Theme: ANIMAL RIGHTS (56. Anti-cruelty movement, and what the answers to the starred clues literally have) - The right side of each theme entry is an animal.
20. *Clickable device with a light sensor: OPTICAL MOUSE.
35. *One who's easily frightened: SCAREDY CAT.
42. *Simple riding toy: HOBBY HORSE.
Boomer here.
When I was a kid, the only animal we had was a pet dog. Speaking of that era, C.C. and I journeyed to northern Wisconsin to meet up with a friend of my youth who I have not seen for about 60 years. We exchanged stories of our lives and had a great meal at a restaurant on Yellow Lake near Danbury.
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| Boomer and Carol, Danbury, WI, 7/25/2025 |
Across:
6. Chesapeake Bay crustacean: CRAB. Yes you are!!
10. Lavish party: FETE.
14. Stand-up performer: COMIC. Some of us can do it sitting down.
15. Top-quality: A ONE. There are a lot of A ONE puzzle solvers on this blog.
16. Iraq's eastern neighbor: IRAN. You would probably RUN too if you lived there.
17. Muscat native: OMANI.
18. Grazing grounds: RANGELAND. Sounds like Texas to me.
22. __ Beta Kappa: PHI.
23. Chemical in oven cleaners: LYE. Our oven never gets dirty enough to use that stuff.
24. "How unfortunate": IT'S SAD. Miguel Sano is back on the Twins roster. His batting average is .089 !
28. "Comprende?": SEE.
29. Lavish party: GALA. We had a GALA party of four at Yellow Lake.
31. "Wheels down" stat, for short: ETA.
32. Confined, with "up": PENT. Maybe in a PENT house.
38. Merit badge earner: SCOUT. I was a cub scout but never made it to the next level.
40. Tolkien monster: ORC.
41. Bizarre: OUTRE.
45. Clearance rack caveat: AS IS.
46. Craft brewer's brew: ALE. My favorite is Canada Dry ginger ALE.
47. Snail-paced: POKY. Hurry up!
48. R&B's Boyz II __: MEN.
50. Bruce of the "Die Hard" films: WILLIS.
52. Auction offer: BID. We have spent a lot of time buying and selling on eBbay.
53. Director's shout: CUT. Also a barber's shout.
60. Citrus drink: ORANGEADE.
63. Big name in water filters: BRITA. Our water does not need a filter. City water is pretty clean.
64. Bookish sort: NERD. Lots of NERD movies back in the eighties ?
65. GPS suggestions: RTES. We just Google a map if we don't know where we're going.
66. Prying tool: LEVER.
67. "To a ... " poems: ODES. "Ode to Billie Joe" It was the third of June....
68. Cravings: YENS.
69. Decorative jugs: EWERS.
Down:
2. Get-up-and-go: OOMPH. Got up and went!
3. Violin master who taught Stradivari: AMATI. Sounds like a name of a car model.
4. __ Cooper: small car made by BMW: MINI. And this is a car model. Too small for me.
5. Spiky winter hanger: ICICLE. Back on our home in a few months. Brrr
6. Kid-lit writer/illustrator Eric: CARLE.
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7. Knock about: ROAM. We ROAMed north to Danbury WI.
8. __ Domini: ANNO. Year of our Lord.
9. Enchant: BEGUILE.
10. Contents of a backup drive: FILES. C.C. keeps them on the computer.
11. Chapter in history: ERA. Also a pitcher's stat.
12. Light brown color: TAN. I have a bit on the arms. It'll be gone by fall.
13. See 51-Down: END. 51. With 13-Down, clothing retailer that began as a mail-order yachting supply company: LANDS.
19. Chihuahua or Sonora, por ejemplo: ESTADO. Is it fair to put non English fill with non English clue in a Monday puzzle?
21. "The __ have it": "Motion carries": AYES. Ah Yes!
25. Religious splinter groups: SECTS.
26. Video game pioneer: ATARI. Spent many hours on mine.
27. Goes out with: DATES. I dated my bowling ball for years.
28. Bang, as one's toe: STUB. Receipt for a ticket.
29. Actor Shandling: GARRY. Never thought much of him.
30. Curved sections: ARCS. The really BIG one is in St, Louis!
32. "Oh, nonsense!": PSHAW.
33. Bacteria that may trigger a food recall: E COLI. Nasty stuff.
34. Prestigious prize with six categories: NOBEL.
36. Downton Abbey's Mrs. Patmore, for one: COOK. I was one years ago. The pay was a bit low but it was fun.
37. Chinese currency: YUAN.
39. Skill measured in wpm: TYPING. Still using only one hand. My WPM is about 5.
43. Stockings: HOSIERY. I call them socks.
44. Mideast leader: EMIR.
49. Safe to consume: EDIBLE. The C.C. garden beans are very EDIBLE.
52. "God __ America": BLESS. "From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam "
53. Onion kin: CHIVE.
54. Say out loud: UTTER. Better say it louder.
55. Bygone Russian rulers: TSARS. I think Vladimir is wearing the badge now.
57. Life partner: MATE. Your King is trapped in chess.
58. Yemen coastal city: ADEN.
59. Increased in size: GREW. My money did not grow in Danbury, WI.
60. Peace activist Yoko: ONO.
61. Crimson: RED.
62. "__ you sure?": ARE. I am never sure.
Boomer
