Friday, February 19, 2021

QOD:  You hear a lot of scientists say the same thing.  It doesn’t have to be a big thing because the thing about being a scientist is even the little things are big things to us.  ~  Roderick MacKinnon (b. Feb. 19, 1956), American biologist and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Thursday, February 18, 2021

QOD:  If you can only be tall because somebody is on their knees, then you have a serious problem.  ~  Toni Morrison (née Chloe Ardelia Wofford; Feb. 18, 1931 ~ Aug. 5, 2019), American author and recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

QOD:  I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.  And that is why I succeed.  ~  Michael Jordan (né Michael Jeffrey Jordon; b. Feb. 17, 1963), African-American professional basketball player

Tuesday, February 16, 2021 / Mardi Gras

QOD:  If we marry educational technology with quality, enriching content, that’s a circle of win.  ~  LeVar Burton (né Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr., b. Feb. 16, 1957), African-American actor 

A Rose by Any Other Name.

17-Across. If Nicholson sang, danced and acted, he might be called __: JACK OF ALL TRADES.  Jack Nicholson (né John Joseph Nicholso; b. Apr. 22, 1937) is an actor who has a played wide range of roles, so he probably can sing and dance as well as act.

40-Across. If Robinson left En Vogue to sing in Jerry Garcia's group, she might be called __: DAWN OF THE DEAD.  Although I had heard of the group En Vogue, I was not familiar with Dawn Robinson (née Dawn Shreese Robinson; b. Nov. 24, 1965).

59-Across. If Tomlin came from San Fernando, she might be called __: LILY OF THE VALLEY.  Lily Tomlin (née Mary Gean Tomlin; b. Sept. 1, 1939) is an actress and stand-up comedian.  She played Ruth Ann on Rowan & Martin.

Across:

1. Tripoli's country: LIBYA.

6. College grad: ALUM.

10. Kill, as a dragon: SLAY.  St. George, the patron saint of England, is said to have been a dragon-slayer.  Surprising fact: Dragons don't exist!

14. Thorny plant: BRIAR.

15. Latina toon explorer: DORA.  Dora the Explorer

16. Scrabble piece: TILE.

20. GQ or Cosmo: MAG.  Both are magazines, one for men and the other for women.

21. Photographed: SHOT.

22. Inhumane: BARBARIC.

27. Salty drops: TEARS.

31. Big name in PCs: ACER.  I learned of Acer computers from doing the crossword puzzles.

32. __ pork: Chinese dish with pancakes: MOO SHU.  Hubby likes Moo Shu Chicken.

35. "High" afternoon meal: TEA.

36. Forbidden: TABOO.  Not to be confused with Tattoo, which is a common crossword word.

38. Series of missed calls: PHONE TAG.

43. Dog food seller: PET STORE.

44. Crop up: ARISE.

46. Soul, to Sartre: ÂME.  Today's French lesson.  Jean-Paul Sartre (June 21, 1905 ~ Apr. 15, 1980) was a French extentialialism philosopher.  I had to read some of his work in college, but I don't remember anything now.

47. Polar parka: ANORAK.  I need one today.  Icy rain is coming down now, even as I type this.  We covered all of our fruit trees last night.  Hope they will survive.

50. Passionate about: INTO.

51. Winona of "Stranger Things": RYDER.  Winona Ryder (née Winona Laura Horowitz; b. Oct. 29, 1971) was born in Winona, Minnesota.  She has starred in many movies and television shows, including Stranger Things, which is a sci-fi horror mystery television series.

53. Brings good luck to: SMILES ON.

55. Taunt: GIBE.

58. Drone or worker: BEE.

67. Trim, as a photo: CROP.  It's so easy to do on your computer.

68. Dry forecast: FAIR.

69. Religious doctrine: DOGMA.  Also the name of a 1999 movie that starred Matt Damon and Ben Aflack.

70. Credit card balance, say: DEBT.

71. Benchmarks: Abbr.: STDs.  As in Standards.

72. Jerk or twitch: SPASM.

Down:

1. JFK's successor: LBJ.  Lyndon Baines Johnson (Aug. 27, 1908 ~ Jan. 22, 1973) succeeded John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 ~ Nov. 22, 1963).  As a kid, I thought Johnson was really old, and yet he died at only 64.

