Friday, April 26, 2019, Pam Amick Klawitter

Air Conditioned for summer.  The letters AC are incorporated into one word of a common phrase to give it a new twist.  Notice that the addition of AC is found at the end of a word on the first two answers and at the beginning of a word on the last two answers.

17-Across. What turtles use to keep up outward appearances?: TORTOISE SHELLAC.  The common phrase is Tortiose Shell.  Did you ever wonder what was inside a Tortoise Shell?

27-Across. Cashew family shrub's observation?: COGITO ERGO SUMAC.  The common phrase is Cogito Ergo Sum.  Cogito Ergo Sum is a Latin phrase for Je pense, donc je suis, credited to René Descartes (Mar. 31, 1596 ~ Feb. 11, 1650).  The English translation is: I think, therefore I am.

46-Across. Ad offer Wile E. Coyote really regrets accepting?: COME FLY WITH ACME.  The common phrase is Come Fly with Me.  Come Fly With Me, in addition to being a Frank Sinatra Song, was the theme song of Pan Am Airlines.

61-Across. Old MacDonald's bookkeepers?: ACCOUNTING SHEEP.  The common phrase is Counting Sheep.  Counting Sheep is supposed to help one go to sleep.

Across:

1. Dash meas.: MPH.  As in Miles Per Hour.  You can find your rate of speed by looking at the Dash board on your car.

4. "Unstoppable" cleaner: DRĀNO.

9. Dealer's abbreviation: MSRP.  As in the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, also known as the List Price.

13. Brother of Athena: ARES.  Greek mythology.  Ancient Greece had two gods of war ~ Ares and Athena.  Both were powerful, but had different philosophies when it came to fighting in battle.  Ares was brutal and and cruel.  Athena, on the other hand, used strategy and was wise in battle.

15. What informants might wear: WIRES.  Did anyone watch the HBO series The Wire?

16.  First-rate: A-ONE.

20. __ demon: SPEED.

21. Persian Gulf resident: QATARI.  //  And 49-Down: Residents along the Persian Gulf:  IRANIS. Qatar is that tiny country, near the UAE, that sticks out in the Persian Gulf.

22. Tall trotter: EMU.  A male EMU can grow to a height of over 6 feet.  It is the largest bird native to Australia.  It can't fly, so had the ability to run at a rate of 30 MPH if being hunted.  If cornered, its sharp toe claws can eviscerate its hunter, so be warned.

24. "Grab __": "You're pinch-hitting": A BAT.  Baseball!

Rafael Devers AT BAT.

35. Ducks in Eugene: OREGON.  The Mascot of the University of Oregon, which is in Eugene, Oregon.  Why the Ducks you ask?  Back in the 1890s, the State of Oregon was known as the Webfoot State.  This name came from the early settlers of Oregon, many of whom were descendants of a group of Massachusetts fishermen who participated with George Washington in a surprise attack on a British stronghold during the American Revolutionary War.  These fisherman were known as the Webfoots.  The University of Oregon's original nickname was Webfoots, after their East Coast ancestors.  Not exactly a threatening name for a sports team.  In the 1940s, the team name was changed to the more fearful Ducks.  I'm scared.  (P.S., the University has a special license agreement with Disney, so it duck is a based on the Disney's Donald Duck.)

36. Blow it: ERR.

37. Gross __: TON.

38. Turner on a screen: LANA.

Lana Turner (née Julia Jean Turner; Feb. 8, 1921 ~ June 29, 1995)

39. Shakespeare's Athenian hermit: TIMON.  I was not familiar Shakespeare's play Timon of Athens.  Maybe our Shakespeare scholar can provide some insight into this play.

41. It's chilly in Chihuahua: FRIO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

42. Yamaguchi rival: ITO.  As in Midori ITO.  She makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  Both Kristi Yamaguchi and Midori ITO are skaters.

Kristi Yamaguchi (b. 1971) 

Midori ITO (b. 1969)

43. Tour opening?: ECO-.  Think of Ecotourism.

44. Title song words before "My love has come along": AT LAST.  As sung by Etta James (who makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords.)

50. Bring up: REAR.

51. Stephen who played Inspector Bucket on "Dickensian": REA.  Dickensian is apparently a BBC drama that reimagines many of Charles Dickens' characters together in London.  Inspector Bucket was a character from Bleak House.  Stephen Rea (b. Oct. 31, 1946), who makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords, plays the main character.

52. Mount Rainier gateway: TACOMA.

56. Twists: WARPS.  Let's do the Time Warp, Again.

65. It might pop up: MENU.

66. Giant Chicken on "Family Guy": ERNIE.  I have never seen this show.

I assume Ernie is on the left.

67. Spelling start?: ABRA.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.  The phrase Abra Cababra may come from an Aramaic phrase meaning: I will create as I speak.  It's used today by magicians when creating "magic."

68. Brigitte's bridge: PONT.  Today's French lesson.  Did any of you learn this song in French class?

69. Reason to raise goblets: TOAST.  It isn't always necessary to use a goblet.

70. Quick: APT.

Down:

1. Yoga accessories: MATS.  I go to yoga class at least twice a week.  I'm not as flexible as this woman.  Maybe I should go to yoga class more often.

2. Item on a set: PROP.

3. "__ lies ... ": HERE.

4. SADD focus: DWI.  As in a Driving While Intoxicated.

5. Off-color: RISQUE.  These bathing suits were once considered very Risque.

6. You might have to find it in geometry: AREA.

7. Egg holder: NEST.  Cute clue.

8. Fed. workplace watchdog: OSHA.  As in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

9. Surfrider Beach city: MALIBU.  My first car was a second-hand Chevy Malibu.

10. Juárez heater: SOL.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

11. Genetic letters: RNA.  The difference between RNA and DNA.

12. Bench press target: PEC.  Short for the Pectoral muscles.

14. Bus. card letters: STE.  As in Suite, I assume.

18. Poetic opening: ODE TO.

Ode to Billy Joe.

