QOD: My face carries all my memories. Why would I erase them? ~ Diane von Furstenberg (b. Dec. 31, 1945), Belgium fashion designer
Thursday 31 December 2020
Wednesday 30 December 2020
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
QOD: You can’t be afraid to fail. It’s the only way you succeed ~ you’re not gonna succeed all the time, and I know that. ~ LeBron James (né LeBron Raymone James; b. Dec. 30, 1984), American professional basketball player
Tuesday 29 December 2020
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
QOD: The problem with cats is that they get the exact same look on their face whether they see a moth or an axe-murderer. ~ Paula Poundstone (b. Dec. 29, 1959), American comedian
Double Your Fun! The word Double can be placed before each word in the theme answer to give a new concept.
20-Across. City street spot you usually have to back into: PARKING SPACE. Double Park and Double Space. Double Space in typing means that there is a full space, the equivalent to the full height of a line of the text, between rows of words in a document. Most computer texting programs default to single spacing.
This is just wrong!
33-Across. Unfavorable impression: NEGATIVE TAKE. Double Negative and Double Take.
Double Take
42-Across. Winter clock setting: STANDARD TIME. Double Standard and Double Time.
Double Standard.
And the unifier:
56-Across. In 2020's MLB season, each game of one was seven innings ... and what each word of three long answers can have: DOUBLE HEADER. The Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on Major League Baseball this year.
Across:
1. Like new dollar bills: CRISP. // And 19-Across. Singles: ONES.
6. Instruction unit: STEP.
10. Last year's frosh: SOPH. Last year's Freshman is this year's Sophomore. According to Webster's, the word Frosh for a first year student may derive from the German word for Frog, which is what a student is called before entering the university.
14. Mediterranean mayonnaise: AIOLI. This is becoming a crossword staple.
15. Place for pews: NAVE. There has been much discussion on the church nave recently.
16. Crosby, Stills & Nash, e.g.: TRIO. Crosby, Stills & Nash were a folk rock group formed in 1968. A year later, Neil Young joined the group and the band became known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
17. Raced toward: RAN AT.
18. One cutting staff: AXER. Axer isn't in the Scrabble dictionary, but if it was, it would be worth 11 points.
23. TSA __Check: PRE. Getting the Pre-Check on my airline ticket always makes me smile.
26. "Annabel Lee" poet: POE. Edgar Allen Poe (Jan. 19, 1809 ~ Oct. 7, 1849) is known for his tales of mystery and poetry. I don't think I had ever read Annabel Lee before.
27. Result of a coup, perhaps: OUSTER.
28. Sea surrounding Santorini: AEGEAN. Santorini seems to be on the outer edge of the Aegean Sea,
30. Relate, as a story: TELL. William Tell had a Tale to Tell.
32. Silly starter?: ESS. Silly Goose! It's the letter S.
36. HEATH Bar competitor: SKOR.
37. "Bel Canto" author Patchett: ANN. Ann Patchett (b. Dec. 2, 1963) has written several novels. Bel Canto is loosely based on the Japanese embassy hostage crisis of 1996-1997, which occurred in Lima, Peru. By coincidence, I took this book along with me to read while I was traveling in Peru about 10 years ago. I highly recommend this book.
38. Many an Omani: ARAB.
47. UFO operators: ETs. As in ExtraTerresterials.
50. Iowa college town: AMES. Iowa State University is located in Ames, Iowa.
51. Egg-coloring holiday: EASTER. Tsars Alexander II and Nicholas II had Fabergé jeweled eggs made for their wives as Easter gifts.
52. Useless: NO HELP.
54. Coll. entrance exam: SAT. The SAT exams were formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test.
55. Business card abbr.: EXT. Think of the telephone extension number.
60. James of jazz: ETTA. Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.
61. See-the-sights travel option: RAIL. // And 1. See-the-sights travel option: CAR.
62. Banana cluster: BUNCH.
66. Came down: ALIT.
67. Poet Pound: EZRA. Ezra Pound (né Ezra Weston Loomis Pound; Oct. 30, 1885 ~ Nov. 1, 1972) was not without a lot of controversy.
68. Vowel-rich farewell: ADIEU. Today's French lesson.
69. Surrealist Magritte: RENÉ. René Magritte (Nov. 21, 1898 ~ Aug. 15, 1967) was a Belgium artist who is known for creating amusing images.
70. Burpee purchase: SEED. The Burpee Seed company was founded by Washington Atlee Burpee (Apr. 5, 1858 ~ Nov. 26, 1915) in the 1870s. The company is still going strong today.
