my breath, our DMV is at minimum duty.

43. Pitifully small: MEASLY. So many folks with MEASLY unemployment insurance.  I hope the stimulus helps them out.

44. Existentialist Jean-Paul: SARTRE.

46. Not quite a B: C PLUS.  Oh yeah!  I am familiar with that grade.

47. Last Olds model: ALERO.  I used to love Oldsmobiles in my younger years.  I owned a 1957 - 98 and a 1961 - 88 with a 394 engine.  Yes, I got a few tickets.

48. Mullally of "Will & Grace": MEGAN.

50. Snooped (around): NOSED.  Reminds me of Pete Nokio in the GEICO commercials.

52. Slim nail: BRAD.  Remember Seinfeld's Elaine's Mr. Pitt ?  Well this Mister BRAD Pitt is no longer married to Angelina or Jennifer.

53. "The Caine Mutiny" author Herman: WOUK.

54. Diarist Frank: ANNE.

55. Affirmative votes: YEAS.  The Senate approved the Stimulus 96-0.  That vote tally is unheard of in this day and age.

57. Rank below cpl.: PFC.  I was there once.  I ended up a Specialist 5.  Not bad for an Army rookie.

58. Lager alternative: ALE.  I like the Ginger kind.

Boomer