Theme: STRINGS ATTACHED
(61A. Proposal conditions ... and what the first parts of the answers
to starred clues all can have) - The first word in each answer has a
string attached.
17A. *Reasons for refinancing : BALLOON PAYMENTS
23A. *Inconsistent nutrition plan : YO-YO DIETING
38. *With 41-Across, "How to Get Away With Murder" Emmy winner : VIOLA. And DAVIS (41. *See 38-Across). Her full name has 10 letters. You can't put a 10 in the middle.
51A. *Marshall Islands nuclear test site : BIKINI ATOLL.
Boomer
here. Wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2017! This puzzle is
written by my best friend, Zhouqin "C.C." Burnikel, who also happens
to be my wife. Hope you enjoyed it.
Across:
1. Specially formed : AD HOC. I am sure this is Latin for something.
6. Circle components : ARCS. Arc the Herald Angels sing ...
10. Set in stone, say : ETCH. If you have a scretch - etch it.
14. Hiking map line : TRAIL. My generation remembers Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing "Happy Trails to you".
15. Western wine region : NAPA. North of San Francisco. I've been there. The grapes in the fields are the size of baseballs
16. Melancholic : DOUR. Words like this are why I never seem to complete crossword puzzles.
20. Top card : ACE. Also can be a perfecto in sports or a WWII flying expert.
21. Iris layer : UVEA. Another one of those words.
22. Syst. with a Buffalo campus : SUNY (State University of New York)
26. Spanish bear : OSO . Another one of those words.
29. "Top Gun" org. : USN. Finally beaten by Army after 14 straight wins.
30. Iditarod racer : DOG SLED. We have these races in Minnesota. All you need is snow, a sled, and a few Huskies.
32. Colo. setting : MST. I think John Denver kept his watch set to this time no matter where he was. I wonder if he fell in love with Colorado because of his last name, or if he changed to that name like some personalities do. Did you know he got his start with the Chad Mitchell Trio?
34. Scat legend, familiarly : ELLA. Also my paternal grandmothers name.
37. Crème de la crème : ELITE
40. "That feels amazing" : AAH
42. Waits in traffic : IDLES. They say not to idle your car to warm it up in cold weather.
43. Support during exercise : SPOT. I may have clued Dick and Jane's doggie.
45. Give no stars to : PAN
46. Asian noodle dish : PAD THAI. I will take C.C.'s word for this
48. One step __ time : AT A
50. Govt. aid for the disabled : SSI. Okay, but I am not disabled but I get a few bucks every month just for being old.
57. Arab bigwig : EMIR - Sounds like the freshman U of Minn basketball star Mr. Coffey who you will hear about as time goes on and the Big 10 (+4) gets going.
59. Wild speech : RANT
60. GM's Mary Barra, for one : CEO
65. It comes before one : NOON
66. Big name in beauty products : ULTA. Ulta also describes your thought when you see the price.
67. Demi of "A Few Good Men" : MOORE. She could handle the truth.
68. Give for a while : LEND. Sometimes $$$, sometimes just your ears
69. December number : NOEL. Maybe someone already constructed a Christmas puzzle with words that do not contain the letter "L".
70. "None for me, thanks" : I PASS. "What do you do when the driver in the car in front of you is texting and going too slow?
Down:
1. On the defensive : AT BAY
2. Harsh Athenian lawmaker : DRACO
3. "Roots" writer : HALEY. Alex - a tremendous story and TV series that kept folks captivated for weeks in the seventies.
4. It may be crude : OIL. Great for most of us, the price has dropped to reasonable. Problems for North Dakota for profits from the sand.
5. Sun blockers : CLOUDS. Cloudy, the sky is gray and white and Cloudy. Sometimes I think its hanging down on me. (Simon and Garfunkel)
6. A year in Provence : ANNEE, Another one of those words.
7. Knock on : RAP AT
8. Busy pro in tax season : CPA. Not looking forward to tax time.
9. Doesn't go along : SAYS NO. Two words I get it, but could also be a name of a video game some day.
10. Steinbeck's "East of __" : EDEN. Why not Genie "Barbara"
11. Twins legend who was the first DH to hit a home run : TONY OLIVA. My words to the bridge of the famous song "Talkin' Baseball" by Terry Cashman. - "Now my old friend Brandy, he loved to watch the Killer clout them out. And my pals from the alley, would go to see Versalles, and me, I always lived Tony O. Where did they go?" My parody version was titles "Zoilo, Tony and the Brew".
 |
| Boomer and Oliva |
12. Director's shout : CUT. Speaking of Mr. Oliva, this could also be the catcher's shout on his throw coming in from right field.
13. Appt. book slots : HRs. Or a baseball stat for Tony. I think he hit a couple hundred in his career.
18. Like a lamb : OVINE
19. Made faces : MUGGED
24. Juice provider : OUTLET. Tricky C.C. Orange is also six letters beginning with "O".
25. Home of most of Sawtooth National Forest : IDAHO. Also huge potato farms. Funny how states get a reputation for vegetables. All Minnesota gets a rep for is lakes and frozen tundra.
27. Become established : SET IN
28. Some flowery works : ODES
31. Try to hit, as a mosquito : SLAP AT. Speaking of a rep for Minnesota - how about a Hockey puck? Paul Newman was great in "Slapshot" and the Hansons were actually the Carlson brothers from the land of 10,000 lakes.
32. King who turned his daughter into gold : MIDAS. They made their name with mufflers but the prices are a little high.
33. Persevere : SOLDIER ON
35. Vision-correcting surgery : LASIK
36. Computer support? : LAP. Tablet computer.
38. Big shots : VIPs
39. Rubbish holder : ASH BIN. Also known as a Dumpster. But we'll call the one behind the White House a Trumpster
44. Contaminate : TAINT. Hillbillies also may use this as slang for "That A'int".
47. BB shooter : AIR GUN. Subject of this year's "A Christmas Story" movie shown 142 times on 36 different cable channels. Whatever happened to "Miracle on 34th Street"?
49. Teahouse mat : TATAMI
52. Hot under the collar : IRATE. Or I rate this puzzle 97 out of 100 !
53. Birth-related : NATAL. Remember Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta "Pirates of Penzance" when the man's natal day was February 29th so although he was an adult, he sang he was a little boy of five. It was a paradox.
54. Former #1 LPGA golfer Lorena : OCHOA. One of my favorites. We saw her at the Women's US Open at Interlachen Country Club a few years ago.
55. Wolfish stares : LEERS
56. Veinlike deposits : LODES
58. Look after : MIND. When sometimes we were snoopy kids the retort was "Mind your own business".
61. Show with "Weekend Update" skits, initially : SNL
62. Tip of a wingtip : TOE
63. Pavement warning : SLO
64. Booking agent? : COP
Boomer
