Friday, December 31, 2021 / New Year's Eve

QOD:  When I was younger, I had an ego.  But it gets in the way.  ~  Anthony Hopkins (né Philip Anthony Hopkins; b. Dec. 31, 1937), Welsh actor

Thursday, December 30, 2021

QOD:  The past is a foreign country: They do things differently there. ~  L.P. Hartley (né Leslie Poles Hartley; Dec. 30, 1895 ~ Dec. 13, 1972), British novelist

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

QOD:  You use and lose a lot of energy being grumpy.  ~  Ted Danson (né Edward Bridge Danson, III; b. Dec. 29, 1947), American actor

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

QOD:   The reason grandparents and grandchildren get along so well is that they have a common enemy.  ~  Sam Levenson (né Samuel Levenson; Dec. 28, 1911 ~ Aug. 27, 1980), American humorist

A Perfect Cuppa Tea.  

17-Across. Teatime: AFTERNOON REPAST.

41-Across. Tee time: GOLF RESERVATION.

65-Across. T-time: DRESS-DOWN FRIDAY.

Across:

1. Whack with a folded newspaper, say: SWAT.

5. Nile serpents: ASPs.

9. Kama __: SUTRA.

14. Number of Greek Muses: NINE.  The Greek Muses are believed to be the sources of inspiration for the arts and sciences.  Can you name them all?

15. Owl's call: WHOO.

16. Fireplace glower: EMBER.

20. Contraption: GIZMO.

21. The Stooges, e.g.: TRIO.  Hi, Chairman Moe!

22. Shailene's "Divergent" role: TRIS.  Shailene Diann Woodley (b. Nov. 15, 1991) is the actress who plays Tris Prior in the Divergent movie.

23. Track on a DVD: SONG.

25. What might be granted after begging one's pardon?: AMNESTY.

27. Triangular sail: JIB.

30. Soft mineral: TALC.

32. Secret advantage "up one's sleeve": ACE.

33. Twistable cookie: OREO.

35. Singer Anthony: MARC.  Marc Anthony (né Marco Antonio Muñiz; b. Sept. 16, 1968) was the 3rd husband of Jennifer Lopez (née Jennifer Lynn Lopez; b. July 24, 1969).

37. Common sprain site: ANKLE.

44. Big glitch: SNAFU.

45. Captain Hook's right hand: SMEE.  Characters from Peter Pan.  See makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

46. For experts, as a game: HARD.

47. __-cone: SNO.  It's 80 F here as I write this, so I could really use a snow-cone today.

49. "Doubtful": AS IF.

51. Certain sib: SIS.

52. Lustrous sheet fabrics: SATEENS.  Sateen or Egyptian Cotton?

56. Treble __: music symbol: CLEF.

58. Turkish military leader: AGHA.

59. Bachelor ending: -ETTE.  As in Bachelorette.

61. Wake up: ARISE.

68. Fable writer: AESOP.  You can read some of Aesop's 600+ fables here.

69. Take for a __: scam: RIDE.

70. Musical pitch: TONE.

71. Minuscule: TEENY.

72. Prince William's school: ETON.  Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) and Eddie Redmayne (b. Jan. 6, 1982) were classmates at Eton, as seen in the back row of this photo.

73. Auto pioneer Ransom __: OLDS.  Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 ~ Aug. 26, 1950) makes occasional appearances in the puzzles.  The Oldsmobile and the REO car brands were named after him.

Down:

1. Surprise problem: SNAG. 

2. Coffeehouse amenity: WI-FI.

3. 1998 film with talking bugz?: ANTZ.

4. Swarms: TEEMS.

5. Wheat bristle: AWN.

6. Pony in a bar: SHOT GLASS.  The Pony explained.

7. Destitute: POOR.

8. Justice Sotomayor who swore in Vice President Harris: SONIA.  Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor (b. June 24, 1954) swore in Vice President Kamala Harris (b. Oct. 20, 1964) on January 20, 2021.

9. "What did I tell you?": SEE!

10. Latest in an endless series of occurrences: UMPTEENTH.

11. Some ski lifts: T-BARS.  Goes well with today's theme.

12. Convene again: RESIT.  Awkward!

13. Like craft shows: ARTSY.

18. Tooth anchor: ROOT.

Anatomy a tooth

19. Capital of Italia: ROMA.  Today's Italian lesson.  Or, as we say in America: Rome.

24. "__ it": "Whatever you want": NAME.

26. Sweet Sixteen org.: NCAA.  As in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.  Everything you wanted to know about college baseball's Sweet Sixteen.

27. Runs leisurely: JOGS.

28. Steel, mostly: IRON.  More than you wanted to know about the Composition of Steel.

29. "Romanian Folk Dances" composer Bartók: BÉLA.  Béla Bartók (Mar. 25, 1881 ~ Sept. 26, 1945) was a Hungarian composer and is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th Century.

