Thursday, June 4th 2020 Christopher Adams & Michael Sharp

Theme: Carb-on Footprints. The word "CARB" is found in three theme entries.

Grouch Alert: The following blog contains grumpiness.

18A. Speculation before awards season: OSCAR BUZZ

43A. Lima family legumes that yield vanilla: MADAGASCAR BEANS. No. Flat-out wrong. Madacascar beans are lima beans, but vanilla does not come from a lima bean, the vanilla bean is a completely different legume. Yes, the best vanilla beans are grown in Madagascar, but that doesn't excuse the error here.

21D. Kids' furniture that may have checkered-flag sheets: RACECAR BEDS

26D. Bane of a ketogenic diet, and what three long puzzle answers contain: HIDDEN CARBS

Let's get straight to it. I can't see the point of this puzzle. The grid has mirror symmetry only, presumably to cope with the single 15-letter themer, which itself is clued completely wrong, and all this to conceal twelve letters in two across entries and one down entry? I'd have put the grid-spanner in row 8, or find another 15-letter entry to balance. SCARBOROUGH FAIR would have fit the bill. And sprinkled a few more CARB's around.

And the reveal? "three long puzzle answers" so forget SHANIA TWAIN and THESE DREAMS which apparently are there just to take up space.

I do hate having to put on my Oscar the Grouch hat, but the concept of this puzzle left me cold. I would love it if I'm missing something clever and someone can point out the error of my ways. I even squinted at the grid pattern to see if it looked like the chemical structure of a carbohydrate, so I did try. I think I'll just move right along and I'll wait for someone to take me to task for my theme-ignorance.

It's a shame, because there were some nice moments in the fill:

Across:

1. Order to go: BEAT IT

7. Settle early: PREPAY

13. Nuts: BANANAS

15. Heat sources: BOILERS

16. Fireplace sound: CRACKLE

17. Like some mice: OPTICAL. I'm using one right now, in fact I had to change the battery because it just died this morning. There'a little on/off button on the bottom, but I never remember to use it.

20. Part of AMPAS: ARTS. Did you know this acronym? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They award Oscars (the non-grouchy kind)

23. Take by force: USURP

24. 1975 Wimbledon winner: ASHE

28. With 28-Across, sad trombone sound effect: WAH. I like this little entry, I don't think I've seen a self-referential clue like this before.

29. Labyrinth-building king: MINOS

30. Friendly exchanges: HI'S

31. Crushed, as a final: ACED

33. __ Plaines: Chicago suburb: DES

34. Fistfuls of dollars: WADS

35. "That makes sense now": YES I SEE

38. Equal rival: SPLENDA

41. Surrendered: CEDED

42. American Eagle intimate apparel brand: AERIE. Makes sense. The Aerie line is new to me (BTW, American Eagle is the brand), but didn't take long to figure it out with the help of some crosses.

48. Bruins legend: ORR

49. Taunting phrase from internet trolls: U MAD BRO? I think this was my favorite fill today. Rich tends to be pretty conservative with new "in the language" phrases but they can give the fill sparkle.

50. Horned Frogs' sch.: TCU. Texas Christian in Fort Worth.

51. Past pudgy: OBESE

53. Back again: FRO. I'd like to try to order a "To and Fro" air ticket and see what the agent had to say. Or return from a trip and say "Hi! I'm Fro!" and see what the reaction is.

54. Pacifist's demand: NO WAR

56. Candidate's goal: SEAT. After all that campaigning, stumping, kissing babies, knocking on doors, striding about stages at debates and orating at town halls, you need to take a seat, that's for sure.

57. Crystal-filled formation: GEODE

59. Stable parent: MARE

60. Type of computer monitor cable: HDMI. Of course the nerd in me had to go and look up the acronym. High-Definition Multimedia Interface if you're interested.

61. High points: ACMES

62. They're put to paper: NIBS. Ah, the fountain pen, bane of a grammar schoolboy's existence. You'd put it in your blazer pocket, the cap would come loose, and ten minutes later you've got a huge ink stain all over your shirt. You got in the neck from the teacher of the next class as you had to beg some ink for a refill, and you got it doubly in the neck from your mom when you got home and she had to try to wash your shirt.

63. Mir launcher: Abbr.: U.S.S.R.

64. Group of associates: POSSE

65. Part of MIT: Abbr.: INST.

Down:

1. "Doctor Who" network: BBC

2. AirPod spot: EAR. I've said before, this is one of those inventions that Apple should have left on the drawing board. And have you seen the price of the things? People walk around with them stuck in their ears so they don't lose them and just look silly.

