Friday, November 20, 2020

QOD:  Life can get so interesting that we forget to be afraid.  ~  Don DeLillo (né Donald Richard DeLillo; b. Nov. 20, 1936), American novelist

Thursday, November 19, 2020

QOD:  I never learned anything while I was talking.  ~  Larry King (né Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; b. Nov. 19, 1933), American television personality

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

QOD:  Love blurs your vision; but after it recedes, you can see more clearly than ever.  ~  Margaret Atwood (née Margaret Eleanor Atwood; b. Nov. 18, 1939), Canadian novelist

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

QOD:  Life’s journey ~ it unfolds for you as you are ready for it.  ~  RuPaul (né RuPaul Andre Charles; b. Nov. 17, 1960), American drag queen and television personality

Winter's Coming!

The circles spell out words that remind us that Winter is just around the corner.  Technically, the words Ice, Sleet, Hoar and Rime are terms-of-art that have slightly different meanings, but you get the (snow) drift.

17-Across. Words from a vacillator: I CAN'T DECIDE.  Ice.

25-Across. Bedtime wish: SLEEP TIGHT.  Sleet.

39-Across. Crusade: HOLY WAR.  Hoar.

51-Across. Fastest-ever performance, as in a race: RECORD TIME.  Rime.

And the Unifier:

63-Across. Spiky, bleached hairstyle ... or what the puzzle circles represent: FROSTED TIPS.

Across:

1. Deputized Western group: POSSE.  The word Posse comes from the Latin phrase posse comitatus, which means the "force or power of the country".

6. African capital near ancient Carthage: TUNIS.

11. __-pitch: SLO.

14. Milo of "Romeo and Juliet" (1968): O'SHEA.  Milo O'Shea (June 2, 1926 ~ Apr. 2, 2013) portrayed Friar Laurence in this movie.

15. Ten sawbucks: C-NOTE.  Technically a C-Note is a 100 dollar bill.  Webster's offers a possible explanation of the origin of how the Sawbuck came to mean a $10 bill.

16. Bench press target: PEC.  //  And 56-Across. Workout count: REPS.

19. Snitch: RAT.

20. Golf bunker contents: SAND.  //  And 22-Across. Golfer's goof: SLICE.

21. "__ fair in love ... ": ALL'S.  The phrase "All's fair in love and war" is attributed to the 16th Century English poet, John Lyly (1550s ~ Nov. 1606), who wrote “The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war.” 

24. Cogito __ sum: ERGO.  More of today's Latin lesson.  Technically there should be a comma between the first and second word of this phrase.  Translated into English, this phrase means: I think, therefore I am.

27. Hurry: RUSH.  //  And 18-Down. Sprint: DASH.

29. Detroit NFLer: LION.

30. Religion: FAITH.

32. Swing and Disco: ERAs.

34. Casino gratuity: TOKE.  Toke is short for Token of Appreciation.

38. Feel out of sorts: AIL.

42. Neither's partner: NOR.  Although the United States Postal Service has no official motto, the words "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" are found on the 8th Avenue Post Office in New York City.

43. Marvel superhero: X-MAN.  There are several X-Men, so you can take your pick.

45. Peace signs: VEEs.

46. Up and at 'em: ASTIR.

48. __ fail: unexpected disaster: EPIC.  Apparently in Spain, anyone can be an art restorer.

The Before and After EPIC fail.

50. Pandora's box, e.g.: MYTH.  Apparently, some one opened Pandora's Box this year.

59. __ acid: AMINO.

60. Part of RBG or LBJ: Abbr.: INIT.  Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Mar. 14, 1933 ~ Sept. 18, 2020) and Lyndon Baines Johnson (Aug. 27, 1908 ~ Jan. 22, 1973), the 26th President of the United States.  I always though LBJ was so old, and yet he was only 64 when he died.

61. Inter __: among others: ALIA.  More of today's Latin lesson.  This phrase had become a crossword staple.

62. Doze (off): NOD.

66. Colorado tribe: UTE.

67. Word with peace or turmoil: INNER.  As in Inner Peace and Inner Turmoil.  Complete opposites.

68. Ancient letters: RUNES.

69. __ capita: PER.

70. Individual preference: TASTE.

71. Salon board abrasive: EMERY.

Down:

1. Self-assurance: POISE.

2. Subject of a seasonal buzz or nod: OSCAR.  The official name of the of the Oscar is the Academy Award of Merit.  Legend has it that it was called Oscar because the Academy librarian thought the statuette looked like her Uncle Oscar.  The statuette is 13 1/2 inches tall and weighs 8.5 pounds.

3. Utopia in "Lost Horizon": SHANGRI-LA.  I read Lost Horizon by James Hilton (Sept. 9, 1900 ~ Dec. 20, 1954) when I was in high school.  I remember I really liked the novel.

4. Emit: SEND OUT.

5. Dog-dog connection?: EAT.  It's a Dog Eat Dog world.

6. Immune system agent: T-CELL.  Everything you wanted to know about T-Cells but were afraid to ask.

7. "I give up!": UNCLE.  This has become a crossword staple.

8. Regulations affecting loud parties: NOISE LAWS.

9. "__ be an honor!": IT'D.

10. Deals with: SEES TO.

11. Hint of mint: SPRIG.

12. Extract, as lye from ashes: LEACH.

13. The planets, since Pluto's demotion: OCTET.  I was very reluctant to remove Eight.

Before Pluto's demotion.

23. Dryer trap fuzz: LINT.

26. Leaning Tower city: PISA.

28. Exam proctor's reminder: SHH!

30. Copier function: FAX.  Does anyone still use a fax?

31. Intention: AIM.

32. Primaries, say: ELECTIONs.  Thank goodness the elections are over.

33. Manhattan liquor: RYE.  How to make a Manhattan.

35. At risk: ON THE LINE.

36. Pond carp: KOI.

37. Slip up: ERR.  To ERR is human ...

40. "Metamorphoses" poet: OVID.

41. Bit of sunshine: RAY.

44. Gas in signs: NEON.

47. Layer: STRATUM.

49. Monetary gain: PROFIT.

50. Parcel (out): METE.

51. Accumulated, as debts: RAN UP.

52. Act with great passion: EMOTE.

53. Fall beverage: CIDER.

54. Map within a map: INSET.

55. British bishop's headdress: MITRE.  The word, whether spelled the British way or the American way, comes from a Greek word meaning Headband or Turban.  Justin Welby (b. Jan. 6, 1956) is the current Archbishop of Canterbury.

57. "Pied" folklore guy: PIPER.  The Pied Piper was supposedly hired to rid the German town of Hamelin of its rats.  Unfortunately, the towns people failed to pay him, so he took revenge by took the away, never to be seen again.

58. Given to insolence: SASSY.  If I sassed back to my grandmother, she would wash my mouth out with soap.  It happened to me more than once

64. "Messenger" letters: RNA. 

65. Beats by __: audio equipment brand: DRE.  I was not familiar with this company.  Apparently, it was founded by the rapper Dr. Dre (né Andre Romelle Young; b. Feb. 18, 1965), who makes occasional appearances in the crossword puzzles.  Since 2014, it has been a subsidiary of Apple.

Here's the Grid:

Monday, November 16, 2020

QOD:  The only thing we have learnt from experience is that we learn nothing from experience.  ~  Chinua Achebe (né Albert Chinualumogu Achebe; Nov. 16, 1930 ~ Mar. 21, 2013), Nigerian novelist

Sunday, November 15, 2020

QOD:  Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late.  ~  Felix Frankfurter (Nov. 15, 1882 ~ Feb. 22, 1965), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court