Monday June 25, 2018 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: FINAL TOUCH (63A. Last detail that makes things perfect ... and what each answer to a starred clue has?) - Synonym theme.

16A. *Question to the bartender: WHAT'S ON TAP?.

 

38A. *Subject of a neighborhood flier: LOST PET.

10D. *Master perfectly: GET DOWN PAT.

28D. *Daring action: BOLD STROKE.

Boomer here. 

Happy Monday to one and all!  Not much to report this week.  I bowled lousy last Monday and played a very, very difficult golf course Tuesday.  Saturday I spent a few hours watching the Twins play the Texas Rangers and I had a puzzle word moment when Texas second baseman Rougned ODOR faced Twins pitcher Jake ODORizzi.  I'm afraid Jake was not able to finish the second inning.  His performance stunk.

Across:

1. Viking tales, say: SAGAS.  Viva, Las Sagas !

6. Actress Rooney or Kate: MARA.

10. Empty talk: GAS.  Fill 'er up.  Price in Minnesota has settled around $1.75 per gallon.  How is it where you live ?

13. __ Lodge: motel chain: ECONO.  Is this one of those on the stupid bodabook bodaboom commercials ?

14. Tiny particle: ATOM.

15. Dropped in the mail: SENT.

18. "The Simpsons" bus driver: OTTO.

19. Rogen of "Steve Jobs": SETH.

20. Kumquat peel: RIND.  I know watermelon has a rind.  I don't think I have ever even seen a Kumquat.

21. Demand from the judge: ORDER.  All Rise, Demand from Yankee fans for Aaron Judge.

22. Bean product?: IDEA.  Someone might have to explain this to me.  The only four letter bean product I can think of … never mind

24. Fragrant hybrid bloom: TEA ROSE.  So, do you boil the leaves to make tea?

26. Computer cord: CABLE.  Have you ever ridden the Cable Cars in San Francisco?  A little scary going downhill, but still a fascinating experience.  "If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear a flower in your hair."  Maybe a tea rose ?

29. Tight braid: CORNROW.  Here in Minnesota, in the fall, many cornfields are turned into mazes, (not maize) and for a small fee, guests try to work their way through.

31. Coral rings: ATOLLS.

33. Mango seed: PIT.

34. Org. for the Minnesota Lynx: WNBA.  C.C. and I met Lindsey Whalen once at a sports card show.  Great player and nice lady.  She is now doing double duty, playing for the Lynx, and coaching the Gopher women's team.

37. Brooks of "High Anxiety": MEL.  My favorite was "Blazing Saddles", especially the scene with the bean idea.

41. Chum: PAL.  With PAY, famous internet paying method

42. Salon foot treatment, briefly: PEDI.  Wouldn't this be a pedicure?

44. It's burned during workouts: FAT.  Not mine, It's burned when I broil a steak.

45. New version of an old movie: REMAKE.  And they never seem to be as good as the original.

47. Orange Crush, e.g.: SODA POP.  Good stuff.  I am hooked on Diet Pepsi. (So I don't have to burn fat.)

50. Hotel postings: RATES.  Golf courses usually post them on websites.  Seniors usually get deals on weekdays.  My golf - Every day is a weak day.

51. Belgian seaport known for its diamond shops: ANTWERP.

53. "Dream on!": AS IF.

55. Countrified: RURAL.  You can find those corn mazes in rural Minnesota.

56. Colossal: HUGE. Better get to the gym or switch to Diet Pepsi.

58. Spring flower: IRIS.

62. Golfer's chipping club: IRON.  Irons are numbered from one to nine and seldom are used for a chip shot.  Most players use a wedge, which is an iron, or a club that looks like a putter but has a little elevation in the head.

65. Questions: ASKS.

66. Home of leprechauns: ERIN.

67. __ Lauder: ESTEE

68. Big name in jeans: LEE. I remember Lee Majors, the Six Million Dollar Man, married to Charlie's Angel Farrah Fawcett, but not for long.

69. Dampens: WETS.

70. Snooped (around): NOSED.

Down:

1. Works with thread: SEWS.

2. Ibuprofen target: ACHE.  Generic aspirin etc.  Wish I could find some that really works.

3. Nanny or billy: GOAT. There's a winding road and a tall pine tree, by the tall pine tree, she waits for me.  Oh, yes, she waits in the little green house that sits on top of Billy Goat Hill.

4. Mound built by insects: ANTHILL.  Not as big as a Billy Goat one.

5. Mariner's "Help!": SOS.

6. Superfan to the max: MANIAC.

7. Address label abbr.: ATTN.

8. Traveling for away games: ROAD TRIP.  These are fun.  C.C. and I went to Miller Park one year to watch a Twins Brewers Game.