3. Gasteyer of "Wine Country": ANA. Good cast, bad reviews.

4. Stuffed shells: TACOS. Food! I slow-roasted and smoked a beef chuck last weekend for barbacoa. I've got a little left over for tacos tonight. I love the little "street taco" size tortillas, some chopped onion and cilantro, a dab of smoky chipotle salsa, a squirt of crema and a squeeze of lime juice. I'm making myself hungry!

5. Tattoo artist's array: INKS

6. Friction-reducing substance: TALCUM

7. Infield fly rule flies: POPUPS

8. Big name in crackers: RITZ

9. "Hamilton" role for Tony nominee Phillipa Soo: ELIZA. Eventually, I'll get to remember the character names and the Broadway cast of "Hamilton", but for now it's crosses all the way.

10. Delt neighbor: PEC. I had "LAT" first which held me up a little.

11. Hall of Famer Parseghian: ARA. The legendary head coach of Notre Dame Football, and, often forgotten, Northwestern before that. Ara brought the Notre Dame football program back from the brink of extinction.

12. DKNY competitor: YSL

14. Boardwalk location: SEASIDE

15. Painter known for "happy little trees": BOB ROSS. Never heard of him, nor his trees. Certainly a cultural thing, as Google turns up a ton of stuff and links to videos on YouTube. Solid crosses helped here.

19. Mysterious letter: RUNE

20. Not home: AWAY

22. Heart hit song with the lyric "Every second of the night I live another life": THESE DREAMS. Not a big "Heart" expert, but this was reasonably easy to deduce.

25. "Come On Over" singer: SHANIA TWAIN

27. She, in Italy: ESSA

32. __ double take: DID A

34. "We __ Soldiers": 2002 Mel Gibson film: WERE. The book on which the film is based is titled "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young". Joe Galloway, who co-authored the book with Col. Hal Moore worked as a reporter for UPI in the early days of the Vietnam war in 1965 and was awarded the Bronze Star for his bravery during the Ia Drang battle. He, David Halberstam, Neil Sheehan, Malcolm Brown and Peter Arnett together did an incredible job to get the truth of what was happening in Vietnam out to the world, all the time working to support each other while competing for news.

36. "That reminds me ...," e.g.: SEGUE

37. Mild cheese: EDAM

39. "The Incredibles" family name: PARR. Thank you, crosses.

40. Simon of Duran Duran: LE BON. He, along with fellow crew-members and the skipper were pulled out of the English Channel by a rescue helicopter when his racing yacht "Drum" lost its keel and capsized in severe weather during the Fastnet race in 1985. Le Bon was trapped below when the boat turned over. His hair didn't look this good:

43. Chinese pork dish: MOO SHU. Food! 木須肉 first started appearing on Chinese restaurant menus in the USA in the 1960's.

44. Seattle's former __ Field: SAFECO. Now called T-Mobile Park. You lose a little romanticism when you cash in on the stadium naming rights. Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Camden Yards and others have some cachet. Minute Maid Park? T-Mobile Park? Anycorp Stadium presented by EvilCorp?

45. Data media: CD ROMS

46. Quarters: ABODES. Abodes tend to be "humble" in screenplays and novels. Here's the Duke of Marlborough's abode in Abingdon, just north of Oxford in England. Nothing too humble about this place, and that's just the house. The grounds are not humble either! Winston Churchill was born here, and the place was saved from ruin by the 9th Duke who married Consuela Vanderbilt, her of a quite large railroad fortune. I'm sure the Duke had no idea of her wealth. (ya right!)

47. Like the best bet: SUREST

52. Swizzle: STIR

55. Old Dodge: OMNI

57. Break: GAP

58. Minneapolis-to-Milwaukee dir.: ESE

And with that, I think it's a wrap - like the moo shu pork! Here's the grid:

Steve

Wednesday, June 3, 2020, Robin Stears

Theme: TWICE AS NICE (Stars were accidentally omitted from theme clues)
 

17. "Two Tahitian Women" painter: PAUL GAUGUIN.

23. 1965 Beau Brummels hit with the line "It seemed so funny to me": LAUGH LAUGH.

38. Southern lights: AURORA AUSTRALIS.

51. Reuben ingredient: SAUERKRAUT.

63. 13th/14th-century Mongol Empire region ... and an elemental hint to what's found twice in each answer to a starred clue: GOLDEN HORDE.

