Friday, April 26, 2019

QOD:  If people did not sometimes do silly things, nothing intelligent would get done.  ~  Ludwig Wittgenstein (né Ludwig Joseph Johann Wittgenstein; Apr. 26, 1889 ~ Apr. 29, 1951), German philosopher

Air Conditioned for summer.  The letters AC are incorporated into one word in a common phrase to give it a new twist.  Notice that the addition of AC is found at the end of a word on the first two answers and at the beginning of a word on the last two answers.

17-Across. What turtles use to keep up outward appearances?: TORTOISE SHELLAC.  Did you ever wonder what was inside a Tortoise Shell?

27-Across. Cashew family shrub's observation?: COGITO ERGO SUMAC.  Cogito Ergo Sum is a a Latin phrase for Je pense, donc je suis, credited to René Descartes.  The English translation is: I think, therefore I am.

46-Across. Ad offer Wile E. Coyote really regrets accepting?: COME FLY WITH ACME.  Come Fly With Me, in addition to being a Frank Sinatra song, was the theme song of Pan Am Airlines.

61-Across. Old MacDonald's bookkeepers?: ACCOUNTING SHEEP.  Counting Sheep is supposed to help one go to sleep.

Across:

1. Dash meas.: MPH.  As in Miles Per Hour.  You can find your rate of speed by looking at the Dash board on your car.

4. "Unstoppable" cleaner: DRĀNO.

9. Dealer's abbreviation: MSRP.  As in the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, also known as the List Price.

13. Brother of Athena: ARES.  Greek mythology.  Ancient Greece had two gods of war ~ Ares and Athena.  Both were powerful, but had different philosophies when it came to fighting in battle.  Ares was brutal and and cruel.  Athena, on the other hand, used strategy and was wise in battle.

15. What informants might wear: WIRES.  Did anyone watch the HBO series The Wire?

16.  First-rate: A-ONE.

20. __ demon: SPEED.

21. Persian Gulf resident: QATARI.  //  And 49-Down: Residents along the Persian Gulf:  IRANIS. Qatar is that tiny country, near the UAE, that sticks out in the Persian Gulf.

22. Tall trotter: EMU.  A male EMU can grow to a height of over 6 feet.  It is the largest bird native to Australia.  It can't fly, so had the ability to run at a rate of 30 MPH if being hunted.  If cornered, its sharp toe claws can eviscerate its hunter, so be warned.

24. "Grab __": "You're pinch-hitting": A BAT.  Baseball!

Rafael Devers AT BAT.

35. Ducks in Eugene: OREGON.  The Mascot of the University of Oregon, which is in Eugene, Oregon.  Why the Ducks you ask?  Back in the 1890s, the State of Oregon was known as the Webfoot State.  This name came from the early settlers of Oregon, many of whom were descendants of a group of Massachusetts fishermen who participated with George Washington in a surprise attack on a British stronghold during the American Revolutionary War.  These fisherman were known as the Webfoots.  The University of Oregon's original nickname was Webfoots, after their East Coast ancestors.  Not exactly a threatening name for a sports team.  In the 1940s, the team name was changed to the more fearful Ducks.  I'm scared.  (P.S., the University has a special license agreement with Disney, so it duck is a based on the Disney's Donald Duck.)

36. Blow it: ERR.

37. Gross __: TON.

38. Turner on a screen: LANA.

Lana Turner (née Julia Jean Turner; Feb. 8, 1921 ~ June 29, 1995)

39. Shakespeare's Athenian hermit: TIMON.  I was not familiar Shakespeare's play Timon of Athens.  Maybe our Shakespeare scholar can provide some insight into this play.

41. It's chilly in Chihuahua: FRIO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

42. Yamaguchi rival: ITO.  As in Midori ITO.  She makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  Both Kristi Yamaguchi and Midori ITO are skaters.

Kristi Yamaguchi (b. 1971) 

Midori ITO (b. 1969)

43. Tour opening?: ECO-.  Think of Ecotourism.

44. Title song words before "My love has come along": AT LAST.  As sung by Etta James (who makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords.)

50. Bring up: REAR.

51. Stephen who played Inspector Bucket on "Dickensian": REA.  Dickensian is apparently a BBC drama that reimagines many of Charles Dickens' characters together in London.  Inspector Bucket was a character from Bleak House.  Stephen Rea (b. Oct. 31, 1946), who makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords, plays the main character.

