Friday, May 29, 2020

QOD:  Tolerance is the virtue of a man without conviction.  ~  G.K. Chesterton (né Gilbert Keith Chesterton; May 29, 1874 ~ June 14, 1936), English author

Thursday, May 28, 2020

QOD:  It is better to burn brightly for half as long than to be a dim lingering light.  ~  Roland Gift (né Roland Lee Gift; b. May 28, 1961), British musician

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

QOD:  Whosoever plants a tree / Winks at immortality.  ~  Felix Dennis (May 27, 1947 ~ June 22, 2014), British publisher

Tuesday, May 26, 2020 Craig Stowe

QOD:  I was always very interested in science, and I knew that for me, science was a better long-term career than tennis.  ~  Sally Ride (née Sally Kristen Ride; May 24, 1951 ~ July 23, 2012), American astronaut

Double-Double Trouble.  The word BALL can be added after each word in the theme answer (and there are 4 theme answers), giving us EIGHT different types of Balls.

17-Across. *   Usual burger component: GROUND MEAT.  Ground Ball and Meat Ball.

Yummers!

39-Across. *   British afternoon tradition: HIGH TEA.  High Ball and Tea Ball.

Tea Ball

11-Down. *   Military might: FIRE POWER.  Fire Ball and Power Ball.

33-Down. *   Monarch or viceroy: BUTTER FLY.  As in Butter Ball and Fly Ball.

And the Unifier:
62-Across. "Magic" toys ... or what the answers to starred clues add up to?: EIGHT BALLS.

Nice how the first and last balls in the series are both baseball references.

Across:

1. "Happy Motoring" gas brand: ESSO.

5. Puppy love: CRUSH.

10. Contemptuous sound: PFFT!

14. Long (for): ACHE.

15. Hang __ dry: OUT TO.

16. Make really upset: RILE.

19. Periods often named for presidents: ERAs.

20. Young insects: LARVAE.

21. "Baby back" morsel: RIB.

22. Risqué message: SEXT.

23. Board in a salon: EMERY.

24. In a row: LINED UP.

26. Morales of "Ozark": ESAI.  He makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

28. Metaphors for inner turmoil: DEMONS.

31. Takes into custody: NABS.

34. On sale, say: LESS.

37. Ruby or emerald: JEWEL.

38. Big Aussie bird: EMU.  //  And 41-Across.  Broody music genre: EMO.  Nice how these two words are beside each other.

42. Opel compact car whose name means "stars" in Latin: ASTRA.

44. Literary governess Jane: EYRE.  Jane Eyre is a novel by Charlotte Brontë (1816 ~ 1855).  It was first published in 1847.

45. Forehead: BROW.

46. Bottom lines: TOTALS.

48. In addition: ALSO.

50. Narcissist's indulgence: EGO TRIP.

53. Blow away: AMAZE.

A MAZE

57. Poet Byron's title: LORD.

59. Fled: RAN.

60. Black furs: SABLES.

61. Recon target: INFO.  As in Reconnaissance and Information.

64. Leave no room in: FILL.

65. Didn't show for a date with, with "up": STOOD.

66. Hitchhiker's hope: RIDE.  //  And 57-Down. Hitchhiker's hope: LIFT.

67. Texting farewell: TTYL.  Textspeak for Talk To You Later.

68. Satisfies: SATES.

69. Faculty head: DEAN.

Down:

1. Philadelphia NFLer: EAGLE.  The professional football team in Philly.

2. "Get lost!": SCRAM!

3. Jersey __: coastal vacation area: SHORE.  It was probably very crowed there this weekend with little social distancing.

4. Bodies of work: OEUVRES.  Sometimes written as œuvres.  The work has an interesting etymology.  It comes from the old French word, uevre, which came from the Latin word opera.

5. Hammurabi's creation: CODE.  Hammurabi (1810 ~ 1750 BCE) was a King of the First Babylonian Dynasty.  He is best known for drafting the Babylonian Code of Law, now known as the  Code of Hammurabi .  It is one of the oldest deciphered writings of the ancient world.  The Code established rules for commercial interactions, as well as gruesome punishments for crimes.

6. Cuba libre liquor: RUM.

7. Wombs: UTERI.  Plural of Uterus.

8. What a Tide to Go pen can remove: STAIN.

9. Area of rapid growth: HOT BED.

10. Take for granted: PRESUME.

12. Linen fiber source: FLAX.

13. Word with sniff or taste: TEST.

18. Those opposed: NAYS.

24. Respected feudal figure: LIEGE.

25. __ vu: familiar feeling:  DÉJÀ.  Today's French lesson.

27. Boxer Laila: ALI.  The daughter of Muhammad Ali.

29. Lost fish in a Pixar film: NEMO.  Was Nemo ever found?

30. Sluggish: SLOW.

31. "Fun!": NEAT.

32. "I __ confused": AM SO.

35. Like a wallflower: SHY.

36. Seat belt, e.g.: STRAP.

39. Ring of light: HALO.

40. Ribbonlike fish: EEL.

43. Hit for Aerosmith and The 4 Seasons (different songs, though): RAG DOLL.

45. Overwhelm, as with questions: BOMBARD.

47. Add emphasis to: STRESS.

49. Former Swedish automaker: SAAB.

51. Yogurt-based condiment served to cool hot curry dishes: RAITA.  Here's an easy recipe.

52. Bar of gold: INGOT.

54. Kate's TV sidekick: ALLIE.  A reference to the 1980s television sit-com Kate and Allie.  Kate was played by Susan Saint James and Allie was played by Jane Curtain.

55. Video game princess: ZELDA.

56. German steel city: ESSEN.  Do the cars in Essen fuel up with Esso?

58. "Don't count __!": ON IT.

60. Norms: Abbr.: STDs.  As in Standards.

63. Clod buster: HOE.

Here's the Grid:

Monday, May 25, 2020 / Memorial Day

QOD:  For every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness.  ~  Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 ~ Apr. 27, 1882), American philosopher

Sunday, May 24, 2020

QOD:  Steal a little and they throw you in jail; steal a lot and they make you king.  ~  Bob Dylan (né Robert Allen Zimmerman; b. May 24, 1941), American singer-songwriter