31. Espresso topper: CREMA.  More of today's Italian lesson.  Everything you wanted to know about Crema, but didn't know to ask.

34. Winter at the Jersey Shore, say: OFF SEASON.

36. Increase in loudness: CRESCENDO.

38. Korean exports: KIAs.

39. "Queen of QVC" Greiner: LORI.  I am not familiar with Lori Greiner.

40. What means may justify: ENDS.  The Ends Justify the Means is an idiom that, per Webster's means "that a desired result is so good or important that any method, even a morally bad one, may be used to achieve it."  

42. Mystical old letter: RUNE.

43. Bride's face cover: VEIL.  A history of the Bridal Veil.

48. Harry Styles' band, to fans: ONE D.  Harry Edward Styles (b. Feb. 1, 1994) is in the band One Direction.  He is also known for his modeling in Vogue magazine.

50. Dread: FEAR.

52. 1978 Peace co-Nobelist Anwar: SADAT.  Egyptian Anwar Sadat (Dec. 25, 1918 ~ Oct. 6, 1981) and Israeli Menachem Began (Aug. 16, 1913 ~ Mar. 9, 1992) were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work in negotiating a peace agreement between their two countries.  Sadly, Sadat was assassinated in 1981.

53. Concur: AGREE.

54. The ones here: THESE.

55. Mall unit: STORE.

57. Corn chip: FRITO.  Yummers!  My guilty pleasure.

60. Silly goose: TWIT.

62. Cher or Adele, e.g.: IDOL.  Cher (née Cheerily Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) and Adele (née Adele Laurie Blue Adkins; b. May 5, 1988) are both know by only their first names.

63. Beach cover: SAND.

64. A mantis has five of them: EYES.  Everything you wanted to know about the mantis eyes, but didn't know to ask.

Can you see all 5 eyes?

66. Secret agent: SPY.

67. Swampy area: FEN.

חתולה

Happy New Year everyone and All the Best for 2022!

Monday, December 27, 2021

QOD:  Sex: In America an obsession.  In other parts of the world, a fact.  ~  Marlene Dietrich (née Marie Magdalene Dietrich; Dec. 27, 1901 ~ May 6, 1992), German actress

Sunday, December 26, 2021

QOD:  As bad a dresser as I am, anything beats being judged by my character.  ~  David Sedaris (né David Raymond Sedaris; b. Dec. 26, 1956), American humorist

Friday, December 24, 2021 / Christmas Eve

QOD:  If you want to be happy for life, love what you do.  ~  Mary Higgins Clark (née Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins; Dec. 24, 1927 ~ Jan. 31, 2020), American author

Thursday, December 23, 2021

QOD:  Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory.  Quite the contrary.  Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.  ~  Donna Tart (b. Dec. 23, 1963), American novelist

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

QOD:  There may be years of crowded passion in a word, and half a life in a sentence.  ~  Thomas Wentworth Higginson 

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

QOD:  Talk to a man about himself and he will listen for hours.  ~  Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (Dec. 21, 1804 ~ Apr. 19, 1881), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

How much is that Doggy in the Window?

1-Across. *     With 4-Across, researcher's wear: LAB.  //  And 4-Acorss. *     See 1-Across: COAT.  Together we get a LAB COAT.

20-Across. *     Briefs alternative: BOXER SHORTS.

36-Across. *     Jewel-encrusted film noir title bird: MALTESE FALCON.  The Maltese Falcon was a 1930 detective novel by Dashiell Hammett (né Samuel Dashiell Hammett; May 27, 1894 ~ Jan. 10, 1961).  The book was later adapted into film noir, which starred Humphry Bogart (né Humphrey DeForest Bogart; Dec. 25, 1899 ~ Jan. 14, 1957).

56-Across. *     Sock hop attire: POODLE SKIRT.

And the Unifier:

68. With 69-Across, Iditarod front-runner ... and a hint to the answers to starred clues: LEAD.  //  And 69-Across. See 68-Across: DOG.  Together we get LEAD DOG.  Each of the theme answers Leads with a Dog breed.  Interesting, too, that the second word of 3 of the theme answers are articles of clothing.  I don't think a Falcon is something one would wear.

The Iditarod Race this winter will begin on March 22, 2022.

I liked the symmetry of this puzzle.  The first theme answer and the Unifier were in the first and last positions and each were in two separate entries.

And, another thematic clue:

44-Across. Pound sound: ARF.

Across:

8. Nested newborns' noises: CHEEPS.

14. Be off: ERR.

15. Major employer?: ARMY.  Cute clue.

16. Like some quaint lamps: OIL LIT.

17. "Get it?": SEE.

18. Back: REAR.

19. Old-fashioned type: STODGE.

23. Soccer cheer: ¡OLÉ!  Hi, Lucina!

24. Lena of "Riviera": OLIN.  We haven't seen Lena Olin (b. Mar. 22, 1966) for quite a while.  She used to make very frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Lena Maria Jonna Olin is a Swedish actress and has been in numerous movies and television shows.  Riviera was apparently a television series that ran from 2017 to 2020.