The symbol for gold is AU, and each theme answer contains two AU's.

Across:

1. Small earring: STUD. Ears are often pierced using a piercing gun with gold (AU) STUDs.

5. Mercedes line: E CLASS.

11. Magazine with a satirical "fold-in" back cover: MAD. Here's one from 2008.

14. Bear in two constellations: URSA.

15. Bits of dust: SPECKS.

16. Curling surface: ICE. Curling, the sport. Sneaky clue, but with three letters what else could it be?

19. Testing site: LAB.

20. Minute: SMALL. Another sneaky clue.

21. SFO incoming flight: ARR. Air travel - not too much of that these days.

22. Narrow cut: SLIT.

27. Neverland pirate: SMEE. From Peter Pan.

28. Snap, crackle and pop: NOISES. Again with the sneaky clues!

32. CPR expert: EMT.

35. Media org. that tweets the Declaration of Independence on July 4: NPR. I listen every day, but did not know that.

37. Partner of each: EVERY.

43. H.G. Wells genre: SCIFI.

44. Moo __ gai pan: GOO. Chinese dish with chicken and mushrooms.

45. Kin of -kin: LET. This took a little thought. -kin as a suffix, like in munchkin, and -let, as in piglet. They are both diminutives.

46. Yet: THOUGH.

48. Zodiac transition point: CUSP.

55. Adhesive strip: TAPE.

58. Bygone telecom co.: MCI. The end of a telecom icon.

59. Waited in line, say: STOOD. Six feet apart.

62. "Ben-__": HUR.

66. The Nixon years, e.g.: ERA. Don't remember seeing this clue before.

67. Capital west of Krakow: PRAGUE. Capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, the 13th largest city in the European Union and the historical capital of Bohemia.

68. Tiny amt. of time: NSEC. A nanosecond (ns or nsec) is one billionth (10-9) of a second and is a common measurement of read or write access time to random access memory (RAM).

69. "Great news!": YAY.

70. Autumn blooms: ASTERS.

71. Fair: SO-SO.

Down:

1. Enjoys an evening meal: SUPS.

2. Magic Kingdom people mover: TRAM. 

3. Customary: USUAL.

4. "Who Shot J.R.?" show: DALLAS.

5. That, in Tijuana: ESA.

6. Apple core?: CPU. Nice clue.

7. Sanctioned: LEGAL.

8. Honda luxury brand: ACURA.

9. Vail trail: SKI RUN. Colorado.

10. Common ID: SSN. Social Security Number.

11. Pepper grinder: MILL.

12. Berry from South America: ACAI. Everything you need to know.

13. It's outstanding: DEBT. Lol.

18. In a funk: GLUM.

22. Hindu deity known as the Destroyer: SHIVA.

24. Rowlands who won an Emmy for playing Betty Ford: GENA. The Betty Ford Story.

25. Air filter acronym: HEPA. "High Efficiency Particulate Air" or "High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance."

26. Suffix with movie or church: GOER.

29. What some bears do: SELL. A bear is an investor who believes that a particular security, or the broader market is headed downward and may attempt to profit from a decline in stock prices. Bears are typically pessimistic about the state of a given market or underlying economy.

30. Keystone State port: ERIE. Pennsylvania.

31. Part of CNS: Abbr.: SYST. Central Nervous System.

32. Dawn direction: EAST.

33. Greatly: MUCH.

34. Donald Duck's nephews, e.g.: TRIO. Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

36. Throw __: RUG.

39. Beneficial: OF USE.

40. Latvian birthplace of Baryshnikov: RIGA. Wikipedia.

41. Bit of footwear: SOCK.

42. __ de force: TOUR.

47. Indulges: HUMORS.

49. Bachelorette party accessory: SASH. 

50. Deceptions: PUT ONS.

52. Razzle-dazzle: ECLAT. Brilliant display or effect.

53. Blue __ Mountains: RIDGE.

54. Trunk: TORSO.

55. "So __ say": THEY.

56. Ambience: AURA.

57. Use rosary beads, say: PRAY.

60. Poetic tributes: ODES.

61. Geometric art style: DECO.

63. Transcript fig.: GPA. Grade Point Average.

64. Prefix with Asian: EUR.

65. Wii forerunner, briefly: NES.

Tuesday, June 2, 2020 Debbie Ellerin

Arts and Entertainment.  Each theme answer is a 2-word phrase where the first letter begins with "A" and the second word begins with "E".

