Monday March 4, 2019 Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: Where's My Car? - S is added to the given name of each famous person whose last name is a car.

17. Poet's Rambler?: OGDEN'S NASH.

23. "High Noon" actor's Mini?: GARY'S COOPER.

36. President's Continental?: ABRAHAM'S LINCOLN.

47. "Pillow Talk" actor's Hornet?: ROCK'S HUDSON.

56. First lady's Mustang?: BETTY'S FORD.

Boomer here.  

I am done complaining about the weather. A sign of Spring, the Topps Heritage baseball cards for 2019 showed up Saturday. I only purchased two boxes.  (So far).  I have been a collector for many years and was a store owner and card show dealer in the past. Not so much anymore. 

Speaking of the past, my mother drove a Nash back in the fifties and I also remember the Hudson Hornet. I do not like the current Mini Cooper ad on TV when the guy substitutes "tall concrete" for "cottonwood trees" in "Don't Fence Me In".  "I hate it when they get the words wrong!"  spoken by Crash Davis in "Bull Durham".  

Bowling is improving. Last Thursday I had two games over 200 in my three game set. First time since I went on the DL.  No 600s yet but stay tuned.

Across:

1. Moorehead of "Bewitched": AGNES.  Darrin was not a big fan of Endora. Shout-out to our blog Agnes (Irish Miss).

Eileen (sister of Agnes) and Agnes, 11/22/2013

6. Whole bunch: SCAD.  Move the S behind the D and you might have some luxury cars, but not a whole bunch of them.

10. This is one: CLUE.  I think it was done by Miss Scarlett in the Kitchen with a knife.

14. Sparkling topper: TIARA.

15. Extremely: OH SO.  I think he is a Japanese baseball player with the Angels.

16. "With this __ ... ": RING. I thee wed.

19. Gas brand in Canada: ESSO.  I have seen this before, initially in Germany.

20. Ronan Farrow's mom: MIA. Most famous for "Rosemary's Baby" in my opinion.  Was hitched to Frank Sinatra for a year or two.

21. Ding in a car: DENT.  Yankee shortstop BUCKY was a World Series MVP in 1978.

22. Parcels (out): METES.

26. Most-feared Hun: ATTILA.  Of Course he was the most feared.  How many names of Huns can you remember ?

 31. Canonized pope who kept 26-Across from invading Rome: ST LEO. "The Great"

29. 2001 scandal company: ENRON. As the collector that I am and have said before, I have some Enron golf balls. Maybe they will be worth something some day.  (Of course, I also still have some Mark McGwire rookie cards.)

30. Deity with goat legs: FAUN.

33. Gumshoe: TEC.  They left out some letters de tive.

40. Stocking flaw: RUN. to the city of refuge.

41. La Scala solos: ARIAS.

42. Dijon darling: AMIE.

43. Touch of color: TINCT.

45. Most slippery, as roads: ICIEST.  Plenty of these all across the upper Midwest.

50. Complex tales: SAGAS.  I thought this was "SuperAmerica Gas".  But they changed the name to Speedway.

51. Tale teller: LIAR.  Pants on fire.

52. Tour gp. with tees: PGA.  Watched the "Bear Trap" over the weekend.  I do not have enough balls to play a course like that.

55. School attended by many English statesmen: ETON.

59. Has a cold, say: AILS.  Ail Ail, the gangs all here.

60. Rowboat movers: OARS.  Gently down the stream.

61. Like horror film music: EERIE.  One of the Spooky Great Lakes.

62. Fuss: TO-DO.  I think this is two words about nothing.

63. Cloudy: GRAY.

64. Most high schoolers: TEENS.

Down:

1. Split bit: ATOM.  Mr. Terrific was A Tom.

2. 1958 Chevalier musical: GIGI.  I thought a 1958 Chevalier was a General Motors compact car.

3. Nothing, in Spain: NA DA.  It's nothing in the USA as well.

4. Before, poetically: ERE.  A poetic Great Lake.

5. Open-toed shoe: SANDAL.

6. Cher's singing partner: SONNY.  I Got You Babe.  Sadly lost an argument with a tree while skiing.

7. Online talks: CHATS.

8. Beast of burden: ASS.  Okay, I won't make a comment on this one today.

9. Head-slapping word from Homer: DOH. I can honestly say that I have never watched a full episode of "The Simpson's".

10. Sleazy sort, in slang: CREEPO.

11. "Pay attention when I speak": LISTEN TO ME.  I hate it when people say this.