9. Band booster: AMP.  Short for amplifier.  But I am an electric guy.  Amp is also short for Ampere, a measure of current load.

11. Poker prepayments: ANTES.  Years ago, at the caddy shack, we played nickel ante.

12. Strip mall unit: STORE.

15. One cause of tears: SORROW.  "All my sorrows, soon be over" RIP Argyle.

17. It's mined and refined: ORE.  Product of Hibbing, MN, boyhood home of  Robert Zimmerman.  You may know him better as Bob Dylan.

21. Blade making waves: OAR.  I have pulled many oars, but never made a wave with one.

23. Lenovo competitor: DELL.  People may one day see this puzzle in a Dell magazine, or a Penny Press. (same thing)

25. Cross the threshold: ENTER.

26. Sleep in the woods, maybe: CAMP.

27. Suit to __: A TEE.  This word (s) frequently appears in a crossword puzzle.  Let's not be afraid to call it what it is.

30. Decide one will: OPT TO.  Opt to Three four, your left, your left, your left right.

32. Up to now: SO FAR.  Up to Three four. your left, your left, your left right.

35. Cook in the oven: BAKE.

36. Nanobrewery beverages: ALES.

39. Blue birthstone: SAPPHIRE. September stone.  Sapphires are not all blue, but blue is the most sought after.

40. Polo of "The Fosters": TERI.

43. Dubuque natives: IOWANS.  "River City, next stop ! Cash for the chickens and the pickin's and the flypaper, whaddya talk. You can talk you can bicker, you can talk you can bicker, you can talk, talk, talk, bicker, bicker, bicker.  You can talk all you wanna but it's different than it was.  No it Ain't but you gotta know the territory!"

46. Underworld family member: MAFIOSO.

48. California's Marina __ Rey: DEL.

49. Some polytheists: PAGANS.

51. Easy-to-read font: ARIAL.  We probably have 30-40 fonts available in our word software.  I just wonder who named them all.

52. Sip slowly: NURSE.  Could be a doctor's helper.

54. Pinch from le chef: SEL.

57. Knot or pound: UNIT.

59. Road grooves: RUTS.  Boy do we have them here up north.  I-35 is closed and traffic is awful.

60. Slushy drink brand: ICEE.

61. Backyard shelter: SHED.

63. Not a lot: FEW.

64. Hamilton's bill: TEN. - Bo Derek's number also.

Boomer

Sunday June 24, 2018 Michael Ashley

Theme: "Hey, That Hurt!" - OW is added to each theme entry.

23A. "Fire!," say?: ALARM BELLOW. Alarm bell.

44A. "That bloke is hurt!": FELLOW DOWN. Fell down.

67A. Disappointing digs for pigs?: DRY WALLOW. Drywall.

92A. Sign attracting wickerwork craftspeople?: FREE WILLOW. Free will.

115A. High-tech all-night study aid?: SMART PILLOW. Smart pill.

33D. Consumer who admires store displays?: WINDOW SURFER. Windsurfer.

40D. Pale yellow, light brown, etc.?: FALLOW COLORS. Fall colors. Different Fall from 44A.

This looks like Michael's LAT debut. Xword Info shows that he has 11 puzzles published by the New York Times, 7 of them are Sundays.

Xword Info

Cluing this type of letter addition theme takes skills and imagination. Some of the clues are so vivid and fun. That's the images Rich wants.

Only 7 theme entries, so Michael took full advantage of it and gave us lots of sparkly long fill.

 Across:

1. Primary aspirant's challenge: SMEAR. Primary election.

6. Tough test metaphor: A BEAR. Tiny partial.

11. Skunk River city: AMES.

15. "Let's move it!": C'MON.

19. Historic Jordanian city: PETRA.

20. Tree native to southern Brazil: BALSA.

21. Bar purchase: SOAP.

22. 1985 U.S. Open champ Mandlikova: HANA.

25. Pittsburgh Steelers' founder: ART ROONEY. Wiki says he had about 75 great grandchildren, including actress sisters Kate Mara and Rooney Mara.

27. "Peer Gynt" widow: ASE. Regular in our old Tribune days.

28. Web portal since 1994: LYCOS. Don't think I've used Lycos.

30. Egg-shaped wind instruments: OCARINAS.

31. Time to party: NEW YEARS.

35. Stopover spot: INN.

36. "Two and a Half Men" co-star: CRYER (Jon). A few other names here, but all familiar figures: 38. "Happy Days" actor: BAIO (Scott) 47. Racer Yarborough: CALE.

