QOD

This blog purely for my own amusement. I like to start the day with a quote, be it amusing, inspiration, or simply something that caught my fancy.

On occasion, I might also include some commentary on the day's crossword puzzle that is published in the Los Angeles Times.

Friday, 4 December 2020

Friday, December 4, 2020

QOD:  Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.  ~  Samuel Butler (Dec. 4, 1835 ~ June 18, 1902), British poet

Thursday, 3 December 2020

Thursday, December 3, 2020

QOD:  Never write if you can speak; never speak if you can nod; never nod if you can wink.  ~  Martin Lomasney (né Martin Michael Lomasney; Dec. 3, 1859 ~ Aug. 12, 1933), American politician

Wednesday, 2 December 2020

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

QOD:  Life is so fragile, so brief.  And we seemingly work so hard at trying to ignore that.  ~  Elizabeth Berg (b. Dec. 2, 1948), American author

Tuesday, 1 December 2020

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

QOD:  Through books and photographs, I saw a world that was not my own, and I realized that there was another world.  That’s why I’m concerned about education, because it helps our children see other worlds.  ~  Bette Midler (b. Dec. 1, 1945), American singer-songwriter

Say Cheese!  Each three word phrase FINISHes with a word that can mean a PHOTOgraph.  In English, one is encouraged to say "Cheese", because that word hard to pronounce without the mouth forming into a smile.  Other languages use different words and phrases to elicit a smile.

17-Across. Drain a basketball three-pointer, say: MAKE THE SHOT.

Robert Parish makes the Shot!

26-Across. "Understand?": GET THE PICTURE.  This phrase is usually said somewhat sarcastically.

41-Across. Mess up a football hike: FUMBLE THE SNAP.


And the unifier:

54-Across. Very close race, and what 17-, 26- and 41-Across have in common: PHOTO FINISH.


Across:
1. Fountain orders: COLAs.  I tried Sodas, then Cokes, before settling on Colas.

6. Embarrass: ABASH.

11. Zig counterpart: ZAG.


14. Full of energy: ALIVE.


15. Ultra-masculine: MACHO.  Sorry!


16. Rage: IRE.  This has become a crossword staple.

19. Peter of Neverland: PAN.


20. Like a medium steak that was ordered rare: OVER DONE.


21. "We'll see": MAYBE.

23. __ Paulo: SÃO.   São Paulo, Brazil is one of the largest cities in the world.


24. Richard's running mate: SPIRO.  Spiro Theodore Agnew (Nov. 9, 1918 ~ Sept. 17, 1996) was Richard M. Nixon's running mate and became the 39th  Vice President of the United States.  He was the 2nd Vice President to resign the position, but the 1st to resign due to a scandal.


31. Beauty at a ball: BELLE.

33. Back forty's forty: ACRES.

34. Road furrow: RUT.

35. Brit's "Goodness!": I SAY.


36. Way up or down: STAIR.


37. Flutter by like a butterfly: FLIT.


38. Sibs, uncs, etc.: FAM.  Siblings and uncles are members of a family.

39. Treasure holder: CHEST.


40. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters": IRINA.  Russian playwright Anton Chekhov (Jan. 29, 1860 ~ July 15, 1904) wrote Three Sisters in 1900.  It was first performed in 1901.  As the title suggests, it focus upon the 3 Prozorov sisters: Olga, Maria and Irina.  There is also Andrei, the brother in the family, but the play isn't titled Three Sisters and a Brother.



44. __-Turkish War, 1911-12: ITALO.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the Italo-Turkish War, but were afraid to ask.

45. Prefix with center or dermal: EPI.  As in Epicenter or Epidermal.

46. "Don't wimp out, bro!": MAN UP.


48. Start of a partial concession: I'LL ADMIT.  Okay, I'll admit that I have fun creating this commentary.

53. Bearskin floor covering, e.g.: RUG.


57. Dot follower, on campuses: EDU.  Check out LSU.

58. British noblemen: EARLS.  More than you ever wanted to know about British Titles.

59. Juliet's love: ROMEO.


60. Super Bowl party bowlful: DIP.  Yummers.  I'll take the dip, but pass on the Super Bowl.



61. Harped (on): DWELT.

62. Rodeo ride: STEER.


Down:
1. Hunting outfit, for short: CAMO.

