Wednesday December 22, 2021 George Jasper

(Notes from C.C.: Boomer wrote this post last weekend. The original plan was to have a CT and a bone scan on Thursday 12/23/2021, but then he had another fall. His oncologist was alarmed and insisted that we go to ER immediately. 

He'll  probably have the surgery on Friday. Two different neurosurgeons visited him a few times but no firm plans yet. He's been receiving steroid infusion. He'll have more CAT scan and some other scan tomorrow. Thank you so much for your concern and well wishes for Boomer!)

 

Theme: RAIL-SPLITTER (52. Abraham Lincoln nickname, and a hint to a hidden word in each answer to a starred clue) RAIL is split up in 3 different ways.

20. *Generate funds for a corporate project, say: RAISE CAPITAL.

34. *Condition of steaming water with lots of bubbles breaking quickly: RAPID BOIL.

40. *Drambuie and Scotch cocktail: RUSTY NAIL.

Boomer again, filling in another blog slot.  

Happy to be here and wish all of you a Merry Christmas Eve and Merry Christmas.  I am hoping C.C. and I will be Merry also.  I am going to the VA tomorrow for a CT scan and bone scan and hoping that Doctor Santa Claus will read the scans and put good news in my stocking.

Across:

1. Abe Lincoln feature: BEARD.  President Abe received a letter from an 11 year old girl suggesting he grow the BEARD.  $5.00 bills look good but I prefer Benjamins.

 

6. Starting from: AS OF.

10. Yarn relative: TALE.

14. Pool owner's bane: ALGAE.  I thought folks could put chemicals in the pool to keep ALGAE from growing.

15. Spitting sound: PTUI.  In the comics.

16. One slain in Genesis: ABEL.  Actually, Cain pulled his gun and thought it was his Taser.

17. Dyeing targets for some: ROOTS.  What a great TV movie.  I think it took about 7 weeks to watch it completely.

18. Dollywood's st.: TENN.  Located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

19. Princess friend of Gabrielle: XENA.

23. Pinkish hues: CORALS.

26. Archaeological artifact: RELIC.  Generally tiny pieces of bone.

27. Ranges of colors: SPECTRA.  I really like some of the Christmas trees on display.  FOX HQ in New York had theirs burned up.  I am not a fan of FOX News but to burn up their Christmas tree is outrageous.  

29. "Fantastic" J.K. Rowling critters: BEASTS.

33. Fortunate ones: HAVES.

37. EPA pollution std.: AQI.  50 is good, 300 will choke you.

38. Kept from squeaking: OILED.  I change it every 3000 miles and it doesn't squeak. 

39. Outdoor gear brand: REI.

43. Hogwarts motto language: LATIN.  Four years in High school and all I remember is "et cum spiritu tuo."  I think that's the Pope's phone number.

45. Watch closely: PEER AT.

46. Poking fun at: TEASING.  Okay, I have never called the Pope.

48. "__ Survive": disco classic: I WILL.  "If you want me to, I WILL."  John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

51. In-group privilege: ACCESS.

56. Not pizzicato: ARCO.  I remember ARCO gas stations.  We still have a very few in Minnesota.

57. Domesticated: TAME.

58. Loses on purpose?: DIETS.  A lot of these may begin after the Holidays.

62. Trudge (through): SLOG.

63. A comet was often considered a bad one: OMEN.  A pain in the neck is worse.

64. WWII sea threat: U BOAT.

65. Fork over, with "up": PONY.

66. __ Room: White House banquet site: EAST.  How should I know this?  No one ever asked me to dinner there.

67. Reddish cent: PENNY.  We started across with honest Abe on a $5.00 bill.  Now look what coin we have.

Down:

1. Limbo need: BAR.  You also may need a curved spine.

2. Jeff Lynne rock gp.: ELO.

3. Had __ at: tried: AGO.  "A long, long time AGO, I can still remember when the music used to make me smile."  American Pie.