19. Historical times: ERAS.

23. Talk TV's Williams: MONTEL.  Montel Williams (né Montel Brian Anthony Williams; b. July 3, 1956), was the host of a long-running talk show, which ran from 1991 until 2008.

25. Land-and-sea military vehicle: AMTRAC.

Not to be confused with the train system, which is spelled with a "k".

26. Lao-tzu's philosophy: TAOISM.

27. Tummy trouble: COLIC.

28. JFK, notably: ORATOR.

29. Mapping subject: GENOME.

30. "Hometown Proud" market chain: IGA.  As in the Independent Grocers Alliance.  The Bet-R Store is an IGA store.  It was also used as a set for the 2011 movie Battle: Los Angeles.  The owner said, Never again would he allow a film production use his store.  It was very disruptive, especially to his customers.

31. Do more lawn work: RE-MOW.  I have to re-mow my lawn every week in the summer.  (Notice I said I mow the lawn.)

32. Miracle-__: GRO.

33. Richly decorated: ORNATE.  The mosaics at the Alhambra Palace in Spain are very ornate.

34. Benjamin's bill: C-NOTE.  What's in your wallet?

40. Hard to drive on: ICY.  I initially tried Ice.  (Sorry, Tinbini!)

41. Common destination for snowbirds: Abbr.: FLA.  As in Florida.  Snowbirds can travel to visit Lemonade and Tinbini.

45. Signs of spring: THAWS.

47. Patronize Pizza Hut, say: EAT OUT.

48. German title: FRAU.  Today's German lesson.

53. Tech tutorials site: CNET.

54. Spanish survey option: OTRO.  More of today's Spanish lesson

55. __ Harker, heroine in Stoker's "Dracula": MINA.

57. "The light dawns!": AHA!

58. "Fancy" singer, familiarly: REBA.  As in Reba McEntire (b. Mar. 28, 1955).

59. One who did it: PERP.  As in the Perpetrator, not the Perpendicular in the crossword puzzles.

60. Squabble: SPAT.

61. Roadie's armload: AMP.

62. Board leader: CEO.  As in the Chief Executive Officer.

63. Round-the-clock news pioneer: CNN.  As in the Cable News Network.

64. Catch, as a cold: GET.

Here's the Grid:

I'll leave you with a QOD:  If people did not sometimes do silly things, nothing intelligent would get done.  ~  Ludwig Wittgenstein (né Ludwig Joseph Johann Wittgenstein; Apr. 26, 1889 ~ Apr. 29, 1951), German philosopher

Thursday, April 25th 2019 Andrew Linzer

Theme: Hipster Talk: The first word of each theme entries is a slangy form of "nice" as suggested by the clues:

21A. "Dude, nice triatomic molecule!": FRESH WATER. Three atoms, two hydrogen and one oxygen.

23A. "Dude, nice metered text!": EPIC POEM. Those Homeric staples the Iliad and the Odyssey are not strangers to the crossword.

34A. "Dude, nice root vegetable!": SWEET POTATO

49A. "Dude, nice riding crop!": COOL WHIP. The odd man out in the theme entries. The others are what I would call self-referential - the phrase as a whole is a variant of the second word. In this one "whip" and "Cool Whip" are completely different things.

51A. "Dude, nice buzzer collection!": KILLER BEES

Inventive theme from Andrew today. I'd not heard of "fresh" in the slang usage before, but it didn't slow me down much. There did seem to be a lot of three-letter fill, especially around the middle section, but nothing too irritating.

I did think the COOL WHIP entry was a little out of left field, and rather pointed up that the rest of the entries were just modifiers of the second word. Not a cardinal sin, but - gave me a little of a "meh" moment. Also "buzzer" for "bee" seemed a little contrived. Anyway ....

... let's take the tour.

Across:

1. Color in a darkroom: SEPIA. Sepia toning is still used to give black & white photographs a warmer quality, and to improve their life. The technique was common in 18th-century portrait photography. Check out this English couple from 1885:

6. "May I say something?": AHEM?

10. Flat for an artist: LOFT.

14. Lake named for a tribe: HURON

15. Folk hero Crockett: DAVY

16. Song for one: ARIA. Resisted the temptation to plonk SOLO in here until I had some confirmation from the crosses.

17. Olympics infrastructure project: ARENA. Sadly, quite often never to be used again. There is very rarely any long-term economic benefit to be gained from building Olympic facilities. Los Angeles, hosting the Olympics in 2028, is not building any new permanent facilities for the games.

18. One not found on a violin: FRET. I don't know how violinists do it. I tried to play a fret-less electric bass guitar once and I was lost.

19. Communist icon: MARX. Karl, buried in Highgate Cemetery in North London.

20. Former U.N. leader Annan: KOFI. I can never remember this fellow, I always wait for the crosses.

25. Free bakery treat?: AROMA. Nice clue.

26. Letters after T?: REX. I resisted the "UVW" run.

27. Get a lode of this: ORE

28. Muddy home: STY

30. Scabbers, in the Potterverse: RAT. I don't know the Harry Potter canon too well, but the crosses were solid. There's another Potter reference later on.

31. Nonprofit URL ending: ORG

32. Like: À LA

33. Producer of cones and needles: PINE

37. Oompa-Loompa creator: DAHL. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" author Roald.

39. Tear: RIP

40. Conan's network: TBS

41. Novelist Umberto: ECO. I remember reading "Foucault's Pendulum" when I was on vacation in Greece a number of years ago. I clearly remember where I was while I was reading it and thoroughly enjoying it. Now I can remember absolutely zero about the book itself. Ripe for a re-read.

