QOD

This blog purely for my own amusement. I like to start the day with a quote, be it amusing, inspiration, or simply something that caught my fancy.

On occasion, I might also include some commentary on the day's crossword puzzle that is published in the Los Angeles Times.

Friday 24 May 2019

Friday, May 24, 2019

QOD:  Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. ~ Harry Emerson Fosdick (May 24, 1878 ~ Oct. 5, 1969)

Double Meanings.  Each clue can be interpreted literally, or can have another meaning, as evidenced by the puzzle's answer.  Two of our entries span the grid.

18. Mission statement?: REMEMBER THE ALAMO!  (1) A Mission Statement is a formal summary of the values of a company or organization.  (2) The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas was originally a Spanish Mission and fortress built by Catholic missionaries to educate and convert Native Americans to Christianity.  The Mission was secularized in the late 1790s, and later became under military control.  During the Texas Revolution, a group of Texan soldiers (including James Bowie and Davy Crocket) defended the Alamo against the Mexican army.  They were all defeated and killed.  Remember the Alamo! then became the rallying cry for Texas independence.



31. Position statement?: YOU ARE HERE.  (1) A Position Statement is a formal statement that lets others know where a company or organization stands on a particular topic.  (2) A map showing you where you are, generally in a public area, such as a mall.



43. Impact statement?: OW! THAT HURT.  (1) An Impact Statement is a short summary that used to explain and inform stakeholders of a company or organizations work.  (2) Being hit from an outside source or Impact may hurt.



56. Closing statement?: COME BACK TOMORROW.  (1) A Closing Statement is a concluding statement at the end of a trial to emphasize the important arguments of the case for the trier of fact.  (2) At Closing time, the store may ask you to return the next day to finish your shopping.



Across:
1. Muscle at one end of the Achilles tendon: CALF.  The CALF muscle is actually made up of two muscles: (1) the Gastrocnemius, which is the larger muscle that forms the visible bulge beneath the skin; and (2) the Soleus, which is a smaller, flat muscle that is under the Gastrocnemius muscle.


5. Dream __: TEAM.  The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team was known as the Dream TEAM because it was the first American Olympic team to be made-up of professional basketball players.


9. Ground-hitting sound: SPLAT.


14. __ 2600, Class of 2007 National Toy Hall of Fame inductee: ATARI.  It looks so old-fashioned today.


16. Ebb: WANE.

17. Alaska governor after Murkowski: PALIN.  Sarah Palin (née Sarah Louise Heath; b. Feb. 11, 1965), served as the Governor of Alaska from December 2006 until she resigned in July 2009.  She was also the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election.  Her predecessor as Governor was Frank Mursowski (né Frank Hughes Murkowski; b. Mar. 28, 1933).  She could see Alaska from her house.


21. Bandies words: SPARS.

22. Baseball mascot originally titled "Lady": MRS. MET.



23. La, in the key of E: C SHARP.

25. Ballet move: PLIÉ.


27. Drink suffix: -ADE.  CSO to our own LemonADE.

28. For nothing: GRATIS.  From the Latin word for Favor.

29. Get gas: FUEL UP.

33. Black fur: SABLE.   A SABLE is a small species of a marten that lives in northern Asia.  The animal was historically hunted for its soft, fine fur.  Coats made from sable can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.




37. Big name in big trucks: MACK.



38. Restoratives: TONICS.  Nothing is more refreshing that a Gin and TONIC on a hot summer day.


40. Lead-in to bake or shell: CLAM.  Lots of CLAM Shells at at CLAM Bake.



41. Lid maladies: STYES.  This has become a crossword staple.

45. __ best: SUNDAY.  Do people really dress up for Sunday church anymore?  I was at a funeral recently and was shocked to see people dressed in such casual wear.  They looked like they just came in from the forest after chopping wood.

47. What many dress in during winter: LAYERS.


48. Tricky person: WAG.  Not to be confused with 61-Down:  Locks laking keys = WIG.


51. Looking up: ROSY.

52. Gently towel off: PAT DRY.

53. Author Allende: ISABEL.  Isabel Allende (b. Aug. 2, 1942) is a Chilean writer.  She was related to Salvador Allende (June 26, 1908 ~ Sept. 11, 1973), who was the President of Chile from Nov. 1970 until Sept. 1973, when he was ousted in a coup.


55. Clean __: SLATE.

62. First name in Fighting Irish history: KNUTE.  KNUTE Rockne (né Knute Kenneth Rockne; Mar. 4, 1888 ~ Mar. 31, 1931) was born in Norway, but immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 5 years old.  Although he earned a degree in chemistry, he never worked in that field, and instead became a football coach, ultimately becoming the head coach at Notre Dame.  He was killed in a plane crash at age 43.