4. Wearying grind: RAT RACE.  I've heard a lot about this race, but I never found out who won.

5. Makes potable, as seawater: DESALTS.

6. Bldg. divisions: APTS.  We have plenty of these where C.C. and I live.  Rents are pretty spendy.

7. Take the helm: STEER.

8. Prevention measure: OUNCE.  And a pound of cure.

9. Auction ender: FINAL BID.  SOLD!  We used to have these at baseball card shows.

10. One hailed in cities: TAXICAB.  Uber and Lyft are cutting into their business.

11. Be on the lookout for?: ABET.  Put it on the PASS line, and maybe a little on numbers 4-10.

12. Headey of "Game of Thrones": LENA.

13. Airline to Tel Aviv: EL AL.  It sounds like Air Travel in the U.S. may take some Covid heat.

21. Tel Aviv home: Abbr.: ISR.

22. Variegated: PIED.  Piper of Hamline.

23. Note in an A major scale: C SHARP.

24. Not transparent: OPAQUE.

25. Edit: REVISE.

28. "Rigoletto" highlight: ARIA.

30. Combat mission: SORTIE.

31. Fast-food toy giveaways, typically: TIE-INS.

32. "The __ and arrows of outrageous fortune": Hamlet: SLINGS.

35. "Thrilla in Manila" victor: ALI.

36. Hit, as with snowballs: PELT.  Snowball fights are not too much fun.

38. Sneaking, maybe: ON TIPTOE.  "Through the Tulips" Tiny Tim.

41. Three-part work: TRILOGY.  Normally in League we bowl three games.  Does that count?

42. Sailing deviations: YAWS.

43. Got ready for the ice, as skates: LACED UP.  Yup, when I was young.  I can remember that far back and we had a great ring walking distance from my home.

44. Chalk up: ASCRIBE.

47. No longer fast?: EAT.

49. Andean grazer: LLAMA.

50. Bartender's supply: LIMES.  Lemons are better, in my humble opinion.

52. Abrasive sound: RASP.

53. Woody's son: ARLO.  He got whatever he wanted at Alice's Restaurant.

54. Clickable pic: ICON.

55. Outdoor party rental: TENT.  Never had a big party one, but I have slept in a few over time. 

59. Ages and ages: EON.

60. Summer shade: TAN.  It will be back in 6 months.

61. Oink pen: STY.  I always use an OINK Pen on Crosswords.

Boomer

Tuesday December 21, 2021 Kurt Krauss

How much is that Doggy in the Window?

1-Across. *     With 4-Across, researcher's wear: LAB.  //  And 4-Acorss. *     See 1-Across: COAT.  Together we get a LAB COAT.

20-Across. *     Briefs alternative: BOXER SHORTS.

36-Across. *     Jewel-encrusted film noir title bird: MALTESE FALCON.  The Maltese Falcon was a 1930 detective novel by Dashiell Hammett (né Samuel Dashiell Hammett; May 27, 1894 ~ Jan. 10, 1961).  The book was later adapted into film noir, which starred Humphry Bogart (né Humphrey DeForest Bogart; Dec. 25, 1899 ~ Jan. 14, 1957).

56-Across. *     Sock hop attire: POODLE SKIRT.

And the Unifier:

68. With 69-Across, Iditarod front-runner ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: LEAD.  //  And 69-Across. See 68-Across: DOG.  Together we get LEAD DOG.  Each of the theme answers Leads with a Dog breed.  Interesting, too, that the second word of 3 of the theme answers are articles of clothing.  I don't think a Falcon is an article of clothing.

The Iditarod Race this winter will begin on March 22, 2022.

I liked the symmetry of this puzzle.  The first theme answer and the Unifier were in the first and last positions and each were in two separate entries.

And, another thematic clue:

44-Across. Pound sound: ARF.

Across:

8. Nested newborns' noises: CHEEPS.

14. Be off: ERR.

15. Major employer?: ARMY.  Cute clue.

16. Like some quaint lamps: OIL LIT.

17. "Get it?": SEE?