42. Cyclops organ: EYE

43. Animal that sounds like a musical note: DOE. Not re? Doh!

44. Sports bar fixtures: TV'S Remember when they were not flat-screen and had to sit on steel-braced shelves or mounts to support the weight?

47. Open, as oysters: SHUCK. I used to host an oysters and Guinness party on the last Sunday before Christmas back in my London days. We went through a ton of oysters, I got to be a pretty good shucker. I provided the oysters and the kegs of Guinness, the guests brought Champagne. Happy Sundays!

54. Aid in battling blazes: HOSE

55. Yoda trainee: JEDI

56. Many millennia: EONS

57. "Sesame Street" woman for 44 years: MARIA. She was bilingual. The actress who played her, Sonia Manzano, felt the human characters on the show were getting less and less of the script action, so she moved on in 2015.

58. Broiling spot: OVEN

59. Crumb carriers: ANTS

60. Yoga pose similar to a push-up: PLANK. I try to plank most days, it's good for the central core. My record time for planking is the entire song "Year of the Cat" by Al Stewart, which runs 6:21 on YouTube. One of my favorite songs from the '70s.

61. "Sesame Street" Muppet: BERT. Second character of the day from the show.

62. Mexican coin: PESO. Maria knows this.

63. Bad spells: HEXES

Down:

1. Salt dispenser: SHAKER. I don't use shakers, I use bamboo wood pots, easier to get at. I have one each for kosher and finishing salt.

2. Where Andorra is: EUROPE. Between France and Spain in the Pyrenees. It's a beautiful part of the world. Pretty cracking food too, sitting between France and the Basque Country.

3. In or out, at times: PREFIX. Challenging clue. For example, in-swinger or out-swinger in baseball.

4. Jefferson Memorial column type: IONIC. Here's a few of the columns:

5. Gasteyer of "Lady Dynamite": ANA. No clue, thank you crosses. This show passed me by.

6. Like some subscription-based sites: AD-FREE

7. Word from Arabic for "sacred, inviolable place": HAREM

8. Party times, often: EVES

9. Bit of folklore: MYTH

10. 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music winner Kendrick: LAMAR. The Compton-based rapper won for his album "Damn".

11. "Messiah," e.g.: ORATORIO 

12. Relief pitcher, in baseball lingo: FIREMAN. I hadn't heard this term before, it made me smile. I can't hear Metallica's "Enter Sandman" without seeing Mariano Rivero heading to the mound. The band played the song live for him at Yankee Stadium when the Yankees retired Rivero's number 42.

13. IRS table column: TAX RATE.

21. Fake: FORGERY

22. Method: WAY

24. Opening on a sweater?: PORE. Nice clue. There were a couple of humid days in Jamaica last week where my pores were definitely open!

28. __-mo replay: SLO

29. Parlor pictures: TATTOOS. Took me a while, I was thinking about family portrait photographs in the parlor (or parlour).

31. Hermes, in the Potterverse: OWL. Had the W, so didn't hesitate here.

32. Handy program: APP

33. NBA stats: PTS. Points, simple enough.

34. Place to pull over: SHOULDER

35. Rare NFL result: TIE. Donovan McNabb, then the Eagles quarterback, famously didn't know that an NFL regular season game could end in a tie when he played in a 13-13 tie with the Bengals back in 2008. "I've never been a part of a tie. I never even knew that was in the rule book,"

36. Genesis casualty: ABEL

37. Office position: DESK JOB

38. Accomplish: ACHIEVE

42. __ out a living: EKE

43. Playground retort: DOES SO. Some of these are tricky to parse. I saw "DO ESSO" first.

44. Insect midsection: THORAX

45. Redness-removing brand: VISINE. I use it sparingly, my optician tells me it's not good for your eyes. It's a lot cheaper than the brand she wants me to use though.

46. Appeals (to): SPEAKS

48. Director Eastwood: CLINT

49. They're beside the point: CENTS. Another nice clue. $9.99

50. Pod member: WHALE

52. Bring in: REAP

53. Study, with "up": BONE

57. Indy 500 stat: MPH

And with that, it just remains for me to post the grid and then skedaddle.

Steve

Wednesday, April 24, 2019 Ed Sessa

Theme: LEG LIFTS.

The letter sequence spelling LEG occurs in vertical theme fill.  Proceeding from left to right, this sequence appears successively higher in the grid.

45 D. *What makes Guy a guy?: LITTLE G.  Referring to upper and lower case lettering.  A bit strained, in my opinion.

37 D. *Post-apocalyptic Will Smith film: I AM LEGEND.  A virus has wiped out most of man-kind and the hero, Robert Neville, played by Smith, searches for a cure while battling nocturnal mutants.

30 D. *Gray wrote one in a country churchyard: ELEGY.  A poem of lamentation.  You can read it here.

10 D. *346-piece Big Ben, e.g.: LEGO SET.  Here's a 9 1/2 minute video if you're interested.

9 D. *Telegraphed message: CABLEGRAM.

And the unifier -- 66 A. Competitive edge, as illustrated in the answers to starred clues from left to right: A LEG UP.  This phrase means some sort of boost, assistance or circumstance that gives one an advantaged position relative to the competition.  In the puzzle grid the LEG letters climb from left to right, each time advancing by exactly one square - all the while maintaining perfect rotational symmetry.  This is an unusual construction in a couple ways.  Having the theme in the vertical fill isn't unknown but it's also not common.  Further, a phrase of the type "LEG UP" generally indicates that the letters would be climbing within the fill, so they would be reversed in the answer word(s). Here, the upward motion is within the grid, from one theme fill entry to the next.  This is, in my experience, unique.  So, high marks for both technical virtuosity and creativity!  

Hi, Gang, JazzBumpa here with both feet firmly on the ground.  Let's high step through the rest of this puzzle and see what tickles our toes.

