Tuesday, October 7, 2025

QOD:  If you want peace, don’t talk to your friends.  Talk to your enemies.  ~  Desmond Tutu (né Desmond Mpilo Tutu; Oct. 7, 1931 ~ Dec. 26, 2021), South African cleric and recipient of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize

Steal My Heart. 

16-Across. Replace a player on the basepath: PINCH RUN.

20-Across. Comedian who co-created the Netflix animated series "Big Mouth": NICK KROLL.

32-Across. Ski resort pass: LIFT TICKET.

43-Across. "RuPaul's Drag Race" segment featuring celebrity impressions: SNATCH GAME.

57-Across. Reject, on a dating app: SWIPE LEFT.

63-Across. Go on a break, or what the starts of 16-, 20-, 32-, 43-, and 57-Across can be called: TAKE FIVE.  Five examples of stealing.

Across:

1. Scrabble piece: TILE.

5. Come to a close: END.

8. Small fruit pie: TART.

12. Beyoncé, to the Beyhive: IDOL.  Before she went out on her own, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (b. Sept. 4, 1981), she was the lead singer of Destiny's Child.  Her ardent fans are known as the Beyhive.

13. Caviar: ROE.

14. "Makes sense now": AH, I SEE!

18. Sibling's daughters: NIECES.  //  Lots of family relationships in today's puzzle.  We also saw 24-Across. Unlike 18-Across: MALE.  //  And we have 40-Across. Mama's hermana: TIA.

19. Critical time: D-DAY.

22. October birthstone: OPAL.  Many opals are found in Australia.  Hi, Kazie!

25. Bag-checking org.: TSA.  As in the Transportation Security Administration.

26. Dana Bash's channel: CNN.  Dana Ruth Bash (b. 1971) is an American journalist, news anchor, host of Inside Politics and co-anchor of State of the Union on CNN.

28. Loose-leaf beverage: TEA.  //  And 3-Down. Drink made with Earl Grey tea and steamed milk: LONDON FOG.  I thought London Fog was a clothing manufacturer.

30. Fly or fish, for example: VERB.  //  And 6-Down. Fly or fish, for example: NOUN.

35. Top poker cards: ACES.

39. Houseplant that seldom needs watering: ALOE.

41. Iditarod town: NOME.  A brief history of the Iditarod sled race.

42. Prefix with watts: MEGA.-  So fraught with meaning ...

46. Bread served with biryani: ROTI.  Let's travel to India for today's meal.  Roti is a simple, unleavened flatbread and biryani is an elaborate, aromatic mixed rice dish.  Yummers!

48. Body of water: SEA.

49. Glum: SAD.

50. Orbiting facility: Abbr.: ISS.  As in the International Space Station.

53. __ de gallo: PICO.  Now let's travel to Mexico for our next meal.  Pico de gallo is a Mexican salsa.  Yummers!

55. Dethrone: OUST.

60. Informed: TOLD.

62. Bemoan: LAMENT.

66. Add a raised design to: EMBOSS.

67. Younger "ManningCast" host: ELI.  Eli Manning (né Elisha Nelson Manning; b. Jan. 3, 1981) is the son of Archie (né Elisha Archibald Manning, III; b. May 19, 1949) and the younger brother of Cooper (né  Cooper Archibald Manning) and Peyton (né Peyton Williams Manning; b. Mar. 24, 1976).  The sons were all born in New Orleans.  Cooper's dreams of following the family into a football career were dashed when he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis.  His son, Arch (Archibald Charles Manning; b. Apr. 27, 2004) plays college football.

68. Reverse: UNDO.

69. Stretch across: SPAN.  Bridge building is an engineering feat.

70. Earn after taxes: NET.

71. Loch with a legend: NESS.

Down:

1. Helpful pointer: TIP.

2. Terse confession: I DID.

4. Yosemite Valley landmark, for short: EL CAP.  It's formal name is El Capitan and it is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park.  Sadly, just last week a young climber, Balin Miller (Jan. 12, 2002 ~ October 1, 2025), fell to his death attempting a climb up the face of this rock formation.