17-Across. *   The "bush" type is the largest living land animal: AFRICAN ELEPHANT.

26-Across. *   Dorothy's female caretaker: AUNTIE EM.



47-Across. *   Sasha Fierce, for Beyoncé: ALTER EGO.  I Am ... Sasha Fierce was Beyoncé's 3rd album, which was released in 2008.

61-Across. *   Cardio workout: AEROBIC EXERCISE.  I miss not being able to go to the gym every day.  Exercising at home just isn't the same.



And the Unifier:

40-Across. "Ghost Hunters" channel suggested by the answers to starred clues: A AND E.

Across:

1. Thumb one's nose (at): SCOFF.

6. Type of lamp with a volcanic name: LAVA.

10. Magazine for docs: JAMA.  The Journal of the American Medical Association has been in publication since July 1883.  It is a peer-reviewed medical journal that publishes articles on original  medical research.  It's British counterpart is The Lancet, which is the oldest medical journal.  The Lancet has been in publication since 1823.  It was so named because a lancet was used in bleeding ill patients, which was, at the time, considered the "state-of-the-art" medical treatment.

14. Linney of "Ozark": LAURA.  Laura Linney (née Laura Legget Linney; b. Feb. 5, 1964) also played Sarah in one of Bill G's favorite movie Love Actually.

15. Sign above a door: EXIT.

16. Bullfight shouts:  ¡OLÉs!

20. "For sure!": YES!

21. Tots' sport with bases: T-BALL.

22. Listless feeling: ENNUI.  A crossword staple.

23. Fa-la link: SOL.

24. Eve's second son: ABEL.  //  Not to be confused with 18-Down. Start of a classic palindrome: ABLE.  The entirety of classic palindrome is:  Able Was I Ere I Saw Elba.  It is, ostensibly, attributed to Napoleón.

31. Majors in golf and tennis?: OPENS.

34. __ as a peacock: PROUD.

35. Self-centered: VAIN.

37. __ slaw: COLE.

39. Teen anti-DWI gp.: SADD.   Students Against Destructive Decisions.

41. "Sadly ... ": ALAS.

42. Big name in cosmetics: OLAY.

43. Really excited about: INTO.

44. Ear-to-ear smiles: GRINS.

45. It's taken by a witness, with "the": STAND.

49. Narc's coup: BUST.

51. Binary digit: ONE.

52. Cast a spell on: CHARM.

55. Up and about: AWAKE.

58. Waze display: MAP.  Waze is a GPS navigation software app.  It is owned by Google.

64. Baltic capital: RIGA.

65. Coastal recess: COVE.  Jessica Fletcher lived in Cabot Cove, Maine.

66. Greek column type: IONIC.

67. Poke: PROD.

68. Not new: USED.

69. Salon dos: COIFS.

Down:

1. Leave rolling in the aisles: SLAY.

2. Barista employer: CAFÉ.  A Barista is a person who sells expensive coffee.

3. Shared between us: OURS.  Yours, Mine and Ours was a 1968 movie starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda.

4. "TGIF!" time: Abbr.: FRI.  As in the phrase, Thank G-d, It's Friday!

5. Piece of trivia: FACTOID.

6. Dunham of "Girls": LENA.

Lena Dunham (b. May 13, 1986)

7. Ice skating feat: AXEL.  You, too, can learn this skating move with this easy video.  If you do it right, it is an aerobic exercise.

8. Fancy residence: VILLA.

9. Enjoyed the buffet: ATE.

10. "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" author: JOHN LE CARRÉ.  John le Carré is the pen name of David John Moore Cornwell (b. Oct. 19, 1931).  He is probably best known for his 1963 novel, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.  He worked for the British Secret Intelligence Service, until his books really took off.  He then left the MI6 to become a full-time writer.

11. The first "A" in A.A. Milne: ALAN.  Alan Alexander Milne (Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956) wrote   about Winnie-the-Pooh.  The character of Christopher Robin in his books was based on his son, Christopher Robin Milne (Aug. 21, 1920 ~ Apr. 20, 1996).  He hated being tied to his fictional character.

12. List of options: MENU.

13. Italian wine hub: ASTI.

19. Tiny bird call: PEEP.

23. Emulate an American attending the Sorbonne, say: STUDY ABROAD.

25. Humerus, for one: BONE.

26. Lhasa __: small dog: APSO.

27. Eurasian border range: URALS.

28. Greet silently: NOD AT.

29. "Dear __ Hansen": 2017 Best Musical: EVAN.  I saw this musical a year or so ago.  It's about a young boy with social anxiety who invents a role for himself in a tragedy that he did not earn.