Across:

1. Keepsake containers: CHESTS.  Large storage boxes, typically made of wood.

7. Biological pouch: SAC. A cavity enclosed by a membrane that contains air, liquid, or solid structures.

10. "I'm up for it!": LET'S.  We should do this.

14. Change in a big way: REWORK. I guess changing in a small way would be a revision.

15. Santa __ winds: ANA.  Hot, dry, downsloping winds that originate inland and blow toward the coast in California.  They seem to be named for the Santa Ana Canyon in Orange County.

16. Singer Adams: EDIE.  Probably most famous for this.

17. World's largest peninsula: ARABIA.  Perhaps it should be considered a sub-continent since it lies on its own tectonic plate.

18. Antagonist in many le CarrÈ novels: KGB AGENT.  Spy stuff

20. Nemesis: BANE. A cause of great distress or annoyance.

21. Teeny-tiny fraction: TRILLIONTH.  1/10^12.  Less than miniscule.

23. "Better Call Saul" actress Seehorn: RHEA.

From her IMDB page

25. Wrigglers sought by snigglers: EELS.  Rhyme time in the EEL creel.

26. Demean: ABASE. Degrade or belittle.

29. Floating ice hazard: BERG.  Properly, ICEBERG - a large piece of freshwater ice broken from a glacier or ice shelf floating in open salt water.

31. Hearing things?: EARS.   Interesting word play.  EARS are things that hear.  If you are hearing things that are not there, the ears are not involved - it all in your head.

35. Leader of a flock: Abbr.: REV.  An ordained minister leading her/his congregation.

36. Remote precursor: DIAL.  Playing with parts of speech again - in the past, the various DIALS on your TV set performed the functions of the various buttons on your remote control unit.

38. Hooch: ROTGUT.  Bad whiskey.

40. Sport-__: UTE.  Utility vehicle

41. Oatmeal-crusted treat: DATE BAR.  A baked item containing chopped fruit.

43. 12 meses: AÑO.  12 months make a year in Spain, same as here.

44. Uproarious confusion: BEDLAM. Named for an infamous British asylum  for the insane.

46. Places to shoot hoops: GYMS. Basketball venues.

47. Big kahuna: VIP.  Very Important Person.

48. Jai __: ALAI.  A sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space with a hand held device [cesta.]

49. Places, as a bet: LAYS.  Probably because you LAY your money down.

51. Signs of the future: OMENS.  Events considered to announce or predict some good or evil thing that will happen soon.

53. Those opposing us: THEM. Always us vs THEM.

55. Counting-out word: EENY. Meeny, miney, moe.

57. Seven-sided: HEPTAGONAL.  Literal, if you know Greek.

61. Saintly glow: HALO.  A circle of light around or above the hear of a saint to signify her/his sanctity.

65. "Madame Bovary" subject: ADULTERY.  The ultimately tragic story of a young French woman who lived extravagantly beyond her limited means.  Bored with her dull husband, she sought pleasure and adventure though affairs with two men who eventually grew tired of her.

68. Steady look: GAZE.

69. Bridal bio word: NEE.  Referring to the bride's original surname.

70. Excitedly unwrapped: TORE AT.

71. Layer over some cities: SMOG.  A combination of fog with smoke and other atmospheric pollutants.

72. Mar.-to-Nov. hrs.: DST. Daylight Savings Time - the clock is moved forward by one hour to extend daylight into the evening.

73. Genesis follower: EXODUS.  Second book in the Bible.

Down:

1. __ bisque: CRAB.  A rich creamy soup, typically made with shell fish.

2. Mount Olympus queen: HERA.  Sister wife of Zeus in the olympian pantheon.  She was jealous of his many lovers and offspring.

3. McGregor of "Christopher Robin": EWAN.  The actor portraying a now grown-up boy who once was the playmate of Winnie the Pooh.

4. Sleeps it off, with "up": SOBERS.  Recovers from non-fatal alcohol toxemia.

5. Prefix with atomic: TRI-.  Referring to a molecule composed of three atoms.  The clue is weirdly specific for a prefix with many other, more common applications.

6. Circle the rink: SKATE.  Ice or roller SKATING.

7. H.H. Munro's pseudonym: SAKI. [1870 - 1916] A British master of the short story form who satirized Edwardian society.

8. One opening a can of worms?: ANGLER.  A fisherman getting into a container of bait.

11. Paradise: EDEN.  The biblical home of Adam and Eve, before they got kicked out for disobedience.

12. Salon treatment: TINT.  Hair coloring.

13. Meyers of "Late Night": SETH. [b 1973] American comedian, writer, actor and television host.

19. Have a bug: AIL.  Be sick from a viral or bacterial infection.

22. Moroccan capital: RABAT. Located along the Atlantic coast along the Bouregreg River.

24. Gossip columnist Hopper: HEDDA. [1885 - 1966] American actress and gossip columnist for the L.A. Times, known for feuding with her rival Luella Parsons.

26. Dutch-speaking Caribbean island: ARUBA.  One of the 4 countries comprising the Kingdom of the Netherlands, along with Curaçao, and Sint Maarten.  It is located off the coast of Venezuela, about 1000 miles west of the Lesser Antilles.

27. Asian palm nut: BETEL.  Because of the materials it is prepared with, it is a serious health hazard in Asia, where it's use is very common.

28. "Plant-powered" hair care brand: AVEDA.

32. Tequila source: AGAVE. A succulent plant native to arid regions of Mexico and the American southwest.

33. Scrap: RUN IN. A disagreement or fight, especially with someone in an official position.

34. Puts an end to: STOPS.

39. Welles who played Kane: ORSON. [1915-1985] An American actor, director, writer and producer who worked in theatre, radio and film.