12. Racing family name: UNSER.  I have heard of Bobby and Al.  I guess there were a few more drivers.

13. They may clash on film sets: EGOS.

18. Toxin fighters: SERA.

22. Dummy: MORON.  Famous word uttered by Rex Tillerson.

23. Actress Torres of "Firefly": GINA.

24. Phones in pockets or purses: CELLS.  I think you can even have a smart or a flip.

25. "That's __ haven't heard": ONE I.

26. A distant place: AFAR. We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we traverse AFAR.

27. "Forbidden" perfume: TABU. In my address book it's the TAB between T and V

28. What things do when touched by Midas: TURN TO GOLD.  Except at the muffler shop, where the only thing is how many ounces you will need to pay the bill.

31. Actress Jada Pinkett __: SMITH. Pretty common name. We have Senator Tina Smith from Minnesota. She took Al Franken's place.

32. Flight safety org.: TSA. Visited a few of them on Feb. 10.  Passed through with flying colors.

34. Fans of college sports' Bulldogs: ELIS.

35. Tech product review website: CNET.

37. Actor Tom who said, "There's no crying in baseball": HANKS. "A League of Their Own".  Enjoyed him better in "Forrest Gump."

38. Curved parts: ARCS.

39. Eve's firstborn: CAIN. The story goes that he killed his younger brother, Abel.  Glad I did not have an older brother.

44. "No problem for me!": I CAN SO.  We always said "I Can Too."  How about you?

45. "By Jove!": I SAY.

46. Tight undergarment: CORSET.  Not sure why anyone would wear one of these.  Doctor had me wearing a big plastic corset for about 6 weeks and I hated it.

47. Betting odds, e.g.: RATIO.  Odds are usually expressed in whole numbers. 2-1, 3-1, 6-5, etc.  A ratio is usually expressed in fractions.  Mathematics professors may bite my head off if I am wrong.

48. Michelob diet beer: ULTRA.  I suppose there is no corn syrup in it.

49. Rattlebrained: DITSY.  Brother of ITSY and BITSY.

50. Chair or sofa: SEAT.

52. Skin opening: PORE.

53. Broad smile: GRIN. and Bear it.

54. Citrus drinks: ADES.

56. Peat source: BOG.

57. Organ with a drum: EAR.  If you hear with an ear, and speak with a beak, why is your nose not called a Mell

58. Lawyer's charge: FEE.  Some may call it a fee, others may call it a ransom.

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

I mentioned last Wednesday about the 42nd American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (March 22 to March 24, Stamford Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut). Mike Alpern, who organized the annual  Cru Dinner, told me that "The response has been great and next week, an invitation to all tournament rookies will go out which should fill the remaining spots. If you would, please let your fans know that if they're thinking of attending the Cru Dinner, the time to do it is now."

So contact Luca's grandpa Mike soon. You don't want to miss a precious mingling opportunity with other solvers and constructors. If you're a rookie, you'll get a nice surprise gift.

Sunday March 3, 2019 C.C. Burnikel

Title:  "Revisiting the Past" - ETAD (DATE backwards) spans across each theme entry.
 
23. Process that may transform a neutron into a proton: BETA DECAY.

28. Line on a package: STREET ADDRESS.
 
45. Navy bigwig: FLEET ADMIRAL.

53. Online pop-up, say: INTERNET AD.

69. Common animal welfare goal: PET ADOPTION.

90. Tip for a loser?: DIET ADVICE.

97. Barbershop standard: SWEET ADELINE.

114. Anonymous fan: SECRET ADMIRER.

Reveal:

122. Makes retroactive ... or what the eight other longest Across answers have: BACKDATES.

Very simple theme. Very Gail G, right? I just adore her.

I did make a big goof in my original grid. See 63-Across? METADATA, which has DATE goes backward as well. Totally escaped me. Thankfully Rich noticed it and redid that part himself.  Thanks, Rich!

Across: 
 
1. Island near Java: BALI.

5. At the drop of __: A HAT. As you can see from the grid, I have A RAT crossing ROC, the skincare brand. Rich probably does not think the brand is common enough.

9. Players with parts: CAST.

13. Like highways: LANED.

18. Apple variety: IMAC. Not the edible GALA.

19. Jay of "Jerry Maguire": MOHR.

20. Top story: ATTIC.

22. Post with a column: EMILY. Lovely clue. Rich's creation. I had "Blunt on screen".

25. Tree with edible nuts: BEECH.

26. "I swear!": NO LIE.

27. Man of La Mancha: SENOR.

31. Hefty closer: TWIST TIE.

34. Out before the term ends: PAROLED.

35. Sturdy trees: ELMS.

38. Cote call: COO.

39. Hectic hosp. areas: ERS. That fateful day in Sept.

41. "Iron Man" Ripken: CAL.