71. Transplant to a new container: REPOT.
Down:
2. River inlet: RIA.
3. Na+ or Cl-: ION. Together, these ions form table salt.
4. Word with happy or dash: SLAP. As in Slap Happy or Slap Dash.
5. Rain-on-the-roof sound: PIT-A-PAT.
6. Asp or adder: SNAKE.
7. Cab: TAXI.
8. Like every other integer: EVEN. 2, 4, 6, 8, ...
9. Vine-covered walkway: PERGOLA. A pergola can also be a covered sitting area. We build a pergola in our back yard a couple of years ago and I spent many hours there during this pandemic season. The word Pergola comes from the Latin, meaning projected eave.
10. Dots on a transit map: STOPS.
11. Highly decorative: ORNATE. The mosaics at the Alhambra Palace are very ornate.
12. Concert choices: PIECES.
13. Uncouth types, in Canadian slang: HOSERS. Hi, CanadianEh!
21. Rice-A-__: RONI. It's the San Francisco treat and it comes in many flavors.
22. Pout: SULK.
23. Thumbs-down reviews: PANS.
24. Really smell: REEK.
25. Thick & Fluffy waffle brand: EGGO. L'Eggo my Eggo! They, too, come in several flavors.
29. All __: listening: EARS.
30. Takes care of: TENDS.
31. Sicilian smoker: ETNA. Since 2013, this volcano has been periodically been showing some eruptive action.
34. Wind indicator: VANE. The word Vane comes from an old English word, Fane, which means Flag.
35. Grub: EATS.
39. Baptism, for one: RITE.
40. Plastic choice, briefly: AMEX. Nice misdirection: American Express.
41. Ernie's Muppet pal: BERT.
43. Like unlikely tales: TALL.
44. Current units: AMPERES. The Ampere is named after André-Marie Ampère (Jan. 20, 1775 ~ June 10, 1836), French mathematician and physicist, considered the father of electromagnetism.
45. Enjoy a novel: READ. I have read just under 50 books this year, most of which were novels.
46. Baked treat that sounds like a place to meet: DATE BAR.
47. Make precious: ENDEAR.
48. Play the flute: TOOTLE. Flute playing in the year 2020.
49. Locked up: SHUT IN.
53. Online money-back offer: E-BATE.
54. Dinner course: SALAD. In Israel, Salads are a common breakfast food.
57. Thin fog: HAZE.
58. The Emerald Isle: EIRE.
59. Impolite: RUDE.
63. Puppy's bite: NIP.
64. Head of the corp.: CEO. As in the Chief Executive Officer.
65. Shack: HUT.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
No matter what or how you celebrate the holidays, please respect everyone. We are all fragile and we need to look out for the health and welfare of all. Please wear your mask and social distance. We want to be able to hug next holiday season.
May 2021 bring Health and Happiness!
Monday 28 December 2020
Monday, December 28, 2020
QOD: You can do anything, but not everything. ~ David Allen (b. Dec. 28, 1945), American productivity consultant
Sunday 27 December 2020
Sunday, December 27, 2020
QOD: It’s not what you are, it’s what you don’t become that hurts. ~ Oscar Levant (Dec. 27, 1906 ~ Aug. 14, 1972), American composer and pianist
Friday 25 December 2020
Friday, December 25, 2020 / Christmas
QOD: The consuming desire of most human beings is deliberately to plant their whole life in the hands of some other person. ~ Quentin Crisp (né Denis Charles Pratt; Dec. 25, 1908 ~ Nov. 21, 1999), English writer
Thursday 24 December 2020
Thursday, December 24, 2020 / Christmas Eve
QOD: We all hang by a thread, and there are many things we cannot choose about our lives. It’s how we react to the inevitable that counts. ~ Mary Higgins Clark (née Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins; Dec. 24, 1927 ~ Jan. 31, 2020), American author
Wednesday 23 December 2020
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
QOD: Romantic vision can also lead one away from certain very hard, ugly truths about life that are important to know. ~ Donna Tart (b. Dec. 23, 1963), American novelist
Tuesday 22 December 2020
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
QOD: You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him. ~ Leo Aikman (Dec. 22, 1908 ~ Dec. 1, 1979), American journalist and historian
There's Nothing to See Here! The first word of each theme answer is another word for Nothing.
17-Across. "Quiet!": ZIP YOUR LIP.
27-Across. Sinful financial craving: LOVE OF MONEY. Why Love means nothing in tennis. Tennis is also a game that has been lethal to royalty.
36-Across. English national anthem originally in French: O CANADA. Hi, CanadianEh!
46-Across. Exercise involving a push-up position: SQUAT THRUST.
And the unifier:
60-Across. "Just a scratch, really" ... and a hint to the starts of 17-, 27-, 36- and 46-Across: IT'S NOTHING.
Across:
1. Jobs for plumbers: LEAKS.
6. Protein-rich vegan fare: TOFU.
10. "Warts and all" wart: FLAW.