42. What "two" meant to Paul Revere: BY SEA. Paul Revere [1734-1818] was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, and Patriot in the American Revolution. He is best known for his midnight ride to alert the colonial militia in April 1775 to the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord.  The warning signal placed in the tower of the North Church indicated British troop movement by land with one lantern and by water with two. [Wikipedia]

50. Ovid collection: AMORES.  Ovid [b 43 BC] was a contemporary of Virgil and Horace during the reign of Augustus.  AMORES is his first book of poetry, in an erotic mode, but often humorous, subversive, and sometimes even absurd.

52. "You saved me!": MY HERO.

54. Tipped top: HAT.  Tipping one's hat is a sign of respect.

56. Make very happy: ELATE.

57. Fairy tale crones: HAGS. Witches.

58. Paraffin-coated cheese: EDAM. From the Netherlands part of the Netherlands.

59. "The Godfather" novelist: PUZO. Mario [1920-1999]

60. Nureyev's no: NYET.  Literal, if you speak Russian.

62. On in years: AGED.  I'm getting there.

63. Tropical party: LUAU.  Traditional Hawaiian party or feast featuring local foods and entertainment.

64. Chooses: OPTS. Decides either for or against.

67. Bagel topper: LOX. Fillet of brined salmon.

On that tasty note, we end up another Wednesday.  Hope you found the leg lifts exhilarating.

Cool regards!
JzB

Tuesday, April 23, 2019 Robert Fisher

4 Parts of the Hand

17. Small plucked instrument: THUMB PIANO.

24. New York region, or its narrow bodies of water: FINGER LAKES.

33. Tropical tree leaf: PALM FROND.

51. Fluttering pitch: KNUCKLE BALL.

58. Popular necktie knot ... and a hint to the starts of 17-, 24-, 33- and 51-Across: FOUR IN HAND.


Especially for you Desper-otto, in case you've forgotten how:


How many years has it been ?

Across:

1. Barcelona buddy: AMIGO.

6. Scattered, as seeds: SOWN.  Sown and strewn. 

10. Rifle filler: AMMO.  A young Desper-otto and his pal Nate used their pea shooters on a pile of sand that was destined for a stucco finish on a nearby house.   Sprouts appeared on the walls.  Fortunately for the young lads, it was only the scratch coat.  

14. Hopeless case: GONER.  He might have been a goner if that sand was used in the finish coat.

15. Fast-food legend Ray: KROC.  Ray Kroc & The McDonald's Brothers - The history as  summarized on the McDonald's website.

16. Enjoy a comic book, say: READ. 

19. Fall back (on): RELY.

20. "__ Been Awhile": Staind song: IT'S.  The genre is post-grunge, alt-metal. 


21. Columnist Landers: ANN.

22. Israeli president, 2007-2014: PERES.   Shimon Peres.

23. Blackjack card: ACE.

27. Petit or grand crime: LARCENY.

29. Docking fee: MOORAGE.  The verb moor (make fast, secure) and the suffix age (belonging to, relating to) creates the word moorage, which can be either the place where you moor or the fee for mooring.  Just make sure your hawser is large enough. 

30. Hog's nose: SNOUT.  A pig, not a hog, but you get the point.

31. Objective: AIM.

32. Fisher-Price product: TOY.

38. Busy IRS month: APR.  Internal Revenue Service /  April.

41. Not at home: OUT.

42. China's Zhou __: ENLAI.

46. Doesn't miss a thing: SEES ALL. 

49. Forbes publisher Forbes: MALCOLM.    He was fond of saying that he was loaded with "sheer ability, spelled i-n-h-e-r-i-t-a-n-c-e."

53. Dainty taste: SIP.

54. Gelatin dish: ASPIC.    Spaghetti-Os aspic with Vienna Sausage.  None for me, thanks !

55. Slugging legend Mel: OTT.  MLB Hall of Famer that played for the NY Giants for 22 years.  A great article about the legend.

56. Canonized Fr. female: STE.  Abbreviation of sainte, the feminine form of saint. 

57. Slimming surg.: LIPO.  Surgery / Liposuction.

62. Cookie cooker: OVEN.  The appliance, not the individual, which could be baker.

63. Big on: INTO.

64. Vital heart line: AORTA.

65. "Bill & __ Excellent Adventure": TEDS.   "High school slackers Bill and Ted travel back in time to assemble historical figures for their history class presentation."  - Wikipedia

66. Cap'n's underling: BOS'N.  Contractions of Captain and Bosun.

67. Wyoming's __ Range: TETON.

 Mental Floss - 10 Facts About Grand National Park

Down:

1. Ten-percenter: Abbr.: AGT.  Agent.  Talent and booking agents typically get 10 %.

2. Native American in a Cooper title: MOHICAN.  About James Fenimore Cooper.  We had a regular here that legally changed his name to one of the author's lead characters - Natty Bumpo. 

3. Not yet born: IN UTERO.  Latin, meaning in the womb.

4. Precious stones: GEMS.

5. Mars or Venus: ORB.  Most often in poetry.  I may have first heard orb used this way in the lyrics of a couple of songs on The Moody Blues Days of Future Passed album.

6. Like teenagers in the comic strip "Zits": SKINNY.  No idea, but the perps said it had to be.

7. Chimp kin: ORANG.  Monkeys have tails.  Chimpanzees and orangutans are great apes.  Tailless.

8. Was victorious: WON.

9. Sgt. or cpl.: NCO.  Sergeant / Corporal: Non-commissioned officer.

10. Unpaid debt: ARREAR.

11. Kalahari mongoose: MEERKAT.  The Kalahari Resorts are in the Wisconsin Dells, Sandusky, and the Poconos. 

12. Source of machismo, perhaps: MALE EGO. 

13. Epic journey: ODYSSEY.  My friend is going to take the Astro.  Thinking about a used Sienna even though I like the styling of the Odyssey a little more.  Mini vans are so versatile.  I have to order a Soccer Mom sticker for the back window.