42. Ostrich relative: EMU.

48. School notebook decorations: DOODLES.

51. Sound mixing control: FADER.

52. Georgia, once: Abbr.: SSR.

56. Asia's __ Darya river: AMU. Learned from doing crosswords. Looks like it originates in the shrinking Aral Sea.

57. Expert: ACE.

60. Magazine since 1850: HARPER'S.

62. Princess in "The Princess and the Frog": TIANA. Wikis says she's "The ninth Disney Princess, Tiana is the first to be of African-American heritage."

63. Don Juan: CASANOVA.

66. One of Donald Duck's nephews: HUEY.

67. Google : Android :: Apple : __: IOS.

68. Isaac's eldest: ESAU.

73. Actor __ James of "Divergent" films: THEO.

77. It ends in Nov.: DST.

79. Like die-hard fans: AVID.

80. Hearty bowlful often topped with tortilla chips: TACO SOUP.

82. Skate park move: OLLIE.

85. Spice rack staple: OREGANO. I don't like the taste of oregano.

88. Like the Beatles?: FAB. Rich's clue.

89. __ Fridays: TGI.

92. Raised rumblers: ELS.

94. Every hour on the hour, say: OFTEN.

96. An official election ballot can't have one: ERASURE. Rich's clue as well. What if you make a mistake? Can you use Wite-Out? I have not screwed up yet, but I only focus on the races I care about and leave lots of stuff blank.

101. Bummed: SAD.

102. Clearance rack abbr.: IRR.

104. Danson of TV's "Fargo": TED.

105. Bus sched. item: ARR.

106. Tailless primates: APES.

107. Withdrawal charges: ATM FEES.

111. Longtime comic with a "Great Jewish Joke Book": ALAN KING. Also Rich's clue.

117. Singer Jones: NORAH.

120. Brown with a frying pan: ALTON. Here he is.

121. Permanent marks: SCARS.

126. Sun block?: CLOUD.

127. Mississippi's __ River: YAZOO.

128. Sandbox boo-boo: OWIE.

129. Sushi roll wrap: NORI. Some rolls have the nori wrapped inside.

130. Mini racers: KARTS.

131. The Ivy League's Quakers: PENN.

132. Caboose: REAR.

133. Agt. after tax evaders: T MAN.

Down:

1. Marathon runner's wear: BIB. These four are stealing others' bib numbers.

2. Iowa college town: AMES.

3. Past the deadline: LATE.

4. Complaint from the nosebleed section: I CAN'T SEE.

5. "West Side Story" number: AMERICA.

6. Ad __ committee: HOC.

7. "Gotcha!": AHA.

8. Clandestine arrangement: TRYST.

9. 11-time MLB All-Star Miguel: CABRERA. One of Boomer's favorite players.

10. Perfectly, with "to": A TEE. Partial.

11. Exorbitant: STEEP.

12. Altoids rival: TIC TAC.

13. Tennis great Ivan: LENDL.

14. Valentino's love: AMORE.

15. Rosetta Stone discovery area: NILE DELTA. Have any of you seen the Rosetta Stone in person?

16. Yale alumni: ELIS.

17. Turns red, perhaps: DYES.

21. Classic parlor game: CHARADES.

24. Investor's barometer, with "the": DOW.

29. __ del Fuego: TIERRA.

30. Melancholy: DOLOR.

32. Ground cover: SOD. Our townhouse association hired these guys to clean the snow and icicles on the roof last Wednesday. This year is extra tough because of the rain we got in January. It turned into ice and made walking dangerous. The heavy snow that followed after eased up the walking considerably, but the snow just won't stop.

33. Alley prowlers: TOMS. Oh hi, Texas "alley prowler"  and Chicago "alley prowler"!

35. Rub out: EFFACE.

36. Incan herd members: LLAMAS.

37. Gorgon slain by Perseus: MEDUSA.

40. Mistake: SLIP UP.

43. Like the Grinch: MEAN.

44. Org. that may request food recalls: USDA.

46. Air__: Southwest subsidiary: TRAN. Dave 2's nephew is a Southwest pilot.

47. "More or less" cousin: ISH.

49. "I'm __ you!": ONTO.

50. Franklin and Jefferson, religiously: DEISTS.

54. Nair rival, once: NEET.

55. "Taste this": TRY IT. Hmm, I'd like some chicken peanut butter stew on my rice.