63. Vacation home asset: VIEW.



64. Arabian Peninsula resident: OMANI.



65. Go after: SET AT.

66. Board-making aids: SAWS.
67. Sun blocker: SMOG.  Schools were closed in Mexico City recently because of the smog.



Down:
1. A dealer might flip one: CAR.

2. Adored, with "up": ATE.

3. Escape: LAM.

4. New perspectives: FRESH TAKES.

5. Squirt: TWERP.

6. Wheat spikes: EARS.  The EAR is the grain-bearing part of the stem of a cereal plant.  I generally think of an Ear of Corn, but it applies to wheat as well.


7. Critter with three left legs: ANT.  I misread this clue as a Critter with Three Legs Left.  I wondered what type of critter could hop about with three legs.


8. "Doesn't do it for me": MEH!

9. "We have enough details, thanks": SPARE US!  This seems rather rude.

10. Buds: PALS.  Buds as in friends, not flower buds.


11. High-altitude pack animal: LLAMA.



12. Prepared with a cue: AIMED.  I initially tried Aided, because I was thinking the "cue" referred to a stage assist, as in a play, not a pool cue.

13. Low-risk investment: T-NOTE.  As in a Treasury Note.



15. Affect adversely: IMPAIR.

19. Mixologist's tools: BAR SET.

20. Expressionist painter Nolde: EMIL.  Emil Nolde (né Emil Hansen; Aug. 7, 1867 ~ Apr. 13, 1956) makes occasional guest appearances in the crossword puzzles ~ enough so that I recognize his name, if not his work.

23. Slovene neighbor: CROAT.



24. Pert: SAUCY.

25. Ingot valuation factor: PURITY.

26. Parasite: LEECH.


28. Places for some rats: GYMS.


29. Ted Williams' field: FENWAY.  Ted Williams (né Theodore Samuel Williams; Aug. 30, 1918 ~ July 5, 2002), had a long baseball career with the Boston Red Sox. When I lived in Boston, I lived about 2 blocks away from Fenway Park.

The Green Monster at Fenway Park.

30. Large animals whose taxonomic order is obsolete: PACHYDERMS.  Why the term Pachyderms is now obsolete?  Who knew?

32. Brit's bonnets, in the States: HOODS.  Bonnet sound so much nicer than Hood.
34. Downer?: BLUER.

35. David who voiced George Steinbrenner on "Seinfeld": LARRY.  Larry David (né Lawrence Gene David; b. July 2, 1947), was the co-creator, along with Jerry Seinfeld, of the sit-com Seinfeld.  He also created and starred in Curb Your Enthusiasm.



36. Mobile lifesavers: EMTs.  As in Emergency Medical Technician.

39. Peace in the Middle East?: SALAAM.  The Arabic word for Peace.  I initially tried Shalom, which is the Hebrew word for Peace.

42. Can't-miss wager: SURE BET.

44. Bit of needlework: TATTOO.  Why?  Just Why?


46. Tulane's home, informally: NOLA.  Tulane University is in New Orleans, Louisiana.  NOLA has become a crossword staple.

48. Burning needs?: WICKS.


49. In unison: AS ONE.

50. Full range: GAMUT.

52. Pickup attachments: PLOWS.


54. Pre-release stage: BETA.

55. All-in-one dinner: STEW.



57. Rite Aid rival: CVS.  Both are drug stories.

58. Optima, for one: KIA.

59. Big name in pickups: RAM.



60. Palindromic peace activist: ONO.  A new clue for our crossword friend, Yoko ONO (b. Feb. 18, 1933).


Here's the Grid:



Wednesday 22 May 2019

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

QOD:  Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time.  Until you value your time, you won’t do anything with it.  ~  M. Scott Peck (né Morgan Scott Peck; May 22, 1936 ~ Sept. 25, 2005), American psychiatrist

Tuesday 21 May 2019

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

QOD:  As you move through life, it’s not going to be a bright, sunshiny day every day.  ~  (né Ara Raoul Parseghian; May 21, 1923 ~ Aug. 2, 2017), American football coach

Monday 20 May 2019

Monday, May 20, 2019

QOD:  Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught. ~  Honore de Balzac (May 20, 1799 ~ Aug. 18, 1850)

Sunday 19 May 2019

Sunday, May 19, 2019

QOD:  Never marry a man you wouldn’t want to be divorced from.  ~  Nora Ephron (May 19, 1941 ~ June 26, 2012)