18. Tylenol target: PAIN.

22. Gaza Strip gp.: PLO.  Group /  Palestine Liberation Organization

23. Capp and Capone: ALs.   Kaline and Hrabosky would have thrown many off, but not Boomer and Hondo. 

24. Greek cheese: FETA.

25. Mideast ruler: EMIR.

26. NFL analyst Tony: ROMO.  14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys as a QB, and now partnered with Jim Nantz as the color commentator of NFL games broadcast by CBS.

28. Trophy shape: CUP.

31. Toward the tiller: AFT.  Nautical terms.

34. Hang around: LOLL.  Loiter.

35. Grand Canyon animal: MULE.

36. "Little" Dickens girl: NELL.

37. Org. hacked at its Watergate offices: DNC.  Organization / Democratic National Committee

38. Require much (of): ASK A LOT.

39. Lost in thought: PENSIVE.

40. Signed on for another tour: REUPPED.

43. Skill rarely practiced now: LOST ART.

44. Not aligned with: ALIEN TO.

45. Little rascal: IMP.

47. Descendants: SCIONS.

48. "Best in Show" org.: AKC.  Organization / American Kennel Club

49. __ of honor: MATRON.

50. High: Pref.: ALTI.    Like in the ten dollar word altiloquence,  meaning lofty, pompous speech.   Or as in altimeter or altitude.

52. Boxing matches: BOUTS.

56. Horse's footwear: SHOE.   Fit to size by a farrier.

58. Innocuous falsehood: FIB.

59. Musician Yoko: ONO.

60. __ King Cole: NAT.

61. "The Da Vinci Code" author Brown: DAN.

Monday April 22, 2019 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: SCREEN TIME (55A. Amount of TV watching limited by parents, and a hint to the last word of the answers to starred clues) - Last word is a type of screen.

16A. *Last bit of decoration: FINAL TOUCH. Touchscreen.

34A. *Coastal wetland often exposed at low tide: MUD FLAT. Flat screen.

 

10D. *Talks big: BLOWS SMOKE. Smoke screen.

26D. *Lone Ranger's shout: HI YO SILVER. Silver screen.

Boomer here.

Hello everyone. I seem to have another C.C. puzzle to review. I certainly hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter.  Our snow is all gone, and I hope it stays that way. I had an opportunity to prepare our garden area on Saturday and I'm looking forward to getting a few flowers in the ground before Mother's Day.  We also keep a small plot in our back yard for a few vegetables.  Tomatoes work very well and I hope to revive the green beans which failed last year.

Across:

1. River-end formation: DELTA.  Not Sun Country.

6. Sprinted: RAN.

9. "Dancing Queen" group: ABBA. Or - "Take a Chance on me".

13. Disney mermaid: ARIEL.  Walt Disney was amazing!

14. "A Doll's House" heroine: NORA.

15. Snow remover: PLOW. All winter they came. Now in the spring I found little pieces of driveway on the lawn.

18. "Dirty Jobs" host Mike: ROWE.  I remember Dad taking me fishing, and my dirty job was to "Rowe" the boat.

19. Casual tops: TEES.  Interesting clue, because these are the things I will be putting in the ground shortly to make the ball easier to hit.  I will be wearing a tee shirt when I play.

20. Pressure cooker sound: HISS.  Just remember this, a hiss is just a hiss, a snake is just a snake.

21. New Zealand fruits: KIWIS.  Available in a six pack at Aldi.  C.C. likes them, I'd rather not, thank you.

22. Standing tall: ERECT.  Made me think of the Erector set I had.  I could not build a windmill though because my set did not have a motor.

24. Off the leash: LOOSE.

25. Sentence part: PHRASE.  Needs a subject and a predicate.  What the heck is a predicate??

27. Ones gathering for a will reading: HEIRS. This is a bit of a morbid clue. How about "Ones gathering for Easter?"

28. Kimono-clad entertainer: GEISHA.

29. Droop: SAG.  Keep from drooping. Step on the GAS.

30. Little devils: IMPS.

33. Pony up: PAY.  The Kentucky Derby is in the near future.  I believe you need to pony up at the betting window there.  Lotsa Luck.

37. Corrida cry: OLE. Ole went up to his boss Sven and asked for a day off to attend a Norwegian wedding.  Sven granted the day off, but Ole did not return for three days.  "Vhere da heck haff you been barked Sven.  "Vell", Ole said "At da vedding, I won second prize at the banquet, Three days and nights vit da bride."  "Holy smoke!" uttered Sven." Vhat da heck vas first prize then?"  Ole replied, "Twenty pounds of Lutefisk !"

   

38. Moving like sloths: SLOW.  "Slow down, you move too fast, Ya got to make the morning last!"  Simon and Garfunkel, "Feelin' Groovy"

40. Spanish river: RIO.  There were a few questionable things going on there three years ago at the Summer Games. 

41. Heart-shaped photo holder: LOCKET.  Rhymes with "Davy Crockett", king of the wild frontier.

43. Suddenly became attentive: SAT UP.

45. Beat the goalie: SCORED. There have been many hockey and soccer announcers that take several minutes to say this word.

46. Rural storage buildings: SILOS.  We have many of these in Minnesota.  Sadly this year they are full of unsold soybeans.

47. Serta alternative: SEALY.  I remember visiting a San Francisco beach that was very sealy.

48. Church ringers: BELLS.  "There were bells, on the hill, but I never heard them ringing."  Professor Harold Hill's on hand and River City's Gonna have a boys band !  "CASH for the chickens and the pickens and the flypaper."  You can talk, you can bicker !

49. Gives a hand: AIDS.

50. Religious subdivision: SECT.

54. Like many ESPN broadcasts: LIVE.  "From New York, It's Saturday Night!!"

57. "__-doke!": OKEY.  I think the clue should be ____dokey.  But what do I know.