37. Subject to discussion: AT ISSUE.

39. Unflappable: COOL. Half a drum!

40. Sprat no-no: FAT.

43. Fact or fiction starter: NON.

48. Weaken by eroding: UNDERMINE.

52. Prefix with natal: NEO.

53. Muse of comedy: THALIA. Here is a picture from Wiki.

55. Scent: ODOR.

56. Age __: GAP.

58. Crime lab holdings: DNA SAMPLES. Great fill.

61. Searches with a divining rod: DOWSES.

63. Stately steed: ARAB.

65. Chant, often: MONOTONE. Who mentioned "Sleep with Me" podcast for insomnia a while ago? 

66. Planning considerations: IFS.

70. Serving liquor, as a town: WET.

71. Dropped an egg?: OVULATED. Ha ha.

75. Back: REAR.

76. Puts into words: VOICES.

79. Mountaineer's rope fasteners: CARABINERS. New term for me.

82. __-pitch: SLO.

83. Red Muppet: ELMO.

84. Jenna of "Dharma & Greg": ELFMAN.

85. Big tower, briefly: Abbr.: AAA. Tow-er.

87. Demanded maximum effort: ASKED A LOT. Debut entry.

91. Takes to court: SUES.

96. Corrida chant: OLE.

97. Sonnet ending?: EER. Sonneteer.

98. Baby marsupial: JOEY.

99. Cold, in Cartagena: FRIA. Allitration.

100. Held in high regard: ADMIRED. And clue echo: 123. Hold in high regard: ADORE.

104. Capital on I-84: BOISE.

105. Arabic "son of": IBN. Arabic Mac.

106. Some Guggenheim works: PICASSOS.

107. Designated, perhaps incorrectly: SO-CALLED.

110. Workout regimen: TAE BO.

112. Crazy Eights cousin: UNO.

113. "Hold on now, pal": WHOA THERE! Another great fill.

120. Jersey, for one: ISLE. Not sportswear or the cow.

121. Bustles: ADOS.

122. Sushi bar supplier: EELER.

124. Impel: GOAD.

125. Child measures?: Abbr.: TSPS. Julia Child.

126. Snarky: SNIDE.

127. Red-carpet figure: CELEB. 

Down:

1. Swimming pool adjunct: SPA. This looks like a dream. TTP might make it true someday.

2. Blanc behind Bugs: MEL.

3. LAX posting: ETA.

4. Orderly arrangements: ARRAYS.

5. Big name in Egyptian kings: RAMSES.

6. Fiver: ABE.

7. Quartet for walking?: BALLS. Baseball.

8. TV hillbilly __ May Clampett: ELLY.

9. Withdrawn: ASOCIAL.

10. Ring on a burger: RAW ONION. Chinese call spring onion as "Cong". We call onion as "Yang Cong", literally "foreign Cong". There are also "Yang" in front of tomatoes, bell peppers and potatoes, so you know for sure those are not native Chinese veggies. Foreigners are called "Yang Ren", literally "foreign human beings".

11. __ rule: AS A.

12. Where Fez is: MOROCCO.

13. Make a humble retraction: EAT CROW.

14. Bronzing method: SPRAY-ON TAN. Another sparkly fill.

15. Tabernacle singers: CHOIR.

16. "The Insider" director Michael: MANN. Sorry, I don't know you.

17. Fit for service: ONE A.

18. Floor opposition: NAYS. House/Senate floor.

24. Swain: BEAU.

26. Turgenev's birthplace: OREL. "Fathers and Sons" author.

29. Bamboozled: SNOWED.

31. Sitcom sign-off word: NANU. Nanu Nanu. "Mork and Mindy".

32. Berkshire school: ETON.

34. APR reducer: RE-FI.

38. Hard to make out: BLEARY.

41. Property recipient, in law: ALIENEE.

42. Afternoon services: TEA SETS.

45. Start of a duel: EN GARDE.

46. Marlins manager Mattingly: DON. Dodgers' manager for a few years also.

47. Adm.'s subordinate: CAPT.

49. Masthead VIPs: EDS. Our crossword VIPs.

Kim Taylor and Rich Norris

50. Caviar: ROE.

51. Wedding consequence, perhaps: MRS.

54. Med. care group: HMO.

57. Foot in a pound: PAW. Great clue.

59. Spanish sherry: AMOROSO.

60. Farm female: SOW.

61. Bishop's jurisdiction: DIOCESE.

62. Useful: OF VALUE.

64. __ exam: BAR.

67. Room for a home theater: DEN.

68. CBS CEO Moonves: LES. Husband of Julie Chen.

69. "I'm not listening to you": LA LA LA.