18. Back: REAR.

19. Old-fashioned type: STODGE.

23. Soccer cheer: ¡OLÉ!  Hi, Lucina!

24. Lena of "Riviera": OLIN.  We haven't seen Lena Olin (b. Mar. 22, 1966) for quite a while.  She used to make very frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Lena Maria Jonna Olin is a Swedish actress and has been in numerous movies and television shows.  Riviera was apparently a television series that ran from 2017 to 2020.

25. Feast with poi: LUAU.

26. 50 Cent piece, e.g.: RAP.

27. Send-ups: SATIRES.

31. Sixth sense: Abbr.: ESP.  As in ExtraSensory Perception.

32. 2021 World Series champs: Abbr.: ATL.  The Atlanta Braves bested the Houston Astros in the 2021 Baseball World Series.

33. Relish: SAVOR.

35. "Garfield" dog: ODIE.  I think Odie appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.

41. Curly cabbage: KALE.  A trendy food.

42. Vocally twangy: NASAL.

43. Nothing: NIL.

47. Buffet with guacamole and salsa: TACO BAR.

51. Chekov's early "Star Trek" rank: Abbr.: ENS.  As in Ensign.  Hi, Picard!

52. Give (out) sparingly: DOLE.  Bob Dole (né Robert Joseph Dole; July 22, 1923 ~ Dec. 5, 2021) died earlier this month at age 98.

54. Musical finale: CODA.  Everything you wanted to know about Codas, but didn't know to ask.

55. CPR expert: EMT.  Hopefully, the Emergency Medical Technician is well versed in CardioPulmonary Resuscitation.

60. Seize, as an opportunity: LEAP AT.

62. __ proprietor: SOLE.

63. Poe's "Annabel __": LEE.  You can read the poem here.

64. Infuriate: ENRAGE.

65. Latin 101 verb: ESSE.  Today's Latin Lesson.

66. Finish: END.

67. Checked for prints: DUSTED.

Down:

1. Sappho's island home: LESBOS.

2. Anatomical ring: AREOLA.

3. Secession approved in a 2016 U.K. referendum: BREXIT.

4. Three-time Grammy-winning singer Vikki: CARR.  Vikki Carr (née Florencia Bisenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona; b. July 19, 1941) has a career that spans 60 years.

5. Valuable minerals: OREs.

6. Asian nurse: AMAH.

7. Alpine region in Italy and Austria: TYROL.  Everything you wanted to know about Tyrol, but didn't know to ask.

8. Sportscaster Bob with 29 Emmys: COSTAS.  Bob Costas (né Robert Quinlan Costa; b. Mar. 22, 1952) was with NBC Sports for nearly 30 years.

9. Asks (for), as a loan: HITS UP.  I think of this as hitting up dad for a loan, rather than a bank.

10. "Evil Woman" rock gp.: ELO.  Apropos that the Electric Light Orchestra is followed by 11-Down because that Eldorado is the title of the band's 4th studio album.

11. Legendary city of gold: EL DORADO.  If parsed as Eldorado, it's a Cadillac model.

12. Jargon with words ending in -ay: PIG LATIN.  Un-fay Uzzle-pay.

13. Church feature: STEEPLE.

21. Strand at sea: ENISLE.  Not a Tuesday word.  Webster's defines enisle as: (1) to place apart; isolate; or (2) to make an island of.  I read this clue and thought of someone being literally floating in the ocean, not left on an island.

22. Poe's __ Morgue: RUE.  The Murders in the Rue Morgue is often described as the first modern detective story.  It was a short story that was first published in April 1841.

28. Backstabber: RAT.

29. Christmas __: EVE.  Coming up this Friday night.

30. Aptly palindromic ABBA hit: SOS.

34. "The Last Jedi" villain Kylo: REN.  A reference to the Star Wars franchise.

