Friday, April 23, 2021

QOD:  I think puns are not just the lowest form of wit, but the lowest form of human behavior.  ~  John Oliver (né John William Oliver; b. Apr. 23, 2977), British comedian

Thursday, April 22, 2021 / Earth Day

QOD:  The word “reality” is one of the few words which means nothing without quotes.  ~  Vladimir Nabokov (Apr. 22, 1899 ~ July 2, 1977), Russian novelist

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

QOD:  Adam invented love at first sight, one of the greatest labor-saving machines the world ever saw.  ~  Josh Billings (né Henry Wheeler Shaw; Apr. 21, 1818 ~ Oct. 14, 1885), American writer and humorist

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

QOD:  Habit is either the best of servants or the worst of masters.  ~  Nathanael Emmons (Apr. 20, 1745 ~ Sept. 23, 1840), American theologian

Beef: It's What for Dinner.

17-Across. Routinely approve: RUBBER STAMP.  Rump.

24-Across. Betty White's "The Golden Girls" role: ROSE NYLUND.  Round.

38-Across. Assures, as an interest rate: LOCKS IN.  Loin.

52-Across. .eps or .txt, e.g.: FILE FORMAT.  Filet.

And the unifier:

63-Across. Butchers' stock literally found in this puzzle's circles: SIDES OF BEEF.  A butcher explains the cuts of meat. 

Across:

1. Unisex dos: SHAGS.  This side of the pond anyway.

6. It beats rock, in a game: PAPER.  Rock, Paper, Scissors explained.

11. "Quiet, please!": SHH!

14. Bat mitzvah reading: TORAH.  Bat Mitzvah means Daughter of the Commandment, and the term applies to the person, not the event.  The ritual celebrations of the Bat or Bar (Son of the Commandment)  Mitzvah have been challenged in the age of Covid.

15. Photographer's concern: ANGLE.  Common photographer's mistakes and how to avoid them.

16. Concert souvenir: TEE.  I went to the concert, but skipped the Tee.

19. Chicken-king connection: À LA.  Chicken à la King is a dish of diced chicken in a creamy sauce and typically served over noodles or rice.

20. Recently: AS OF LATE.

21. On the trail of: AFTER.

23. "Now, where __ we?": WERE.

27. Crystal ball gazer: SEER.

29. Isn't elected: LOSES.

30. Nick of "Warrior" (2011): NOLTE.  Nick Nolte (né Nicholas King Nolte; b. Feb. 8, 1941) played  a recovering alcoholic named Paddy Conlon in this film.

33. Hold a session: SIT.

34. Shade of blue: AQUA.  Some shades of blue.

37. Dude: BRO.

42. Coffee server: URN.

43. 2017 Best Animated Feature Oscar winner: COCO.

45. Timid: SHY.

46. Raw meat concern: E. COLI.  It's formal name is Escherichia coli.  Got questions?  CDC has answers.

Image is larger that found in nature.

48. Came up: AROSE.

50. Augur: BODE.

55. Turkish coin: LIRA.  Also comes in the paper version.

59. __ God: tornado, e.g.: ACT OF.

60. Respected: ESTEEMED.

62. T'ai __: CHI.

66. Woolen cap: TAM.

67. Wipe out: ERASE.

68. Buy and sell stock: TRADE.

69. Canonized Mlle.: STE.  Today's French lesson.  Joan of Arc is an example of a Sainte.

70. Worldview view: TENET.

71. Have a sneaking suspicion: SENSE.

Down:

1. Scarecrow stuff: STRAW.

2. Word with party or guest: HOUSE.

3. Leafy recess: ARBOR.

4. Gossipy gathering: GAB-FEST.

5. "A Boy Named Sue" writer Silverstein: SHEL.  Shel Silverstein (né Sheldon Allan Silverstein; Sept. 25, 1930 ~ May 10, 1999) wrote the poem, but the song was made famous by Johnny Cash (né J.R. Cash; Feb. 26, 1932 ~ Sept. 12, 2003).

6. Right one for the rite job?: PASTOR.  Cute clue.

7. Chips in a pot: ANTES.

8. Golf tour letters: PGA.  Professional Golfers' Association.

9. National Mall tree: ELM.  So beautiful.

10. Makes good on: REPAYS.

11. The way things are: STATUS QUO.  From the Latin.

12. Mirren of "Trumbo" (2015): HELEN.  That's Dame Helen Lydia Mirren (b. July 26, 1945) to you.  She also starred in the 1989 film The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, which is a really disturbing film.

13. Caught wind (of): HEARD.

18. Like valuable coins: RARE.  This 1 oz Canadian palladium Maple Leaf coin, which has a face value of $50, is worth over $3,000.

22. __ market: FLEA.  Why would you want to buy fleas?

25. Fans of college sports' Bulldogs: ELIs.  As in the Yale bulldogs.

26. "Moi?": NOT I!

28. Slim fish often smoked: EEL.  Yummers!

30. "This Is Us" network: NBC.  I have heard of this show, but never watched it.  Apparently it has been running since 2016.

31. Olímpicos goal: ORO.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Go for the Gold!  Will the Olympics be played this summer?

32. Announcement before landing: LOCAL TIME.

33. Feature of many seascapes: SKY.

35. Surfer's link: URL.  As in the Uniform Resource Locator.  Interesting that this clue followed the Seascape, even though we are surfing on a different medium.

36. Singer DiFranco: ANI.  Ani DiFranco (née Angela Marie DiFranco; b. Sept. 23, 1970) had released more than 20 albums.

39. __ buco: veal dish: OSSO.  This has become a crossword staple.

40. "Mermaids" co-star: CHER.  Cher (née Cherilyn Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) portrayed Mrs. Flax in this 1990 film.

41. Mustachioed guy on "The Simpsons": NED.

44. Longtime Hydrox rival: OREO.  Another crossword staple.  The interesting origin of the name of the Hydrox.

47. Cause __: megastar: CÉLÈBRE.  From the French.

49. Counteract: OFFSET.

50. Short-legged hound: BASSET.  Such a mournful looking dog.

51. Director Preminger: OTTO.  Otto Ludwig Preminger (Dec. 5, 1905 ~ Apr. 23, 1986) was born in present-day Ukraine.  He immigrated to the United States in 1935 and became a citizen in 1943.

52. They're hard to argue with: FACTS.  Apparently Jack Webb never actually said "Just the facts, Ma'am."

53. Former Apple messaging app: iCHAT.

54. Reagan attorney general Ed: MEESE.  Edwin Meese, III (b. Dec. 2, 1931) served as United States Attorney General from February 1985 until August 1988.

56. "That is ... ": I MEAN.

57. Wetlands growths: REEDS.

58. Website revenue: AD FEE.

61. Young newts: EFTs.  Cute little critter.

64. Outrage: IRE.

65. Sports radio host Patrick: DAN.  Since I don't listen to sports radio, I am not familiar with Daniel Patrick Pugh (b. May 15, 1956), who is known professionally as simply Dan Patrick.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, April 19, 2021

QOD:  Sometimes I get very dressed up just to go to the corner for some bread; I dress for my own amusement.  ~  Paloma Picasso (née Anne Paloma Ruiz-Picasso y Gilot; b. Apr. 19, 1949), French fashion designer

 

Sunday, April 18, 2021

QOD:  The first half of our lives is ruined by our parents, the second half by our children.  ~  Clarence Darrow (né Clarence Steward Darrow; Apr. 18, 1857 ~ Mar. 13, 1938), American attorney