58. Egyptian Christian: COPT.

59. Prior night: EVE.

61. Mary's best friend: RHODA. Mary Tyler Moore.

64. Accounting jobs: AUDITS.

65. Missile Command producer: ATARI.

67. Pizarro victim: INCA.

70. Con counterpart, across the Pyrenees: AVEC.  My sister-in-law Connie avec moi. I asked D-Otto what the color of my scarf is. He said tan, pink or gray. He settled on pink.

C.C. & Connie, Feb 11, 2019, The Orleans

71. Compendium: DIGEST.

72. Clumsy one: OAF.

74. Inside investment info: HOT TIP.

75. Oregon college town: EUGENE.

76. Offers a view: OPINES.

78. Hall of Fame linebacker Junior: SEAU.

81. English horn relative: OBOE.

82. Tributes in verse: ODES. I loved TTP's Neruda ODE observations. He was indeed getting hungry. 

83. Constantinople coin: LIRA.

84. Star: LEAD ACTOR. I love this performance so much. Just amazing.

85. Eggs order: OVER EASY.

86. Tattoo parlor sticker: NEEDLE.

87. Flamenco cheer: OLE.

91. Snowstorm consequence: DRIFT. We really don't have place for more snow.

93. Suffix meaning "country": STAN.

95. Egregious: FLAGRANT.

98. Becomes tiresome to: WEARS ON.

99. Vessel for couples: ARK.

100. Pub patron: DRINKER.

103. One with a lot of baggage: REDCAP.

108. Salmon cousin: TROUT.

109. Gives a darn?: MENDS.

110. Pollution portmanteau: SMAZE. Smoke and Haze.

112. Shady area: ARBOR.

113. Wordless agreement: NOD.

114. Quarterback's setback: SACK.

115. Jazz great Fitzgerald: ELLA.

116. Tofu nutrient: IRON. I pan-fry mine often.

118. Splittable bit: ATOM.

119. Eldest daughter of Cronus: HERA.

123. Wonder: AWE. Hi, JJM, it's TTP who posted last week's IRISH EYES pic. Not me. He is just amazing.

124. Its HQ is named for George H.W. Bush: CIA.

125. Sloth, e.g.: SIN.

Great to see both Dave 2 and Lorraine posting on the blog now. It's been tough for both of them. Thanks for the continued support and encouragement for them!

C.C.

Saturday, March 2, 2019, Andrew J. Ries

Themeless Saturday by Andrew J. Ries

If you follow my blogging at all you know I have a very soft spot in my heart for cats and today we celebrate International Cat Rescue Day.

We got our Siamese Lily at the Capital Humane Society in Lincoln, NE over four years ago (picture to follow). She has become an essential part of our household and has added much joy to Joann's and my life.

There are many more pets out there ready for adoption and it might be something to consider.

Today's constructor is Andrew Ries whose web site address you see here. It cleverly incorporates his first initial and surname.  Very cool!

 Here is a link to the last Andrew Ries puzzle I blogged where you can find a bio of Andrew along with a picture of him and C.C.

I won't say Andrew's puzzle was "purrfect" and you can't make me! I started in the NE and made steady clockwise progress until I crossed the finish line at SEX QUIZ.

Let's examine the other entries Andrew has adopted today (just a J and a K short of a pangram); none of which I judged to be catty!

Across:

1. Throws: SLINGS - Here "Slingin'" Sammy Baugh throws one for the Washington Redskins. Check out his signature.

7. Some confrontations: SCENES - "Don't make a SCENE"

13. Good-for-nothin': NO COUNT or NO ACCOUNT

15. Decide: CHOOSE.

16. Abroad: OVERSEAS

18. "Ben-Hur" Oscar winner: HESTON - I'm not sure I was ready for the violence when my friend's mom took us to see Ben-Hur in 1959

19. "Webspace" was added to it in Jun. 2017: OED - Oxford English Dictionary

20. Hot BuzzFeed feature?: SEX QUIZ - If Your Sex Life Was A Disney Character, What Would It Be?

22. "When we know, you'll know": Abbr.: TBA - You can announce the answer to the quiz above when you're ready

23. Substitute: PROXY - My lovely bride is her 96-yr-old mother's PROXY for everything in her life

25. "Tequila mockingbird" and "absinthe of malice," for two: PUNS - Fun!