58. Harbor structure: PIER.

59. Slugger Judge: AARON.  I think he joined a dozen Yankees on the DL this week.  "Slugger Hank" would be a better clue.  Probably too easy.

60. Party pooper: BORE.

61. Pop-up annoyances: ADS.  Especially on Pogo games.  Also annoying on TV but I suppose the money moves the world.  I noticed during the Final Four, there we none of the annoying "Ask your doctor" ads.  Clever ones about Larry BIRD and Charles BARKley .

62. Mix: BLEND.

Down:

1. Nutty: DAFT.  I try.

2. Only Great Lake that borders Pennsylvania: ERIE.  I believe I have said enough about this wet clue.  Since it is C.C.'s puzzle, I am trying to be nice.

3. Ticket booth annoyance: LINE.  Let me tell you -- Sun Country check in LINE is the world record annoyance.

4. Commercial lures: TEASERS.  I am still trying to figure out how EVERY company can save you money on car insurance.

5. Every bit (of): ALL.  I think there's a laundry detergent that can clean ALL of your clothes.

6. Awaken rudely: ROUST.  Reminded me of Basic Training at Fort Campbell.

7. Fly ball trajectories: ARCS.  Goi, Goin, Going, GONE !!

8. "Don't think so": NAH. Nah Nah Nah Nah Hey ay ay, Good bye !

9. Presupposed by experience: A PRIORI.

11. "Space Oddity" rocker David: BOWIE.  I don't think he made the knife used at the Alamo.

12. Fills with wonder: AWES.

14. "Hold the rocks": NO ICE.  Reason to cancel the January outdoor fishing contest.

17. Synonym-loaded reference: THESAURUS.

21. Zen garden fish: KOI.  Would not have caught any of these at the fishing contest anyway.

23. __ Emanuel, Obama's first Chief of Staff: RAHM.  There is also a PGA pro named Jon Rahm who is pretty good.

24. Attorney's job: LEGAL CASE.   24 bottles of Bud I suppose.

25. Gong sound: PEAL.  Sadly, there was no peal of chimes at Notre Dame Cathedral yesterday.

27. "2001" computer: HAL.

28. Rte.-finding aid: GPS.

29. Bay Area airport letters: SFO.  Tony Bennett left his heart there.

31. Implored: PLED.

32. Good to go: SET.  At least six volleys in a tennis match.  About 650 baseball cards.

35. Guacamole, e.g.: DIP. 

36. Jack or hammer: TOOL.

39. State fish of South Dakota: WALLEYE. Wow, I would think C.C. would clue this as "Every holiday meal in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota".  I know South Dakota stole the State Fish moniker from us.  Wikipedia lists about 400 lakes in South Dakota.  We have over 10,000.  Where do most of the Walleyes call home ? 

42. Seer's __ ball: CRYSTAL.  If you have a crystal ball, you may see Billy Crystal.

44. How-__: DIY guides: TOS.

45. Meal at Passover: SEDER. And a blessed Passover to my Jewish friends on this blog.

46. Fancy watch brand: SEIKO.  I have my Mom's Seiko in a drawer.  Works fine.

47. Stable studs: SIRES.  Are they too old to participate in Louisville in a couple of weeks ?

48. Gooey mass: BLOB.

49. Etching fluid: ACID.

51. County Kerry country: EIRE.  This is Gaelic for Ireland or for people who do not wish to spend three extra letters of ink. 

52. "Let's do it!": C'MON.  I went to Billings, Montana several times for business and once to bowl in the USBC National tournament.  On all trips I stayed at the C'mon INN.  Nice place.

53. Take care of: TEND.  This could be the start of Ten Dollars.  Pay me.

55. Place for a massage: SPA.

56. Arrest, as a perp: NAB.

Boomer

Sunday April 21, 2019 Gary Larson

Theme: "It's All in the Game Show" - Each theme answer sounds like a game show. 

22A. [Bee home + Venus + heron kin]: HIVE GODDESS EGRET.  I've Got A Secret.

39A. ["Star Trek" villain + mailed + light beam + take pains to avoid]: KHAN SENT RAY SHUN. Concentration.

52A. [Sass, in slang + inferno + turkey + Babe with a bat]: TUDE HELL DUD RUTH. To Tell The Truth. 

76A [Legume + yank + pound sound + bee product]: PEA PULL ARF HONEY. People Are Funny.

93A. [Cutlet meat + statute + quartet + goatee site]: VEAL LAW FOUR CHIN. Wheel Of Fortune

114A. [Utter + cherish + old laundry detergent + harm]: SAY LOVE DUZ INJURY. Sale Of The Century.

Did you guys all get the theme? 

Wow, I was at a total loss. Asked D-Otto, who spelled out each original game show for me. He thought I would have got 93A myself. Nope. 

Across:

1. Roll of dough: WAD.

4. Covert agents: SPIES.

9. ||, on a remote: PAUSE.

14. Melt: THAW. The last patch of snow on our yard was finally gone on Friday.

18. Bar order: ALE.

19. Ain't right?: AREN'T. ARE for [Modern art?] often confuses some.

20. Beach wear: TRUNKS.

21. Pixar clownfish: NEMO.

25. Crime film genre: NOIR.

26. In the same place, in footnotes: IBIDEM.

27. State as fact: AVER.

28. Kitten's cry: MEW.

29. NFL ball carriers: RBS. Running backs.

30. E Street Band guitarist Lofgren: NILS.

31. Actor Davis: OSSIE.41. A few other grid-friendly names: Anderson of "WKRP in Cincinnati": LONI.  48. Ward on TV: SELA.  50. Lennon's love: ONO. 81. Wray of "King Kong": FAY. 90. "The Raven" writer: POE. 106. "Scream" star Campbell: NEVE. 108. "This Is India" novelist Santha Rama __: RAU. 112. Author Dinesen: ISAK.