25. Feast with poi: LUAU.

26. 50 Cent piece, e.g.: RAP.

27. Send-ups: SATIRES.

31. Sixth sense: Abbr.: ESP.  As in ExtraSensory Perception.

32. 2021 World Series champs: Abbr.: ATL.  The Atlanta Braves bested the Houston Astros in the 2021 Baseball World Series.

33. Relish: SAVOR.

35. "Garfield" dog: ODIE.  I think Odie appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.

41. Curly cabbage: KALE.  A trendy food.

42. Vocally twangy: NASAL.

43. Nothing: NIL.

47. Buffet with guacamole and salsa: TACO BAR.

51. Chekov's early "Star Trek" rank: Abbr.: ENS.  As in Ensign.  Hi, Picard!

52. Give (out) sparingly: DOLE.  Bob Dole (né Robert Joseph Dole; July 22, 1923 ~ Dec. 5, 2021) died earlier this month at age 98.

54. Musical finale: CODA.  Everything you wanted to know about Codas, but didn't know to ask.

55. CPR expert: EMT.  Hopefully, the Emergency Medical Technician is well versed in CardioPulmonary Resuscitation.

60. Seize, as an opportunity: LEAP AT.

62. __ proprietor: SOLE.

63. Poe's "Annabel __": LEE.  You can read the poem here.

64. Infuriate: ENRAGE.

65. Latin 101 verb: ESSE.  Today's Latin Lesson.

66. Finish: END.

67. Checked for prints: DUSTED.

Down:

1. Sappho's island home: LESBOS.

2. Anatomical ring: AREOLA.

3. Secession approved in a 2016 U.K. referendum: BREXIT.

4. Three-time Grammy-winning singer Vikki: CARR.  Vikki Carr (née Florencia Bisenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona; b. July 19, 1941) has a career that spans 60 years.

5. Valuable minerals: ORES.

6. Asian nurse: AMAH.

7. Alpine region in Italy and Austria: TYROL.  Everything you wanted to know about Tyrol, but didn't know to ask.

8. Sportscaster Bob with 29 Emmys: COSTAS.  Bob Costas (né Robert Quinlan Costa; b. Mar. 22, 1952) was with NBC Sports for nearly 30 years.

9. Asks (for), as a loan: HITS UP.  I think of this as hitting up dad for a loan, rather than a bank.

10. "Evil Woman" rock gp.: ELO.  Apropos to have the Electric Light Orchestra be followed by 11-Down because that Eldorado is the title of the band's 4th studio album.

11. Legendary city of gold: EL DORADO.  If parsed as Eldorado, it's a Cadillac model.

12. Jargon with words ending in -ay: PIG LATIN.  Un-fay Uzzle-pay.

13. Church feature: STEEPLE.

21. Strand at sea: ENISLE.  Not a Tuesday word.  Webster's defines enisle as: (1) to place apart; isolate; or (2) to make an island of.  I read this clue and thought of someone being literally floating in the ocean, not left on an island.

22. Poe's __ Morgue: RUE.  The Murders in the Rue Morgue is often described as the first modern detective story.  It was a short story that was first published in April 1841.

28. Backstabber: RAT.

29. Christmas __: EVE.  Coming up this Friday night.

30. Aptly palindromic ABBA hit: SOS.

34. "The Last Jedi" villain Kylo: REN.  A reference to the Star Wars franchise.

35. The end of time?: O'CLOCK.  Did you know that O'Clock is an abbreviation for "Of the Clock"?

36. Top-level computer list: MAIN MENU.

37. Elite athletes: ALL STARS.

38. Lucrative, as a contract: FAT.

39. Smart-whip link: AS A.

40. Europe's __ de Genève: LAC.  In English, it would be written as Lake Geneva.  It is a deep lake located in the Alps on the border between Switzerland and France.

41. Prepared for a proposal: KNEELED.

44. Common Sunday newspaper insert: AD PAGE.

45. Supported from the bleachers, with "for": ROOTED.

46. Progressive spokeswoman: FLO.  Flo from the Progressive ads is portrayed by actress Stephanie Courtney (b. Feb. 8, 1970).

48. Heated to bubbling: BOILED.

49. Glandular prefix: ADRENO-.  Relating to the kidney.

50. Like family-friendly films: RATED G.

53. '50s Ford failure: EDSEL.  Why the Edsel was a failure.

57. "You snooze, you __": LOSE.

58. "Frozen II" sister: ELSA.

59. Gardener's purchase: SEED.

61. Tom Brady, before he became a Buc: PAT.  Tom Brady (né Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr.; b. Aug. 3, 1977) was with the New England Patriots before he became a Buccaneer with Tampa Bay.  Hi, Tinbini!

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Merry Christmas, Everyone!