35. The end of time?: O'CLOCK.  Did you know that O'Clock is an abbreviation for "Of the Clock"?

36. Top-level computer list: MAIN MENU.

37. Elite athletes: ALL STARS.

38. Lucrative, as a contract: FAT.

39. Smart-whip link: AS A.

40. Europe's __ de Genève: LAC.  In English, it would be written as Lake Geneva.  It is a deep lake located in the Alps on the border between Switzerland and France.

41. Prepared for a proposal: KNEELED.

44. Common Sunday newspaper insert: AD PAGE.

45. Supported from the bleachers, with "for": ROOTED.

46. Progressive spokeswoman: FLO.  Flo from the Progressive ads is portrayed by actress Stephanie Courtney (b. Feb. 8, 1970).

48. Heated to bubbling: BOILED.

49. Glandular prefix: ADRENO-.  Relating to the kidney.

50. Like family-friendly films: RATED G.

53. '50s Ford failure: EDSEL.  Why the Edsel was a failure.

57. "You snooze, you __": LOSE.

58. "Frozen II" sister: ELSA.

59. Gardener's purchase: SEED.

61. Tom Brady, before he became a Buc: PAT.  Tom Brady (né Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr.; b. Aug. 3, 1977) was with the New England Patriots before he became a Buccaneer with Tampa Bay.  Hi, Tinbini!

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Notes from C.C.:

Please keep Boomer in your thoughts and prayers. He was admitted into the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis yesterday. He's going to have a surgery soon to repair his spinal chord. Boomer hates surgeries, but the doctors said that without the surgery, he would not be able to walk again. Poor Boomer, he also tested positive for COVID. So I could not visit him.

Boomer, VA Hospital ER, 12/20/2021

Monday December 20, 2021 Dan Schoenholz

Theme: MIDDLE SCHOOL (56. Junior high ... and what each set of circles is?) - The middle words are four colleges.

19. Dome-shaped frozen areas at the two ends of the Earth: POLAR ICECAPS.

27. One in charge of a depot: STATION AGENT.

37. Cognac, crème de cacao and cream cocktail: BRANDY ALEXANDER.

45. Over an extended period: IN THE LONG RUN.

Boomer here.  

Not your famous football schools.  However Elon is Time "Person of the year".  Not sure if I agree with that either.  An electric vehicle seems like a questionable investment.  Although I will submit to its anti- pollution value, it costs about $2000 to set up an electric transformer in your garage, and that will only give you about 170 miles.  I welcome any comments from all you crossword friends who have or thought about or have an electric vehicle.

 

Across:

1. Get ready, as for surgery: PREP.  Also a school that could make you ready for any of the above.

5. Dada lover?: MAMA.

9. Breathe like a hot dog: PANT.  So if you have two hot dogs, is that a pair of pants??

13. Trevi Fountain city: ROME.

14. "Yeah, right!": AS IF.

15. Stomach woe: ULCER.  I have had stomach woes last Friday.  I do not think it's an ulcer though.  I think I ate something that my stomach did not like.

16. "In memoriam" bio: OBIT.

17. Shout: YELL.

18. Caulking need: PUTTY.  Jerry Seinfeld's mechanic.  Or was his name PUDDY?

22. Distinctive manner of writing, say: STYLE.

23. Sit-__: protests: INS.  We have had a lot of this type of demonstration in MN.

24. Bro's sibling: SIS.  I have three.

32. Throw in: ADD.

35. Zip, in soccer: NIL.  I have heard Zip in most sports.  Or a way to tighten up your pants.

36. Slow musical movement: LENTO.

42. Swahili's language group: BANTU.

43. 1950s prez: IKE.  Dwight was President for eight years.  Then folks had the opportunity to vote for a president with hair.