33. Stereotypical shipwreck site: DESERT ISLE. Great fill.

37. City near Düsseldorf: ESSEN.

43. Take effect, as meds: ACT.

44. Binges: SPREES.

45. Org. funded by FICA: SSA.

51. Everyday article: THE.

57. Flavor: SAPOR. Not a word I use.

62. O.T. book after Amos: OBAD. Obadiah. Before Jonah.

63. They may be vacant: LOTS.

64. Furrow maker: HOE.

65. Run off to wed: ELOPE.

 

66. Harry Potter's forte: MAGIC. We normally don't have "Harry" on Sundays.

68. Junkyard dogs: CURS.

69. Benefit: SAKE.

70. Hardly bold: TIMID.

71. Gladiator's venue: ARENA. Do you think these gladiator shoes look cool?

72. Has too much, for short: ODS.

73. Aretha's queendom: SOUL.

74. Musical pitch: TONE.

75. Lazy __: SUSAN. Not our Hahtoolah, who's super efficient.

83. Anger: IRE. And 84. Angry: SORE.

85. Suffix with cannon: ADE.

86. Level between kingdom and class: PHYLUM.

91. What's expected: NORM.

99. Instrument with movable frets: SITAR.

103. Poker pros, say: CARD SHARPS. I call them SHARKS.

104. Snap course: EASY A.

107. Opposite of COD: PPD. Prepaid.

109. Raggedy dolls: ANNS.

110. Advanced: LOANED.

117. __ stick: POGO.

118. Climber's tool: ICE AXE.

119. Hit the road: LEAVE.

120. Itinerary abbr.: RTE.

121. Fed. power dept.: ENER.

122. "Napoleon Dynamite" sidekick Sánchez: PEDRO. Learning moment for me. The guy on the left.

123. Borders: EDGES.

124. Slalom segment: ESS.

Down:

1. Female surfer: WAHINE. What is a male surfer then?

2. Suspects' stories: ALIBIS.

3. New Jersey NHL team: DEVILS.

4. "Parsley, __, rosemary ... ": SAGE. I never knew how these herbs are related to the girl he still loves. But it sounds sweet. Do you have a herb garden, TTP?

5. Teaser: PROMO.

6. Mil. roadside hazard: IED.

7. Hyphen cousin: EN DASH.

8. Lydia's sugar substitute on "Breaking Bad": STEVIA. Boomer uses Equal.

9. __-op: PRE.

10. Enlarge: AUGMENT.

11. Turmoil: UNREST.

12. Kebab holder: SKEWER. Mine always have pineapple chunks. Do any of you make tacos al pastor at home?

13. Body shop fig.: EST.

14. Spike TV, once: TNN.

15. Flexible pronoun substitute: HE OR SHE.

16. 1929 title words following "Now he's gone, and we're through": AM I BLUE.

17. Deteriorates: WORSENS.

20. Original D&D co.: TSR. Dungeons & Dragons.

23. Ford flop: EDSEL.

24. Gone out with: SEEN.

32. Talent: SKILL. I'd like to be a handyman in my next life. Fixing others' leaking faucet. Install a grab bar. Solve others' little problems. Bring smiles to others.

33. Designer's concern: DECOR.

34. Itchy red area: RASH.

35. Work on galleys: TYPESET.

36. Neighbor of Syr.: ISR.

38. Quick snack: NOSH.

40. Smooths in woodshop: SANDS.

42. Maiden name preceder: NEE.

45. Plant pores: STOMAS. Wiki says this is a tomato leaf.  Looks like freshly soaked and plumped-up wakame seaweed.

46. Outback automaker: SUBARU.

47. Sayings like "Haste makes waste": ADAGES.

49. Refer (to): ALLUDE.

50. Scoreboard count: OUTS.

51. What you used to be?: THEE. I used to be like this.

C.C., 1987

53. Minneapolis suburb: EDINA. Constructor Tom Pepper lives in Edina.

54. Backs, anatomically: DORSA.

55. Moving brand: U HAUL.

56. Stein's confidante: TOKLAS. Died in poverty.

58. 2006 Supreme Court appointee: ALITO.

59. Cal Poly city: POMONA.

60. Expressed a view: OPINED.

61. Flight named for its effect on fliers: RED EYE.

67. Flower-watering amounts: CANFULS.

68. Backup: COPY.

69. One and only fish?: SOLE. Cute.

73. More reliable: SURER.

77. Devout: PIOUS.

78. Opie portrayer Howard: RONNY.

79. To and __: FRO.

80. For the woman: HERS.

82. Asian nurse: AMAH. Popular term in Hong Kong. Lots of expats there hire amahs from Philippines, who speak good English and have low salary requirements. Locals are too expensive. You can see lots of amahs gathering every Sunday (Maids Day Off).

86. Material for drainage lines: PVC PIPE.

87. Adds and adds: HEAPS ON.

88. Golf hole measure: YARDAGE.

89. Honorary law deg.: LLD.

90. Well-liked: POPULAR. I finally tried these Trade Joe's shishito peppers. Very mild. You need fresh lemons.

92. Rapper Nicki: MINAJ.

94. The Red Baron, e.g.: WAR ACE.

95. Unraveled: FRAYED.

96. Suffix with Pleisto-: CENE.

97. Take care of: HANDLE.

98. Put out, as a magazine: ISSUED.

100. Prof's security: TENURE.

101. Wards off: AVERTS.

102. Colors again, as hair: REDYES.

105. Still in the game: ALIVE.

109. Fifth in NYC, e.g.: AVE.

111. Till bills: ONES.

113. "MASH" setting: Abbr.: KOR.

114. Drink sampling: SIP. I'm enjoying this kombucha right now.

115. Kitchenware brand: OXO.

116. Zig partner: ZAG.

C.C.