5. Use bleach on a load of colored laundry, say: ERR.

7. Jeans fabric: DENIM.  A brief history of Denim.

8. Cake layer: TIER.

9. Posh neckwear: ASCOT.

10. Film spools: REELS.

11. Unit of magnetic flux density: TESLA.

14. Belly dancer's jewelry: ANKLET.

15. Someone to trail behind?: HIKER.

17. Luxury hotel chain: HYATT.

21. Warnings: CAVEATS.

23. "Lilo & Stitch" costume accessory: LEI.

26. Chowder morsel: CLAM.  New England or Manhattan?

27. Cairo's river: NILE.

29. "Smile and be on your best behavior!": ACT NICE!

31. Sharp noise: BANG.

33. Origami slipup: TEAR.

34. Korean automaker: KIA.

36. Boundary between land and water: COASTLINE.

37. Actress Thompson: EMMA.

Emma Thompson, b. Apr. 15, 1959

38. Bird feeder filler: SEED.

43. Tall circus performer's pair: STILTS.

44. Corp. leader: CEO.  As in the Chief Executive Officer.

45. High in the Alps?: HAUTE.  Today's French lesson.  A portion of the Alps are in France.

47. Works the first shift at a café, say: OPENS.

50. Cruise stopovers: ISLES.

51. Shrek's home: SWAMP.

52. Lion hoisted skyward during "Circle of Life": SIMBA.  A reference to The Lion King.

54. Not infrequently: OFTEN.

56. "Whee!": SO FUN!

58. Laborer: PEON.

59. Story: TALE.

61. Box set units: DVDs.

64. Baby fox: KIT.

65. Lip balm brand: EOS. Although EOS is the name of the Greek Goddess of Dawn, in the realm of lip balm, it refers to the Evolution Of Smoothness.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

QOD:  People are united by questions.  It is the answers that divide them.  ~  Elie Wiesel (né Eliezer Wiesel; Sept. 30, 1928 ~ July 2, 2016), Romanian-born writer and Holocaust survivor

We're in the Money!

17-Across. Documents submitted after a fender bender: CLAIM FORMS.  CLAMS.

24-Across. "I thought you just left!": BACK SO SOON.  BACON.

39-Across. Is a trailblazer: BREAKS NEW GROUND.  BREAD.

50-Across. Six-time "Dancing With the Stars" champion: DEREK HOUGH.  DOUGH.

And the unifier:

62-Across. Wealthy, and what 17-, 24-, 39-, and 50-Across literally are: IN THE MONEY.  The circles spell out slang words for Money.  The rest of the answer is "in" the Money.

Across:

1. "Power Up" rock band: AC/DC.  AC/DC is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. 

5. Farfalle or fusilli: PASTA.  Farfalle is also known as bow-tie pasta.  Fusilli is corkscrew pasta.

10. Follow a command: OBEY.

14. Bring to a bubble: BOIL.

15. Helps with the dishes: DRIES.

16. Jakarta's island: JAVA.  The 1983 movie The Year of Living Dangerously took place in Jakarta.

19. Mix: STIR.

20. Alabama march city: SELMA.

21. Detectives, briefly: PIs.  As in a Private Investigator.

23. Like antiques: OLD.

29. Includes furtively on an email: BCCs.  As in Blind Carbon Copies.  The "Carbon Copy" is a relic from the days when carbon paper was used to make typewritten copies.

32. Sippy cup user: TOT.

33. The "I" of IV: INTRA-.  As in an IntraVenous line.

35. "I'm so relaxed!": AAH!

36. Fly like a hawk: SOAR.

37. Make reparations: ATONE.  Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins at sunset today.

43. Centipede maker: ATARI.  The video game that first came out over 40 years ago!

44. "Consequently ... ": THUS.

45. "Don't be that __!": GUY.

46. Snooping sorts: SPIES.

48. Gear tooth: COG.

49. Animation frames: CELS.

53. "Ewe talking to me?": BAA.  //  And 18-Down. "Ewe OK?": MAA.