30. Ray of the tropics: MANTA.  Oh, not a person, but a critter.  Nice misdirection.

32. "It's the truth!": NO LIE!

33. Urban Dictionary focus: SLANG.

36. Pop star: IDOL.

38. Canadian tank filler: ESSO.  This has become a crossword staple.  I'm getting great mileage now. Only down a gallon since I last filled up in March!

40. Gives a hand: AIDS.

44. No-name, as a brand: GENERIC.

46. Unfeeling: NUMB.

48. Drag on a joint: TOKE.

50. Food truck fare: TACOS.

52. Complain: CARP.

53. Designated survivor: HEIR.

54. Golden Fleece ship: ARGO.

56. "__ Only Just Begun": Carpenters hit: WE'VE.  The Carpenters were a brother and sister duo.  Sadly, Karen Carpenter (Mar. 2, 1950 ~ Feb. 4, 1983) died of complications related to anorexia a month before her 33rd birthday.

57. Canceled abruptly: AXED.

58. Prefix with bar or car: MINI.

59. "In your dreams!": AS IF!

60. They're above the abs: PECS.  As in the Pectoral and Abdominal muscles.

62. Post-op stop: ICU.  As in the Intensive Care Unit.

63. Dove's call: COO.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.  ~  Cornel West (né Cornel Ronald West; June 2, 1953), African-American philosopher and social critic

Monday June 1, 2020 Jesse Goldberg

 Theme:: KICK STARTS. (58. Reinvigorates, as an economy ... or a hint to the beginnings of the answers to starred clues) - The first word in each theme entry can precede "kick". (Thank you, Anonymous!)

17. *Where hockey punishments are served: PENALTY BOX. Penalty kick.

22. *Local retailer: CORNER STORE. Corner kick.

36. *Insignificant amount: DROP IN THE BUCKET. Drop kick.

46. *Car rooftop attachment for a Schwinn: BICYCLE RACK. Bicycle kick.

Boomer here.  

I may have mentioned this in the past.  On April 4, 1968, I was assigned to the U.S, Army Hospital in Fort Campbell, KY. It's located on the Kentucky - Tennessee border about 120 miles from Memphis, TN. We were all called to emergency room duty that evening as many soldiers had been battered bloody and of course, we learned that Rev. Martin Luther King had been murdered.  I believe that anyone has the right to peacefully demonstrate terrible events that occur. However, I do not accept violence, damaging property, or looting.  

C.C. and I live in a large northwest suburb of Minneapolis and I have watched plenty of national news on TV this past week.  I am embarrassed to live in Minneapolis.

Across:

1. Antacid brand named for the organ it soothes: TUMS.  Probably could have used some this week.

5. "Same as always, bartender," with "the": USUAL.  Minneapolis opened some bars this week.  They've been closed so long the bartenders probably forgot all the "USUALS"..

10. Slow-cooked dish: STEW.  Very good meal made in a Crock Pot.

14. Cognac letters: VSOP.

15. Size above medium: LARGE.  Extra Large for me.

16. Frosty coating: HOAR.

19. Jason's ship: ARGO.  Famous Corn Starch.

20. Situation lacking clarity: GRAY AREA.  This GRAY AREA situation started in Minneapolis when a black man spent a phony $20.00 bill.  Then police got involved and it blew up! 

21. Selling point: ASSET.

25. Sharp-wittedness: ACUMEN.

29. Spanish painter Francisco: GOYA.

30. Part of "Hey Jude" that lasts nearly four minutes: CODA.  "La, la, la , la, la, la, la, La, la, la, la, Hey Jude.

31. Slavic prefix: SERBO.

33. Intel missions: OPS.  Reminds me of Donald Sutherland's "Black Ops" in "JFK"

40. MSNBC rival: CNN.  I watched them both all week.  Even spent a few minutes on FOX.

41. Damp: MOIST.  I wish they made all envelopes MOIST.  Then I wouldn't have to lick them.

42. Info in a folder: FILE.

43. Highlands native: GAEL.

44. In the arms of Morpheus: ASLEEP.  "Rock a by baby, in the tree top"

51. Febreze targets: ODORS.  Rouhned's Family.

52. Like a very close relationship: INTIMATE.

57. Scarlett's plantation: TARA. "Gone with the Wind".

60. Gab: CHAT.

61. WWII bomber __ Gay: ENOLA.  Covered this last week.

62. Lock openers: KEYS.  I'm a gold lock, I'm a gold key.  I'm  a monk lock ...

63. Putter's target: HOLE.  Hope we start having better weather on Mondays and I'll be doing this.

64. Post-workout pains: ACHES. Heck, I do not need a workout, I just get out of bed in the morning.

65. Norwegian capital: OSLO.  Quite a ways north.  Probably as cold as MN in the winter.

Down:

1. Freq. sitcom rating: TV PG.  Parental Guidance.

2. One logging on: USER.

3. "__ Lisa": MONA.  "Are you warm, are you real ? Mona Lisa, Or just a cold and lonely lovely work of art.?"  Nat King Cole.

4. Fix, vet-style: SPAY.

5. "Avengers: Age of __" (2015): ULTRON.  I see a change of two letters and get "LUTRON".  Great dimmer switches.

6. Ending with nay or sooth: SAYER.  Bears' Gale Sayers was 77 years old last Saturday.

7. Citified: URBAN.  "Urban Cowboy" John Travolta.

8. Gone by: AGO.  A long, long, time ago, I can still remember how the music used to make me smile.  Don McLean. American Pie.

9. Evil Luthor: LEX.  LEX Luther was in D.C. comics years ago.  I have not seen a comic book in years.

10. Soda named for a California mountain: SHASTA.  I never new that.  I remember that it did not taste very good. -- the soda, I did not drink the mountain.

11. Trunk of the body: TORSO.  I watch a lot of "Law and Order" reruns.  Sometimes they find a body in the trunk.

12. Raring to go: EAGER.

13. "Murder, She __": WROTE.  Angela Lansbury is still hanging in there at 93.

18. Delicate fabric: LACE.  Before my time.  All I know is "Arsenic and Old Lace" is about two women who murder their boyfriends.

21. Words before wish or were: AS YOU.  In the Army, "As you Were" means "Shut Up".

23. "Snowy" heron: EGRET.

24. Eddard Stark's heir on "Game of Thrones": ROBB.

25. "High Voltage" band: AC/DC.  They were too 80's for me.

26. On-the-cob veggie: CORN.  A little tough for me to eat with my store bought teeth.  Lots for sale in Minnesota during harvest season.  Iowa isn't the only state that harvests sweet corn.

27. Japanese noodle: UDON.

28. Image in an atlas: MAP.  I don't think many use an atlas anymore. Just Google where you want to go.

31. Subway entrance: STILE.  TSA has these at airports also.  I've heard they don't turn much these days.

32. "Say what?" sounds: EHS.  I think this means "Say Again?"

33. Texan's neighbor: OKIE.  From Muskogee. Twins Ron Gardenhire was one. Now he's from Detroit.

34. Legendary soccer star: PELE.  When I was a kid, high schools did not even have soccer.  I guess that's why I only have interest in baseball, football, bowling and golf.

35. Ladder rung: STEP.  Put your left foot in, take your left foot out.  Do the hokey pokey.

37. Apple desktops: iMACS.

38. Holiday carol: NOEL.  "The first NOEL.  The Angels did say- was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay "

39. Calgary Stampeders' org.: CFL.  I have not heard if they are going to have a season eh.

43. Swing one's hips: GYRATE.

44. Plays the role of: ACTS AS.

45. Amusing sketch: SKIT.  "It was just a single seater, without a top or heater, but I never saw a slicker seater beat her !"

46. Bungle: BOTCH.  This is a word I use frequently while playing golf.

47. Boise's state: IDAHO.  I have a cousin living in Twin Falls.

48. Reef material: CORAL.

49. Big name in copiers: RICOH.

50. Bracelet spot: ANKLE.  Not me.  I only wear SOCKS on my ankles.

53. Speedy shark: MAKO.

54. Greek god of war: ARES.

55. Texter's sign-off: TTYL.  I do not text but I'll talk to you later.

56. Standard Oil brand: ESSO.  I believe this brand is sold in Canada.  Our gasoline here in the land of ten thousand looters is up to about $1.89,  I still have not had to fill up since March 15.  And now the VA which is a considerable distance from my home, called me last week and changed my quarterly appointment to a doctor's phone call this Friday.  I guess they do not want semi-healthy patients in the same building with the virus.  Thank you VA!

58. Mauna __: KEA.

59. Business mag: INC.

Boomer