72. Hightails it: LAMS.

73. Professional org. since 1878: ABA.

74. Presumed defense against mind-reading: TIN FOIL HAT.

76. Symbol of peace: VEE.

77. Ancient: OLD.

78. "__ Believer": '60s hit: I'M A.

80. Issa __, creator of HBO's "Insecure": RAE. Had to clue her in a recent puzzle, so gimme.

81. Deemed appropriate: SAW FIT.

86. Homes for F-16s: AIR BASES.

88. 1957 war movie title river: KWAI.

89. Pat on a pancake, perhaps: OLEO. Boomer likes this spread from Aldi.

90. Danson and Knight: TEDS.

93. Works on bare spots: RE-SEEDS.

94. Bit of ocular relief: EYE DROP. My doctor recommended this last time when I had the abrasions.

95. Tackles, e.g.: LINEMEN.

98. Shocker: JOLT. Our local Asian store finally starts to carry this mountain yam. Alas, they want $3.99 per pound. Crazy! I learned that these yams grow in North Carolina too, but locals regard them as invasive species. I'll stick with my dried ones.

101. Victoria's Secret spec: D CUP.

102. Hit song from "Flashdance": MANIAC.

103. Wagnerian soprano: ISOLDE. Lover of Tristan.

104. Acted sheepishly?: BAAED.

106. Went (over) thoroughly: PORED.

107. Big belt: SWIG.

108. Very: OH SO.

109. A jerk may serve one: COLA.

111. Indonesian resort island: BALI.

114. Slow start?: ESS. Slow.

116. One-third of nove: TRE.

117. Online guffaw: LOL.

118. Wash. neighbor: ORE.

119. Complex trap: WEB.

C.C.

Saturday, June 23, 2018, Debbie Ellerin

Themeless Saturday by Debbie Ellerin

Today, June 23,  is National Let It Go Day. Here is some wonderful advice that flows from that sentiment

On this day of introspection, Debbie Ellerin has a given us a very nice exercise. Debbie is a "longtime puzzle solver" who caught the constructing bug in 2014. She has been published in the NYT, the LA Times and the WSJ. She is a former computer programmer who splits her time between LA and Boston. She spends her free time reading, watching MSNBC and traveling to visit her two children.

I was going to grump about 39. Rear ends?: ARS where Debbie was indicating the R's that serve as the front and back end of the word REAR yield the fill AR'S. I decided that in the spirit of the day I will LET IT GO! 😉

Now after taking my tongue out of my cheek, I must aver that I am in awe of all constructors and especially those who produce these wonderful Saturday gems like Debbie has for us today! 


Now let's take a look at what Debbie has for us before we LET IT GO!


Across:

1. "The __ Book": JUNGLE - Rosemary DeCamp is the only actor I recognized in the cast from this 1942 movie version 

7. Eyjafjallajökull output: ASH - This Icelandic Volcano is pronounce Ay-yah-fyad-layer-kuh-tel 

10. "C'mon, be __!": A PAL.

14. Straighten out: UNCOIL - Often said about a baseball swing

15. It often has twists: PLOT LINE - My binge watching of Grey's Anatomy revealed PLOT LINE twists that made me shake my head. A man is attacked by his date's full grown pet lion but wait, she's upset with him...

17. Treaty of Versailles region: ALSACE - This small area bordered by France, Germany and Switzerland was returned to France after WWI in 1919 as Germany had taken it 40 yrs. previously

18. Apparent displacement due to observer movement: PARALLAX - This is a very useful tool in astronomy but here is a simple explanation

19. Website with a Certified Fresh seal: ROTTEN TOMATOES - If I had only gone to ROTTENTOMATOES.COM I would never have gone to see Morgan, Rene and Tommy Lee in this worst movie I have ever paid money to see!

21. "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" singer: EVA - Peron

22. Word sung after the ball drops: AULD - AULD Land Syne - Scottish for "Times Long Past"

23. Ivan the Terrible, e.g.: TSAR - He used Ива́н Васи́льевич on his business cards

25. Frat letters: ZETAS  

28. Loses focus: BLURS.

31. Gun designer __ Gal: UZI - UZI Gal and his famous/infamous invention

32. Object: DEMUR.

34. Hostile environment: SNAKE PIT - Some basketball arenas with rowdy student sections are called a SNAKE PIT

36. Neatnik's nemesis: SLOB - We can all complete this analogy - SLOB : Oscar = Neatnik : ______

38. Work on a muffler: KNIT.

39. Invasion, for example: ACT OF WAR - Nazis dressed as Poles "attacked" a German radio station on 8/31/39.  The Nazis declared this as an ACT OF WAR and history students know what Hitler did the next day

43. Big name in publishing: KNOPF - The first books KNOPF published were under Borzoi Books because his wife loved that dog breed. He kept the dog as a symbol for KNOPF Books.

