QOD: But I don't give up; I forget why not. ~ Dorothy Parker (née Dorothy Rothschild; Aug. 22, 1893 ~ June 7, 1967), American poet and satirist
Friday, 10 December 2010
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
QOD: History is a gallery of pictures in which there are few originals and many copies. ~ Alexis de Tocqueville (July 9, 1805 ~ Apr. 16, 1859), French diplomat
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
QOD: To keep your marriage brimming, With love in the loving cup, Whenever you're wrong, admit it; Whenever you're right, shut up. ~ Ogden Nash (né Frederic Ogden Nash, Aug. 19, 1902 ~ May 19, 1971)
Today's Theme: Good Things Come in Small Packages. The first word of each of the theme clues is a synonym for the word "small."
18. Members of a Small Army = TOY SOLDIERS.
20. Lumbering Critter of Borneo = PYGMY ELEPHANT. I was unaware of these little critters. LINK
36. Some Steinways = BABY GRAND PIANOS.
52. Game Often Involving a Windmill = MINIATURE GOLF.
57. Pluto, Now = DWARF PLANET.
Across:
1. Rd. Traveler’s Stat = MPG. Stands for Miles Per Gallon. // And 12-Down: Part of 1-Across = Per. // And 47-Down: Gas Up = REFUEL.
4. Spinnaker, e.g. = SAIL.
8. Tending to Hang Down = DROOPY.
14. Treasure de la Sierra Madre = ORO. Spanish for gold.
15. “M*A*S*H” Star = ALDA. Alan Alda played the main character on the TV show.
16. Merited = EARNED.
17. Kung ___ Chicken = PAO. Kung Pao Chicken is too spicy for my taste.
23. Publicize = AIR.
25. Delivery Experts, for Short = OBS. Short for Obstetricians. Good clue, but Dan didn’t fool me.
27. Remnant = DREG. I let the perps fill in this for me.
28. Stuffed = FULL.
31. “Knock it off!” = STOP.
32. Poker Play = RAISE.
34. Grumpy Co-Worker? = SNEEZY. I knew immediately that this referred to Snow White and her dwarf friends. The only question was whether it would be Sneezy or Sleepy.
40. WWII Depth Charge Targets = U-BOATS.
41. Bungling = INEPT.
42. Any Day Now = SOON.
43. Bite Like a Beaver = GNAW.
44. Construction Bean = I-BAR. A frequent crossword clue.
48. Loud Laugh = YUK. Sounds like something from the obnoxious Three Stooges.
49. Japanese Veggie = UDO. No idea.
51. Take Potshots = SNIPE.
59. Former CNN Anchor Dobbs = LOU.
60. Wreck, as Plans = DERAIL. Or as in a train wreck.
61. Losing Proposition? = DIET. Oh, how I wish I could loose a few pounds.
62. Soul, to Sartre = AME. French lesson.
63. Start Liking = TAKE TO.
64. WWII Normandy Battle Site = ST. LO. This city makes such a frequent crossword appearance that you would think I would know it by heart. I had to wait for the first three letters before I realized what the correct response was.
65. OPEC Unit = BBL. Stands for Barrels.
Down:
1. Swabbed = MOPPED.
2. Bedtime Ritual for Many = PRAYER.
3. Provided Millions of Hits = GOOGLE. Great clue! I sometimes need to google when I am completing the crosswords at the end of the week.
4. Woodlands Deity = SATYR.
5. Lip Balm Ingredient = ALOE.
6. Pastoral Verse = IDYL.
7. Cut with a Surgical Beam = LASE.
8. Indian Metropolis = DELHI.
9. Tool for Scouting Pitchers = RADAR. A baseball pitcher reference.
10. “Are you out ____?” = OR IN. I always thought the phrase was: are you in or out? Somehow the phrase has a co-conspirator feel to it.
11. Count that May Diffuse Anger = ONE TO TEN.
13. QBs Gains = YDS. Quarterbacks are supposed to gain Yardage in a football game.
19. Birthstone after Sapphire = OPAL.
21. “When Harry Met Sally …” Co-Star = MEG RYAN.
25. Doofus = BOZO. I initially wrote Boob.
26. 1974 CIA Spoof = SPYS. No idea.
28. Fragrant Evergreens = FIRS.
29. ___ Today = USA. As in the country’s newspaper, USA Today.
30. Red Square Honoree = LENIN. Is he still revered in Russia?
31. Restaurant Host’s Purview = SEATING.
33. FBI Employee = AGT. Stands for Agent.
34. Gush = SPEW.
35. Barely Beat = NIP. Not familiar with this term for barely beating someone.
36. Not Taking Calls, Perhaps = BUSY. Sometimes people don’t take calls because they don’t like the person calling.
37. “____ Ben Adhem”: James Leigh Hunt Poem = ABOU. The poem, Abou Ben Adhem, made its appearance in a recent crossword puzzle, but I couldn’t recall the name today.
38. Web Surfer’s Shortcut = BOOKMARK.
39. Paternity Suit Letters = DNA.
43. Intent = GOAL.
45. Class with Dissections, for Short = BIO-LAB. I took a lot of biology lab courses when I was in college.
46. Poise = APLOMB.
49. Not Qualified = UNFIT.
50. Double: Pre. = DIPLO. Hmm…
51. Brief Brawl = SET-TO.
53. Wrath, in a Hymn Title = IRES. The hymn is Dies Ires. We see both of these words frequently in crosswords.
54. Smidgens = TADS.
55. Military Group = UNIT.
56. Casting Need = REEL.
57. Banned Bug Killer = DDT. Stands for dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane.
58. “Are ___ Pair?”: “Send in the Clowns” Lyric = WE A. Not familiar with all the lyrics of this song.
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
QOD: The real problem is what to do with the problem solvers after the problems are solved. ~ Gay Talese (b. Feb. 7, 1932), American journalist and writer
Monday, 6 December 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
QOD: Adventure is not outside the man; it is within. ~ George Eliot (née Mary Anne Evans; Nov. 22, 1819 ~ Dec. 22, 1880), English novelist
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
QOD: We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no large ones. ~ François de La Rochefoucauld (Sept. 15, 1613 ~ Mar. 17, 1680), French author