Friday, September 11, 2020

QOD:  The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic and a killer.  It has never melted yet.  ~  D.H. Lawrence (né David Herbert Lawrence; Sept. 11, 1885 ~ Mar. 2, 1930), English novelist

Thursday, September 10, 2020

QOD:  Sweatpants are a sign of defeat.  ~ Karl Lagerfeld (né Karl Otto Lagerfeld; Sept 10, 1933 ~ Feb. 19, 2019), German fashion designer

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

QOD:  It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.  ~  Leo Tolstoy (Sept. 9, 1828 ~ Nov. 20, 1910), Russian novelist

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

QOD:  The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot.  The guy who invented the other three, he was a genius.  ~  Sid Caesar (né Isaac Sidney Caesar; Sept. 8, 1922 ~ Feb. 12, 2014), American comedian

Bartender, Fix me a Whisky.  Everything you wanted to know about  Whisky or Whiskey  but were afraid to ask.



17-Across. Housekeeper's whisky request?: MAKE IT NEAT.  Hi, Tin.

61-Across. Bachelor's whisky request?: SINGLE MALT.

11-Down. Geologist's whisky request?: ON THE ROCKS.  Sorry, Tin!

29-Down. Astronaut's whisky request?: STRAIGHT UP.


Across:

1. Former soldiers: VETS.  As in Veterans.  I know severe of our commenters are Veterans.

5. Explosive compound, briefly: NITRO.

10. A lot: TONS.

14. Quarreling: AT IT.

15. Still soft, as concrete: UNSET.

16. First-year law student: ONE L.  Also the name of a book by Scott Turow.

19. Gillette razor: ATRA.

20. Wire-bending hand tool: PLIERS.

21. Place to adopt a dog: PET SHOP.  My pets were all either strays or came from the pound.

23. Really big cats: LIONS.  The differences and similarities between a House Cat and a Lion.

26. Mechanical learning routine: ROTE.

27. Itemizes: LISTS.

30. International shipping co.: UPS.

32. Red wine grape known as Shiraz in Australia: SYRAH.

35. Eight: Pref.: OCTO-.  Think of the eight-armed Octopus.

36. Grins: SMILES.

38. Be in debt: OWE.

39. One of a bike's two: TIRE.

40. "Li'l" comic strip character: ABNER.  L'il Abner was a satirical comic strip created by Al Capp (Sept. 28, 1909 ~ Nov. 5, 1979).

41. Medical image for diagnosis: SCAN.

42. Bering or Black: SEA.  I have been to the Black Sea, but not the Bering Sea.

43. First game of the season: OPENER.

44. Related by blood: AKIN.

45. Type style that sounds like a Disney mermaid: ARIAL.

47. Gun, as an engine: REV.

48. Johnny Mathis classic that begins, "Look at me": MISTY

49. FBI agent: G-MAN.  Machine Gun Kelly (July 18, 1895 ~ July 18, 1954) supposedly coined the term G-Man.

51. Fix a lawn: RESOD.

53. Hawaiian medicine men: KAHUNAS.

56. Saudi __: ARABIA.

60. Ships' rears: AFTS.

64. Loyal: TRUE.

65. Letter-shaped dress style: A-LINE.  Designer Christian Dior (Jan. 21, 1905 ~ Oct. 24, 1957) is credited with creating the A-line dress in the 1950s.

66. ExxonMobil brand: ESSO.  A crossword staple.

67. Clumsy one's exclamation: OOPS!

68. British race car maker: LOTUS.

69. Half-moon tide: NEAP.

Down:

1. Femme fatale: VAMP.

2. And others: Abbr.: ET AL.  Another crossword staple.

3. Symbolic carving in Maori culture: TIKI.

4. Type of durable work boot: STEEL TOE.

5. Insane, as a scheme: NUTS-O.

6. Lodging choice: INN.

7. "Cats" poet's monogram: TSE.  Thomas Sterns Eliot, known as T.S. Eliot (Sept. 26, 1888 ~ Jan. 4, 1965) wrote Cats.  He would probably be horrified by the Broadway production based on his poetry.

8. Harvest: REAP."

9. Frolicking swimmer: OTTER.  If you like the Water, then you really "Otter" learn how to swim ...

10. Warm and cozy: TOASTY.

12. Fiddling Roman emperor: NERO.

13. Open-handed hit: SLAP.

18. Colored eye part: IRIS.  Also a painting by Van Gogh.

22. Throw softly: TOSS.

24. Phone __: NUMBER.

25. Fishing lure: SPINNER.

27. Much, casually: LOTSA.

28. More slippery: ICIER.

31. Magician's hiding place: SLEEVE.

33. Be in store for: AWAIT.

34. Comic Youngman: HENNY.  Henny Youngman (Mar. 16, 1906 ~ Feb. 24, 1998) is probably best known for his catch phrase, "Take my wife, please!"

36. Maple-syrup-to-be: SAP.  I just opened a bottle of Vermont maple syrup.

37. Make a mistake: ERR.

41. Ended a prayer: SAID AMEN.

43. "The Good Earth" heroine: O-LAN.  Pearl S. Buck (1892 ~ 1873) published her book, The Good Earth, in 1931.  It is about a poor family in a Chinese village in the early 1900s.  O-Lan and her husband, Wang Lung, ar both farmers ekeing out a living and hoping to earn enough monty to buy a plot of land.

46. Makes laugh: AMUSES.

48. __ or less: about: MORE.

50. Like a facial cavity: NASAL.

52. Clearance events: SALES.

53. Green Hornet's sidekick: KATO.  I am not really familiar with the Green Hornet's activities.

54. Jackson 5 hairdo: AFRO.

55. Storage building for crops: SILO.  Also how too many offices operate with little or no communication between departments.

57. It may be stolen on a diamond: BASE.  Think of the Baseball diamond.

Any guesses where this baseball field is located?

58. Ingrid's "Casablanca" role: ILSA.

59. Upon: ATOP.

62. Petty gripe: NIT.

63. Beast with a beard: GNU.

Here's the Grid:

The new blogging format is rather cumbersome, and it is much more difficult to include pictures.  It will take some practice before I feel more adept at including more photos.

Monday, September 7, 2020 / Labor Day

QOD:  I like animals because they are not consciously cruel and don’t betray each other.  ~  Taylor Caldwell (née Janet Miriam Holland Taylor Caldwell; Sept. 7, 1900 ~ Aug. 30, 1985)

Sunday, September 6, 2020

QOD:  The highest calling of leadership is to unlock the potential of others.  ~  Carly Fiorina (née Carla Carleton Sneed; b. Sept. 6, 1954), American businesswoman and political figure