14. Written so as to discourage erasure: IN PEN. Hand up if your first thought was In Ink.
16. Witness' promise: OATH.
19. Pre-performance pitch-setting wind: OBOE. Did you ever wonder why the Oboe is used to tune the Orchestra?
20. Bible man made from earth: ADAM. From dust to dust ...
21. "The Matrix" hero: NEO. The Matrix was a 1999 movie that starred Keanu Reeves (né Keanu Charles Reeves; b. Sept. 2, 1964) as Neo.
22. Chipmunk, e.g.: RODENT. They are cute little critters. Everything you wanted to know about Chipmunks, but didn't know to ask.
26. Play-calling gatherings: HUDDLES. Think football, American style.
Geaux Tigers!
30. Iron mine output: ORE. A crossword staple.
31. Bacon go-with: EGGS.
40. Half of dos: UNO. Today's Italian lesson.
41. Belle's counterpart: BEAU.
43. Fútbol cheer: OLÉ. The game Americans call Soccer.
44. Clarifying words: I, MEAN.
50. Bigwigs: TOP GUNS. Top Gun was a 1986 movie about students at the United States Navy elite fighter weapons school competing to be the best in their class.
54. Past the pain of a breakup, say: OVER IT.
55. Have something: AIL.
56. Stop-motion medium: CLAY. Stop-motion is also known as Claymation.
59. Humans-on-the-moon org.: NASA. As in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Hi, Gary!
63. Wrinkle remover: IRON. Ironing in the age of Zoom.
66. Skin concern: CYST.
67. Like a cloudy day: GRAY. We have been having a lot of gloomy and gray days recently.
1. Minnelli of "Cabaret": LIZA. Liza Minnelli (née Liza May Minnelli; b. Mar. 12, 1946) is the daughter of Judy Garland.
2. Katelyn Nacon's role on "The Walking Dead": ENID. I have never seen The Walking Dead, and am not familiar with Katelyn Nacon (Katelyn May Nacon; b. June 11, 1999).
3. Horse with a spotted coat: APPALOOSA. Apparently they come in all sorts of spotted patterns.
7. Scandinavian capital: OSLO. Alfred Nobel (Oct. 21, 1833 ~ Dec. 10, 1896) was Swedish, so why is the Nobel Peace Prize awarded in Oslo, Norway and not Stockholm, Sweden where all the other Nobel Prizes are given out?
8. "The Blacklist" agcy.: FBI. As in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Blacklist is a television series starring James Spader (b. Feb. 7, 1960) and Megan Boone (b. Apr. 29, 1983). The show has been running since 2013.
13. Arouses: WHETS.
18. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO. Words in the Golden Rule. The major religions of the world have a version of the Golden Rule.
23. Emotional poem: ODE.
25. Choreographer Saarinen: TERO. The only Saarinens I am familiar with are the father (Elie) and son (Eero) architects, who often make guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. I don't believe that Tero Saarinen (b. Sept. 7, 1964) is related to the architects.
27. Passed-on stories: LORE.
28. Painter Claude: MONET. Claude Monet (né Oscar-Claude Monet; Nov. 14, 1840 ~ Dec. 5, 1926) is sometimes referred to as the Father of Impressionist Painting. He is probably best known for his series of Water Lilies from his home in Giverny, France.
32. Party attendees lineup: GUEST LIST.
37. Relying (on): COUNTING.
38. Hooray antonym: ALAS.
39. Goes public with: AIRS.
47. Who, in Quebec: QUI. Today's French lesson.c
48. How carpaccio is sliced: THINLY. Carpaccio is thinly sliced meat or fish that is generally served raw. You, too, can make carpaccio.
39. Goes public with: AIRS.
42. R.E. Lee foe: U.S. GRANT. As we have previously noted, Ulysses S Grant's given name was Hiram Ulysses Grant (Apr. 27, 1822 ~ July 23, 1885).
45. Third-largest German city, to Germans: MÜNCHEN. Today's German lesson. The city was founded by Benedictine monks, hence, the name is derived from Old High German meaning "by the monks' place."
47. Who, in Quebec: QUI. Today's French lesson.c
48. How carpaccio is sliced: THINLY. Carpaccio is thinly sliced meat or fish that is generally served raw. You, too, can make carpaccio.
49. Angelic aura: HALO.
51. Seed-bearing organ: OVARY.
52. Cuban coins: PESOS.
55. Where Israel is: ASIA. Sometimes when you go to a restaraunt in Israel, they will tell you they serve Asian food. What you will get is what we consider middle-eastern food.
58. "Son of Frankenstein" role: YGOR. Ygor was played by Boris Lugosi in the 1939 movie.
62. Nautical rope: TYE. Hi, Spitzboov. I'll let you explain this word.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
Merry Christmas, Everyone!