55. __ Lanka: SRI.  In May 1972, Ceylon became known as Sri Lanka.  The official name of the country is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.  It is the tear-shaped Island country that lies off the southern tip of India.

56. Wear away: ERODE.

60. Crafts partner: ARTS.

66. Hide-and-__: SEEK.

67. Alternative to Midol: ADVIL.  Both are pain relievers.

68. Image reshared for laughs: MEME.

69. "Nothing to it!": EASY.

70. Makes it to the end: LASTS.

71. Spanish "those": ESOS.  Today's Spanish lesson.

Down:

1. Preschool basics: ABCs.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

2. Sprouse of "Riverdale": COLE.  I am not familiar with Riverdale, so did not know Cole Sprouse (né Cole Mitchell Sprouse; b. Aug. 2, 1992).

3. Rotary phone part: DIAL.

4. Tackles a rock face: CLIMBS.

5. File format for some invoices: PDF.  As in Portable Document Format.

6. __/ace: LGBT+ orientation: ARO.  I was not familiar with this term.  It short for aromantic asexual and describes a person who experiences little to no sexual or romantic attraction to others. 

7. Title for the Black Knight: SIR.

8. Pace set by a metronome: TEMPO.

9. Home of St. Francis: ASSISI.  St. Francis of Assisi (1181 ~ 1226) was the founder of the religious order of the Franciscans.  He is also known as the patron saint of animals.

10. Some brunch drinks, for short: OJs.  As in Orange Juice.

11. Mall of Louisiana city: BATON ROUGE.  Let's see.  How many cities in Louisiana are 10 letters?  Lots of choices fit into the spaces provided:  Alexandria; Baton Rouge, Mandeville; Marksville; Morgan City; New Orleans; Plaquemine; Shreveport; West Monroe.  The Mall of Louisiana is a mid-scale shopping mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, between I-10 and Bluebonnet Blvd.  It is the largest mall in Louisiana.

12. Rather wicked: EVIL.

13. Place for a swing set: YARD.

22. Acoustic location devices: SONARS.

25. Execs behind R&D breakthroughs: CTOs.  As in the Chief Technology Officer.

26. Zen master's paradox: KOAN.  A Koan is a question or riddle in Buddhism to facilitate spiritual growth and enlightenment by challenging logical thought.  Probably we have all heard this example of a Koan:  What is the sound of one hand clapping.

27. Loosen up before exercising: STRETCH.

28. Uno less than nove: OTTO.  Today's Italian math lesson.

29. Daddy, in Chinese: BABA.

30. Golf course rentals: CARTS.

31. Companions who don't mind fast food: CHEAP DATES.  Fast food isn't so cheap anymore.

34. Void: ANNUL.

36. Racers who make tracks: SKIERS.

38. Ben & Jerry's rival: EDY'S.  Both are brands of ice cream.

40. "Brown Skin" singer India.__: ARIE.  India.Arie (née India Arie Simpson; b. Oct. 3, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter.  She will celebrate her 50th birthday on Friday.

41. "What a thrill!": WHOO.

42. "Loki" actress Mbatha-Raw: GUGU.  I am not familiar with this Gugu Mbatha-Raw (née Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw; b. Apr. 21, 1983).  She is an English actress.

47. Story told in episodes: SERIAL.  Many of the novels by Charles Dickens were serialized and appeared either in weekly or monthly publications.

49. Safari alternative: CHROME.  Both are internet browsers.

51. In a way, casually: KINDA.

52. Diamond or ruby: GEM.

53. First coat of paint: BASE.

54. __ rug: floor decor: AREA.

57. Tip jar bills: ONES.

58. Showroom model: DEMO.

59. Organs closed during sleep: EYES.

61. Cloud location: SKY.

63. Sets in hotel rooms: TVs.

64. Smashing success: HIT.

65. Golf great Ernie: ELS.  I learned about Ernie Els (né Theodore Ernest Els; b. Oct. 17, 1969), the South African golfer from doing the crossword puzzles.

חתולה