2. Nest egg initials: IRA.  As in an Individual Retirement Account.

3. Flickable lighter: BIC.

4. Go on and on: YAK.

5. Kitchen allure: AROMA.

6. Samuel Barber's "__ for Strings": ADAGIO.  Samuel Osmond Barber, II (Mar. 9, 1910 ~ Jan. 23, 1981) was an American composer, conductor and pianist.  This piece has been used in a number of movies and television shows, from Platoon to episodes of The Simpsons.

7. Cyberchortle: LOL.  Laughing Out Loud.  Apparently this has been used for over 30 years.

8. Web addresses: URLs.  The Uniform Resource Locator has become a crossword staple.

9. Subject with numbers: MATH.

10. Georgia or Washington: STATE.  In this map, both states are the same color.

11. Pot cover: LID.

12. It may be blonde or pale: ALE.  Everything you wanted to know about beers, but were afraid to ask.

13. "Roundabout" rockers with a positive name: YES.

18. Word before hand or land: FARM.

19. Capitol feature: ROTUNDA.  It's a majestic building.  Photographs don't do it justice.

22. Cave hanger: BAT.

23. Plato's school, with "the": ACADEMY.

24. Paid back, as a purchase incentive: REBATED.

25. Tweezer targets: BROWS.

26. Whirlybirds: 'COPTERS.  Also the name of a carnival ride.

28. Realizes, as a goal: ATTAINS.

29. Entertains with a bedtime story: READS TO.

30. Give in to gravity: SAG.

33. Recital rebuke: SHH.

34. Flower bed tool: HOE.

37. Province on four Great Lakes: ONTARIO.  Hi, CanadianEh!  Is this your Province?  Ontario touches upon Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.

39. Spooky: EERIE.  Not one of the Great Lakes.

41. Bass ending: -OON.  As in a Bassoon.

42. Pendulum direction?: FRO.  The Foucault Pendulum at the Boston Science Museum.

43. Links standard: PAR.

45. Seemingly forever: EON.  A crossword staple.

48. Orange-yellow gemstones: AMBERS.  They are often embeded with insects.

49. Ukraine's capital: KIEV.  The people of Ukraine prefer to spell the name of the capital as Kyiv.  Kiev is a transliteration of the Russian name, whereas Kyiv is the Ukrianian transliteration.

52. The Nile runs through it: EGYPT.  Several years, we took a boat ride up the Nile.

54. Detectives' aids: LEADS.

56. Bosom buds, in texts: BFFs.  Textspeak for Best Friends Forever.

57. Nouveau-Mexique, par exemple: ÉTAT.  More of today's French lesson.  Contrary to what some people think, New Mexico not a foreign country, but a State in the American Southwest.

Carte des États-Unis avec le Nouveau-Mexique en rouge.

59. TV screen type: LCD.  As in Liquid-Crystal Display.

60. Fury: IRE.

61. Easy throw: LOB.  Not to be confused with 63-Down: Cut (off): LOP.

62. Laid low: HID.

64. JFK alternative: LGA.  Both the LaGuardia Airport and the JFK Airports service the New York Area.  The airport in Newark also services the New York Area.

65. Maximum borders?: EMs.  As in the letter M.  Maximum.

66. Oft-candied veggie: YAM.  I'll pass on this dish.  I never understood why people liked yams with marshmellows.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Happy Mardi Gras, Y'all!  You can still celebrate.  Only the parades have been cancelled.  This is the coldest Mardi Gras in recent memory, however.

Monday, February 15, 2021

QOD:  Seek simplicity and distrust it.  ~  Alfred North Whitehead (Feb. 15, 1861 ~ Dec. 30, 1947), British mathematician

Sunday, February 14, 2021 / Valentine's Day

QOD:  Sex: The thing that takes up the least amount of time can cause the most amount of trouble.  ~  John Barrymore (né John Sidney Blyth; Feb. 14, 1882 ~ May 29, 1942), American actor