47. Makeup exam?: ASSAY - An ASSAY report on the makeup of an ore sample from a Utah mine in 1943

49. Bergen's dumbest dummy: SNERD - Mortimer

51. Fox relative: SAUK - A young Abraham Lincoln fought against the SAUK and Fox tribes in the Black Hawk War in 1832

53. One with a unicorn as a heraldic symbol: SCOT.

55. "The __ of Pooh": TAO - According to Benjamin Hoff  and 46. Hundred Acre Wood denizen: ROO didn't make this list

56. Online exchange medium: CRYPTO CURRENCY - A decentralized, peer-to-peer method of payment. That's all you're getting from me! Yikes!

61. Sarcastic "What a shame": OH BOO HOO - One tire on your new Maserati is low... 

62. Make sparkle, in a way: AERATE - Now I have to AERATE my birdbath?

63. Particle name that Fermi introduced to the scientific community: NEUTRINO - This physics guy won't make this esoteric journey with you. You're welcome.

64. Alligator kin: CAIMAN - Not spelled with a "Y" it turns out

65. Bone on a menu: OSSO  - A scathing review of the OSSO restaurant in Peebles, Scotland

66. IRS ID: SSN.

67. Cars that misfired badly?: EDSELS - Wrong car at the wrong time. I doubt many kids get the name Edsel any more like Edsel Ford did


Down:

1. City across the river from El Paso: JUAREZ - From space at night

3. Wolfpack's home: NC STATE.

4. Far from a fan favorite: GOAT - What a change! This error by Billy Buckner made him an 2. Far from popular: UNLOVED GOAT but today GOAT also stands for Greatest Of All Time. Ah, 13. "The Joy of __": Brandreth's book for word buffs: LEX.

5. Causes of some head scratching: LICE.

6. John Paul's successor: ELENA - Cute clue! No she was not a pope.

ELENA Kagen replaced John Paul Stevens 
on the Supreme Court in 2010

7. Team-ranking surveys, briefly: AP POLLS.

8. Sure thing: SLAM DUNK - Most Nebraskans thought legendary Husker FB coach Tom Osborne was a SLAM DUNK to be elected governor in 2006 but my golfing friend Dave Heineman beat him.

9. "Hava Nagila" dance: HORA.

10. Dole out: ALLOT - On a good day, I ALLOT about an hour to do the puzzle, read the comments and comment myself

11. Accumulates: PILES UP.

12. Cliff Palace dwellers: ANASAZI

16. Body image?: TAT.

20. Popcorn buy: TUB - One site said that $5.75 popcorn costs 37¢ to make

24. Musical dir.: RIT - Slow down, as is shown here in a place familiar to us all

26. Schoolyard comeback: AM SO.

27. Bacteria-fighting drug: SULFA - Not for everyone as you can see by this warning

29. Private, for one: RANK.

30. Pickup game team: SKINS - Playing SHIRTS vs SKINS only works for one gender

33. Spats: ROWS - If they happen in movie theaters you could have ROWS in the ROWS

35. Henry VI founded it in 1440: ETON.

37. Some winds: BASSOONS - Between its size and required air pressure through the double reeds, this looks like a very hard instrument to play. Jazz, et al?

40. Manager's staff: COACHES - All these COACHES can't make KC a winner this year. It seems you need good players 😜

41. Gig transport: TOUR BUS.

42. Animal in a Beatles ballad: RACCOON - Rocky Racoon was a man in Dakota seeking revenge

44. Term of endearment: PET NAME

45. Repeating geometric pattern: FRACTAL - Don't look too long!

48. "With or Without __": U2 song: YOU.

50. Elders: DOYENS - Usually prominent ones

52. 1997 protocol city: KYOTO - The U.S. delegation signed this protocol but the Senate did not ratify it

54. Bit: TRACE - Such as these TRACE elements that we need in small amounts

57. Favor preceder?: POR - POR favor, introduzca un comentario después de terminar el rompecabezas (PLEASE enter a comment after you finish the puzzle)

58. It's not that: THIS.

59. Consume Food and Wine, say: READ  - Food and Wine are capitalized 

60. Most massive known dwarf planet: ERIS - Slightly bigger than fellow dwarf planet Pluto

61. Beatle bride: ONO.

Now before you post a comment, I invite you to sing along with the beautiful song sung by a crossword regular about today's day of celebration.  Words are provided, including the word FRACTALS!

DA GRID