26. Maverick on TV: BRET - If you believe gamblers in the old west looked and dressed like James Garner

27. Big __: SUR - The Pacific Coast Highway, that runs through this lovely place, suffered what The California Road Department called the "biggest mudslide in California history" in 2017

28. Development home: TRACT HOUSE - Pete Seeger satirized them

30. "The History of the Standard Oil Company" author: TARBELL - Ida was a muckraker of the early 20th century

32. Dunked discs: OREOS - How shall I clue thee? Let me count the ways.

33. Respectful assent: YES PLEASE 

35. Hardened, maybe: STALE - The rolls we had in Germany were not STALE but, oh my, were they ever hard. However, I loved to 53. Down: EAT them

38. Creamy sauce: ALFREDO.

40. Written argument: LEGAL BRIEF - Boomer might say, "Perry Mason's underwear" but I won't. 😙

42. NOW center: Abbr.: ORG - Betty Friedan is said to have come up with the acronym on a napkin during a meeting in her hotel room with her group of burgeoning feminists

44. Many a Baghdad dad: ARAB.

45. It helps you focus: LENS - I want this LENS for my iPhone

46. Part of some salesmen's deliveries: SMARM - I'm more accustomed to the adjectival form - SMARMY. How 'bout dat? I used adjective in its adjectival form!

48. Dietitian's calc.: BMI - Calculate your Body Mass Indicator

49. '70s Robert Blake cop show: BARETTA - Another TV trope - A maverick cop

51. Pillow talk murmur: COO - As in "Bill and COO". Name for two birds @ 46 Across?

52. Musical ineptitude: TIN EAR

54. Reference to a note: SEE BELOW - As promised, a picture of our Lily on Cat Rescue day

Our Rescued Lily!

56. Going for less: ON SALE - SETTLE didn't cut it

57. Come out of the bullpen: RELIEVE - The ultimate trip out of the bullpen  (two "f-bombs")

58. Like a date without a heart?: PITTED - Clever Andrew!

59. Picked up: SENSED.


Down:

1. Private eye: SNOOP 

2. They may put their initials on trunks: LOVERS - For me and my lovely bride

3. Wearing expensive jewelry, in modern slang: ICED OUT - Ice is slang for diamonds

4. 1994 Olympics host: Abbr.: NOR - The lingering image of those olympics in NORWAY is below. Tonya claimed 10. "Lies!": NOT TRUE but later admitted she knew "something was up"

5. Dress (up): GUSSY - A school marm might gussy herself up and sashay into town

6. Bygone blade: SNEE and 9. Dawn goddess: EOS - Two regulars on the cwd bench


7. Crystalline rock: SCHIST - From the Greek word for split (Schism from last Tuesday also comes to mind)

8. "In the home of," literally: CHEZ - You might eat at CHEZ Henri or more commonly say "S'il te plaît, viens CHEZ moi" (Please come to my house)

11. 1962 hit with the line "the samba's the quickest way to make amor": ESO BESO - ESO sometimes appears alone clued as "Spanish article" but here, of course ESO BESO means "That Kiss" a hit song for Paul Anka

12. Legal bodies: SENATES.

14. Return specialist: TAX PREPARER - I do my own with Turbo Tax

17. Fronts of cold fronts: SQUALL LINES it might be time to pick up your 50. Drivers' elevators: TEES and head for the clubhouse

21. Addams who can generate electricity: UNCLE FESTER.

Jackie Coogan playing UNCLE FESTER
in The Addams Family

24. Where doctors may catch a break?: X-RAY LAB - Gotta love this clue, after you hated it!

26. Yawning cause: BOREDOM - Director John Hughes told Ben Stein, who had a degree in economics, to just ad lib a horrendous lecture

28. "Angie Tribeca" airer: TBS - Here 'ya go

29. Gardening aid: HOSE and 31. 29-Down storage device: REEL - We've got three of these on our house

34. Sound from a purse, possibly: ARF - A clever clue but seems like a cruel practice

35. Thick table surface: SLAB TOP 

36. Ends: TERMINI - Literally the ends of the line. Plural for terminus

37. Playing on the field: AGAINST - Cornhuskers AGAINST the Sooners used to be a big FB deal

39. Wall Street whizzes, say: ORACLES.

41. Played loudly: BLARED - Because Kennedy Space Center is on Merritt Island, which is an animal sanctuary, NASA couldn't harm the woodpeckers tearing up insulated fuel tanks. Therefore they BLARED Metallica at them and the birds left.

43. It's good to be in one: GROOVE - We had this last Saturday where I mentioned Boomer having been in many of these while bowling

46. Pricey fur: SABLE - The habitat of this furry little carnivore

47. Did yard work: MOWED.

49. Block on a farm: BALE - Today they are much more likely to be this shape which is much less labor intensive

55. A, in German class: EIN - The indefinite article not the letter.  Dies ist EIN Kreuzworträtsel (This is a crossword puzzle)

After you comment, you might want to call/visit your local shelter to rescue a pet!