52. Mount Rainier gateway: TACOMA.

56. Twists: WARPS.  Let's do the Time Warp, Again.

65. It might pop up: MENU.

66. Giant Chicken on "Family Guy": ERNIE.  I have never seen this show.  Thank goodness for the perps.

I assume Ernie is on the left.

67. Spelling start?: ABRA.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.  The phrase Abra Cababra may come from an Aramaic phrase meaning: I will create as I speak.  It's used today by magicians when creating "magic."

68. Brigitte's bridge: PONT.  Today's French lesson.  Did any of you learn this song in French class?

69. Reason to raise goblets: TOAST.  It isn't always necessary to use a goblet.

70. Quick: APT.

Down:

1. Yoga accessories: MATS.  I go to yoga class at least twice a week.  I'm not as flexible as this woman.  Maybe I should go to yoga class more often.

2. Item on a set: PROP.

3. "__ lies ... ": HERE.

4. SADD focus: DWI.  As in a Driving While Intoxicated.

5. Off-color: RISQUE.  These bathing suits were once considered very Risque.

6. You might have to find it in geometry: AREA.

7. Egg holder: NEST.  Cute clue.

8. Fed. workplace watchdog: OSHA.  As in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

9. Surfrider Beach city: MALIBU.  My first car was a second-hand Chevy Malibu.

10. Juárez heater: SOL.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

11. Genetic letters: RNA.  The difference between RNA and DNA.

12. Bench press target: PEC.  Short for the Pectoral muscles.

14. Bus. card letters: STE.  As in Suite, I assume.

18. Poetic opening: ODE TO.

Ode to Billy Joe.

19. Historical times: ERAS.

23. Talk TV's Williams: MONTEL.  Montel Williams (né Montel Brian Anthony Williams; b. July 3, 1956), was the host of a long-running talk show, which ran from 1991 until 2008.

25. Land-and-sea military vehicle: AMTRAC.

Not to be confused with the train system, which is spelled with a "k".

26. Lao-tzu's philosophy: TAOISM.

27. Tummy trouble: COLIC.

28. JFK, notably: ORATOR.

29. Mapping subject: GENOME.

30. "Hometown Proud" market chain: IGA.  As in the Independent Grocers Alliance.  The Bet-R Store as an IGA store.  It was also used as a set for the 2011 movie Battle: Los Angeles.  The owner said, Never again would he allow a film production use his store.  It was very disruptive, especially to his customers.

31. Do more lawn work: RE-MOW.  I have to re-mow my lawn every week in the summer.  (Notice I said I mow the lawn.)

32. Miracle-__: GRO.

33. Richly decorated: ORNATE.  The mosaics at the Alhambra Palace in Spain are very ornate.

34. Benjamin's bill: C-NOTE.  What's in your wallet?

40. Hard to drive on: ICY.  I initially tried Ice.  (Sorry, Tinbini!)

41. Common destination for snowbirds: Abbr.: FLA.  As in Florida.  Snowbirds can travel to visit Lemonade and Tinbini.

45. Signs of spring: THAWS.

47. Patronize Pizza Hut, say: EAT OUT.

48. German title: FRAU.  Today's German lesson.

53. Tech tutorials site: CNET.

54. Spanish survey option: OTRO.  More of today's Spanish lesson

55. __ Harker, heroine in Stoker's "Dracula": MINA.

57. "The light dawns!": AHA!

58. "Fancy" singer, familiarly: REBA.  As in Reba McEntire (b. Mar. 28, 1955).

59. One who did it: PERP.  As in the Perpetrator, not the Perpendicular in the crossword puzzles.

60. Squabble: SPAT.

61. Roadie's armload: AMP.

62. Board leader: CEO.  As in the Chief Executive Officer.

63. Round-the-clock news pioneer: CNN.  As in the Cable News Network.

64. Catch, as a cold: GET.

Here's the Grid:

I'm off to Houston for a few days, then to New England to celebrate my Dad's 89th birthday.  I'll leave you with a QOD:  If people did not sometimes do silly things, nothing intelligent would get done.  ~  Ludwig Wittgenstein (né Ludwig Joseph Johann Wittgenstein; Apr. 26, 1889 ~ Apr. 29, 1951), German philosopher