44. On the __: sneakily: SLY. And the family Stones.

50. Scratch (out), as a living: EKE.  Even in retirement, there is still some EKEing going on.

51. Smidgen: TAD.

52. Harbor cities: PORTS.  Ours is Duluth.  You cannot believe how beautiful Lake Superior is up there.

60. "__ Secretary": Téa Leoni title role: MADAM.

63. Ultra-modest skirt: MAXI.

64. Microsoft browser: EDGE.  And a Ford SUV ??

65. Banishment: EXILE.

66. Enthusiastic: AVID.

67. Big jump: LEAP.  Next LEAP year is 2024,  But it's just a small jump of one day.

68. Came's opposite: WENT.

69. Basketball Hall of Famer Archibald or Thurmond: NATE.  I have not been much of an NBA fan since the Lakers left town.  I did graduate from the same high school as Devin George though.  Not the same year.

70. Share on Facebook, say: POST.  Is there still a Saturday Evening Post ??

Down:

1. Yorick's skull in "Hamlet" and the dagger in "Macbeth," e.g.: PROPS.

2. Automaton: ROBOT.  Many assembly factories have them now to save labor costs. 

3. Poet Dickinson: EMILY.

4. Rose features: PETALS.  We keep trying ROSES in our flower garden, but they don't seem to do well.

5. Polite request: MAY I.  Yes you may.

6. "Just __ ... ": A SEC.  Yeah, what takes only one 60th of a minute.

7. 1,760 yards: MILE.  Walk a MILE in my shoes.

8. Merged union: Abbr.: AFL-CIO.

9. In addition to: PLUS.

10. Assume a role: ACT.  I assumed the role of NOAH in Noye's Fludde.  Spelled badly by Benjamin Briton.

11. Bottom line: NET.  My former employer Graybar had a decent Bottom Line this year.

12. Give it a go: TRY.  If at first you don't succeed, TRY, TRY, again.

15. Swedish university city: UPPSALA.

20. Like a prof. emeritus: RET.  "Jeopardy" concluded its Professor tournament last Friday.

21. Columnist Landers: ANN.  "Dear Abby's Sister".

24. Transmits: SENDS.

25. Major chip maker: INTEL.  Old Dutch did not fit.

26. Kid's bedtime request: STORY.

28. "... have you __ wool?": ANY.  "Baa Baa Black Sheep"

29. Andalusian aunt: TIA.

30. Messin' around, in rap slang: ILLIN. I don't know rap slang.

31. With 41-Down, boomer's kid: GEN.  About time I made it into a clue. Also 41. See 31-Down: XER.

32. "Steal This Book" author Hoffman: ABBIE.

33. Had a beer, say: DRANK.  Sorry I never liked beer.  Now I am not allowed to mix with my meds.

34. "Divine Comedy" poet: DANTE.

38. Utmost degree: NTH.

39. Eventually and aptly, after "in": DUE TIME.  We get most of our bills on line and are paid automatically in DUE TIME.

40. Heart test: Abbr.: EKG.  I will be getting Bone tests this week.  I guess my heart is still okay but my bones are getting older.

46. Young fellow: LAD.

47. Extra guy who's "out": ODD MAN.

48. Scanned bars: Abbr.: UPC.  Universal Product Code.  That block of different stripes that the cashier scans so you get the right price.    With ......

49. Of little value: ,,,,,, NO HELP.

53. Wyoming's state sport: RODEO.  Wyoming is a fairly large state without a huge population.  I wonder how they deal with COVID?

54. Roman wraps: TOGAS.  Party in "Animal House".

55. Took a nap: SLEPT.  I tried this last Friday, but it did not help much.

56. Brewer's need: MALT.  Maybe, but I need ice cream to make mine.

57. Etna output: LAVA.  "Only one way to get those hands clean !"

58. Leave the room: EXIT.

59. One of a cube's six: SIDE.  Easy clue for a Craps player.

60. Kitty's sound: MEW.

61. Lumberjack tool: AXE.  Minnesota once had a wrestler - Larry "The Axe" Henning.

62. Terrible racket: DIN.

Boomer