2. Norse king: OLAV.  There have been several Norse kings named Olav (sometimes spelled as Olaf).  The first was Olav I, who reigned from 995 to 1000.  The most recent was Olav V (July 2, 1903 ~ Jan. 17, 1991), who reigned from 1957 until his death 33 years later.


3. Facebook response: LIKE.


4. In opposition: AVERSELY.

5. Fixed appointment: SET DATE.  Once couples SET a DATE for their wedding, they often send out Save the Date cards to friends and family before sending the official wedding invitation.


6. "You said it!": AMEN.

7. Loyal political group: BASE.


8. German gripe: ACH!

9. HBO rival, briefly: SHO.  Home Box Office vs Showtime.


10. They might capture embarrassing comments: HOT MICS.  Often these are political comments, so we'll skip the videos.

11. "Shh!": ZIP YOUR LIP.



12. Spirited horse: ARAB.  The history of the Arabian Horse.


13. Chromosome carrier: GENE.


18. Partner of holler: HOOT.


22. Museum collection: ART.



24. Lemon-lime drink since 1961: SPRITE.


25. Place to tie up: PIER.



26. Making more alluring: GLAMMING UP.  David Bowie, Glamming it up.



27. Really would rather not: HATE TO.

28. PayPal payment, e.g.: E-CASH.

29. Spoil: RUIN.

Ruins of Ancient Rome.

30. James of blues: ETTA.  Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; b. Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012), makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.



31. "Back to the Future" bully: BIFF.  Biff was played by Thomas Wilson (b. Apr. 15, 1959). 

Biff, then and now.

32. Isaac's eldest son: ESAU.  In the Biblical book of Genesis, Jacob and Esau were the fraternal twins of Isaac and Rebekah.  Although Esau was older, he sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of lentils.

36. Author Silverstein: SHEL.  Sheldon Allan Silverstein (Sept. 25, 1930 ~ May 10, 1999) was known for his cartoons and children's stories.  Some of his best known books are The Giving Tree and A Light in the Attic.

37. "Sorry, no can do": 'FRAID NOT.


39. Turned (on) remotely, as the lights: CLAPPED.  Order Now!


40. How ark creatures boarded: IN PAIRS.  Did you know that there are actually two narratives in Genesis telling of Noah getting the animals on the ark?  In the first narrative, Noah is commanded to bring two of every kind of animal, male and female, onto the ark.  A few verses later, Noah is told to bring seven pairs of clean animals and on pair of animals that are not clean onto the ark.



42. Utility bill meas.: BTU.  Short for British Thermal Unit.

43. __-esteem: SELF.

46. TV horse who "will never speak unless he has something to say": MR. ED.  A horse is a horse, of course, of course ...



47. BMW rival: AUDI.


48. "__ cost you!": IT'LL.

49. Driving around in circles, maybe: LOST.


50. Silent performer: MIME.


51. "Gotcha": I SEE.

52. Superhero with a hammer: THOR.


55. Hem partner: HAW.

56. Iron __: ORE.

Here's the Grid:


Yesterday marked the end of the 2020 Hurricane season.  It has been quite a season.  There were 30 named storms in the Atlantic Ocean, the most ever recorded.  Twelve of those storms hit the continental United States.  Five of those 12 named storms hit Louisiana.  Thirteen of the 30 named storms reached hurricane categories.  After running through the 21 Atlantic list of names, we had to go to the Greek alphabet, where 9 of those letters became named storms.














Monday, 30 November 2020

Monday, December 30, 2020

QOD:  If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.  ~  Shirley Chisholm (née Shirley Anita St. Hill; Nov. 30, 1924 ~ Jan. 1, 2005), United States Representative from New York

Sunday, 29 November 2020

Sunday, November 29, 2020

QOD:  The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you have been.  ~  Madeleine L’Engle (née Madeleine L'Engle Camp; Nov. 29, 1918 ~ Sept. 6, 2007), American author