Friday, September 4, 2020

QOD:  Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.  ~  Daniel Burnham (né Daniel Hudson Burnham; Sept. 4, 1846 ~ June 1, 1912), American architect

Thursday, September 3, 2020

QOD:  Everyone hits bottom their own way.  ~  Eileen Brennan (née Verla Eileen Brennan; Sept. 3, 1935 ~ July 28, 2013), American actress

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

QOD:  Grief changes shape, but it never ends.  ~  Keanu Reeves (b. Sept. 2, 1964), American actor

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

QOD:  Never underestimate the difficulty of changing false beliefs by facts.  ~  Henry Rosovsky (b. Sept. 1, 1927), American economic historian

Data Backup.  The word "DATA" can be found spelled backwards in each of the theme answers.

17-Across. Topper for a toreador: MATADOR HAT.  Not sure how long the hat stays on in the ring, however,

30-Across. How sale items are priced: AT A DISCOUNT.

47-Across. "I'm so disappointed!": WHAT A DOWNER.

And the Unifier:
63-Across. System administrator's task ... and a hint to what can be found in 17-, 30- and 47-Across: DATA BACKUP.

Across:

1. Remove politely, as a hat: DOFF.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

5. Muscle cramp: SPASM.  //  And 22-Down: Idiocyncratic twitch: TIC.

10. Hang onto: HOLD.

14. Assert as true: AVER.  A crossword staple.

15. One with dreads: RASTA.

Bob Marley (1945 ~ 1981)

16. Out of the wind: ALEE.

19. On cloud __: NINE.

20. Fill with joy: ELATE.

21. Feature that results in extra legroom on a plane: EXIT DOOR.  Pre-Covid, these seats were hard to get.  Extra legroom is a necessity if one is tall.  I am short and find the regular seats too small.

23. On __: sans contract: SPEC.

26. Bro's sib: SIS.

27. Indy 500 letters: STP.

36. Brewed beverage: TEA.

37. Pseudonymous punk rock surname: RAMONE.  The name of the band was inspired by the fact that Paul McCarthy would often use the pseudonym "Paul Ramon" when he traveled.  The original 4 members of the Ramones have all died:  Joey Ramone (né  Jeffrey Ross Hyman; May 19, 1951 ~ Apr. 15, 2001) died of lymphoma; Dee Dee Ramone (né  Douglas Glenn Colvin; Sept. 18, 1951 ~ June 5, 2002) died of a drug overdose; Johnny Ramone (né  John William Cummings; Oct. 8, 1948 ~ Sept. 15, 2004) died of prostate cancer; and Tommy Ramone (né  Tamás Erdélyi; Jan. 29, 1949 ~ July 11, 2014) died of cancer.

38. "This isn't looking good": UH, OH!

39. Turn back to zero: RESET.

41. Picnic pest: ANT.

42. Step between landings: STAIR.

43. "__ girl!": ATTA.

44. Stir up: AROUSE.

46. Press into service: USE.

49. Corrosive solution: LYE.

50. PBS "Science Kid": SID.  I am not familiar with Sid the Science Kid.

51. Crossed (out): EX'ED.

53. Previews that sound like they belong after the film: TRAILERS.

58. Eye-popping colors: NEONS.

62. Little Boy Blue's instrument: HORN.  A reference to the nursery rhyme:

Little Boy Blue come blow your horn,

The sheep’s in the meadow the cow’s in the corn.

But where’s the boy who looks after the sheep?

He’s under a haystack fast asleep.

Will you wake him? No, not I – for if I do, he’s sure to cry.

66. "In memoriam" piece: OBIT.  As in the Obituary.

67. Speak from a platform: ORATE.

68. River of Pisa: ARNO.

69. Change the decor of: REDO.

70. Gall: NERVE.

71. Like the 10th frame in bowling: LAST.  Hi, Boomer!

Down:

1. Title for Maggie Smith: DAME.  Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (b. Dec. 28, 1934) is such a good actress.

2. Speed-skating rink shape: OVAL.

3. Greek cheese: FETA.  Feta cheese is a brined curd white cheese made in Greece from sheep milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat milk. It is a crumbly aged cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture in comparison to other cheeses.

4. Houses with Greek letters: FRATS.

5. Full house letters: SRO.  As in Standing Room Only.  Probably not permitted by the Fire Marshal in most venues.

6. It may be two on a minigolf hole: PAR.

7. US Open stadium namesake: ASHE.  Arthur Ashe (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

8. Pringles rival: STAX.  Both are some sort of weid potato chips.

9. French painter Henri: MATISSE.  Henri Matisse (né Henri Émile Benoît Matisse; Dec. 31, 1869 ~ Nov. 3, 1954) was a French post-impressionist painter.

10. Distributes: HANDS OUT.

11. Hodgepodge: OLIO.  A crossword staple.

12. Carson's successor: LENO.  Jay Leno (né James Douglas Muir Leno; b. Apr. 28, 1950) replaced Johnny Carson (né John William Carson; Oct. 23, 1925 ~ Jan. 23, 2005) on The Tonight Show.

13. Bambi and Ena: DEER.  Disney characters.

18. Leave: DEPART.

24. Greek vowel: ETA.

25. Sporty Chevy: CAMARO.

27. Proverbial camel's backbreaker: STRAW.  Possible origin to the Phrase.

28. Canines, e.g.: TEETH.

29. Ziti or rigatoni: PASTA.  Everything you wanted to know about the Difference between Ziti and Rigatoni, but were afraid to ask.

31. Brief beginning-of-class activity: DO NOW.

32. On key: IN TUNE.

33. DIY mover: U-HAUL.  I have used U-Haul a time or two for some moves.  The company is  currently based in Phoenix, Arizona.  The company was started in 1945 by Leonard Shoen (Feb. 29, 1916 ~ Oct. 4, 1999) in Washington State.

34. Loud: NOISY.

35. Stooge count: THREE.  Hi, Chairman Moe!  Welcome to the world of blogging.

40. Erodes, as savings: EATS INTO.

42. Sister of Venus: SERENA.  Venus (née Venue Ebony Starr Williams; b. June 17, 1980) and Serena (née Serena Jameka Williams; b. Sept. 26, 1981) Williams are both tennis stars.

44. Enlarged the house: ADDED ON.

45. Census checkbox: SEX.  The Census it taken every 10 years, and this was year.
  

48. Feel sick: AIL.

52. Window sticker: DECAL.

53. Thunder god: THOR.

54. Courtroom garb: ROBE.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (b. Mar. 15, 1933)

55. Desertlike: ARID.

56. Uncommon: RARE.

57. Betelgeuse is one: STAR.  The name Betelgeuse is believed to be a French corruption of the Arabic word for the bright star found in the constellation of Orion.

59. Gumbo ingredient: OKRA.  We had Okra last week.

60. Sisters: NUNS.  Hi, Lucina!

61. Lady Macbeth's "damned" tormenter: SPOT.

64. Off-road transp.: ATV.  As in All-Terrain Vehicle.

65. Spelling contest: BEE.

Here's the Grid:

Covid is still out there, so please mask up and stay safe.

Monday, August 31, 2020

QOD:  The most important thing to do is really listen.  ~  Itzhak Perlman (b. Aug. 31, 1945), American violinist

Sunday, August 30, 2020

QOD:  Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of 10 and be considered a good performer.  ~  Ted Williams (né Theodore Samuel Williams; Aug. 30, 1918 ~ July 5, 2002), American baseball player