Friday, August 20, 2021

QOD:  I think dads let babies take more risks, maybe bounce off a bed more or jump off a couch or do more risk-taking things.  ~  Al Roker (né Albert Lincoln Roker, Jr.; b. Aug. 20, 1954), American journalist and television personality

Thursday, August 18, 2021

QOD:  Middle age is when you’re sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn’t for you.  ~  Ogden Nash (né Frederic Ogden Nash; Aug. 19, 1902 ~ May 19, 1971), American poet and humorist

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

QOD:  To abandon facts is to abandon freedom.  If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power because there is no basis upon which to do so.  ~  Timothy D. Snyder (né Timothy David Snyder; b. Aug. 18, 1969), American historian

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

QOD:  Marriage is a great institution, but I’m not ready for an institution.  ~  Mae West (née Mary Jane West; Aug. 17, 1893 ~ Nov. 22, 1980), American actress

A Visit to the Emergency Room:  The theme clues are all in the down position in this puzzle.  Notice that the first word of the theme answer begins with an I and the second word begins with a V.  Together, this gives us a hanging IV, or Intravenous (tube).  Fate presented me with this all too appropriate theme this week.  I have become the caretake to my elderly father, and he spent several days in the hospital with an IV line.

3-Down. Conscience: INNER VOICE.

8-Down. Come and go, e.g., grammatically: IRREGULAR VERBS.

14-Down. Essential worth: INTRINSIC VALUE.

And the Unifier:

28-Down. Greenery in suspended baskets ... or, phonetically, what 3-, 8- or 14-Down is?: HANGING IVY.

Across:

1. Where time is served: JAIL.

5. Hindu divinity whose name is a homophone for a herding dog: KALI.  Not a Tuesday clue and answer.

9. Spanish kiss: BESO.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hello, Lucina!

13. River of Pisa: ARNO.  This Italian river often winds its way into the puzzles.

14. More under the weather: ILLER.  Awkward!

15. "If you ask me," to a texter: IMHO.  Textspeak for In My Humble Opinion.  Usually, when this is used, the texter is not being Humble.

16. Vase-making dynasty: MING.  Everything you wanted to know about the Ming vase, but didn't know to ask.

17. "I won't do this anymore": NEVER AGAIN.

19. BBC nickname, with "the": BEEB.  Affectionately known as The Beeb.

20. Scones go-with: TEA.  Yummers!

21. Mind-boggler: ENIGMA.  Alan Turing (June 23, 1912 ~ June 7, 1954) cracked the Enigma Code.

22. Lions' calls: ROARS.

24. "What a long week!": TGIF.  Thank Goodness It's Friday.  Wait!  Today is only Tuesday!  TGI Friday's is also a restaurant chain.

25. Copenhagen's __ Gardens: TIVOLI.  Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park in the city of Copenhagen.  It is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world.  It opened in 1843.  I visited there a few years ago.  There were some good restaurants in the park.

27. Chef lead-in: SOUS.  I provided you with the background of the Sous Chef a couple of weeks ago.

28. '50s dance party: HOP.

31. Grossed: TOOK IN.

32. Christmastime: YULE.  //  And 35-Across. Sleigh driver: SANTA.

33. What to buy to solve P_T S_J_K: AN A.  Pat Sajak (né Patrick Leonard Sajdak; b. Oct. 26, 1946) is the host of Wheel of Fortune.  Three A's will complete the spelling of his name.

34. Elevator guy: OTIS.  Elisha Graves Otis (Aug. 3, 1811 ~ Apr. 8, 1961) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He didn't actually invent the elevator, but he did invent a safety device to prevent elevators from falling.

37. '60s civil rights gp.: SNCC.  I was not familiar with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

38. UCLA's __-12 Conference: PAC.  College Sports.

39. Fodder holder: SILO.

40. Cheap booze: ROT GUT.

42. Opposite of NNW: SSE.  Just take a look at your compass.

43. Kept in the loop, in emails: CC'ED.  It is a relic from the old typewriter days, when carbon paper was used to make a copy.

44. Fluctuates: VARIES.

45. Dallas NBA team: MAVS.  The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team.

46. Aired again: RERAN.  Lots of reruns on TV during the summer.

47. Actress MacRae who played Alice Kramden on "The Jackie Gleason Show": SHEILA.  Sheila MacRae (née Sheila Margaret Stevens; Sept. 24, 1921 ~ Mar. 6, 2014) was a British actress.  She took over the role from Audrey Meadows (née Audrey Cotter; Feb. 8, 1922 ~ Feb. 3, 1996) and was in 52 episodes of The Jackie Gleason Show in 1966.

50. Pro: FOR.

51. Role in "Son of Frankenstein": YGOR.

54. Dog breeders' group: KENNEL CLUB.

56. Go off the board: DIVE.

57. ESPN MLB analyst: A-ROD.  Alex Rodriguez (b. July 27, 1975) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

58. Military divisions: UNITS.

59. Range component: OVEN.  It is 95F as I type this in "sunny" New Hampshire.  I feel like I am in an oven.

60. Hardy's "___ of the D'Urbervilles": TESS.  Tess makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Maybe one of these days I will read this book and get to know her.

61. Tolkien creatures: ENTS.  These creatures are also frequent visitors to the puzzles.  Not being a fan fo Tolkien, I don't know if these critters are good or bad.

62. Greek sandwich: GYRO.  Yummers!

Down:

1. Door frame segment: JAMB.  Who knew there were so many parts to the door!

2. R&B vocalist India.__: ARIE. 

India.Arie (née India Arie Simpson; b. Oct. 3, 1975) 

4. Captain's records: LOG BOOKS.

5. Works by Swiss cubist Paul: KLEEs.  Paul Klee (Dec. 18, 1879 ~ June 29, 1940) has a very unique artistic style.

6. Thomas __ Edison: ALVA.

7. Martial artist Bruce __: LEE.  Bruce Lee (Nov. 27, 1940 ~ July 20, 1973) died of cerebral edema at age 32.  Sadly, his actor son, Brandon Lee (Feb. 1, 1965 ~ Mar. 31, 1993) also died young when he was wounded on the set while filming a movie.

9. Major condition: BIG IF.

10. Kindle download: E-MAG.

11. Carpentry wedge: SHIM.

12. Chaplin of "Game of Thrones": OONA.  Oona Chaplin (née Oona Castilla Chaplin; b. June 4, 1986) is the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin (né Charles Spencer Chaplin; Apr. 16, 1889 ~ Dec. 25, 1977) and the great-granddaughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill (né Eugene Gladstone O'Neill; Oct. 16, 1888 ~ Nov. 27, 1953).  Her mother is actress Geraldine Chaplin (née Geraldine Leigh Chaplin; b. July 31, 1944).  She was named after her maternal grandmother, Oona Chaplin (née Oona Ella O'Neill; May 14, 1925 ~ Sept. 27, 1991) who was Charlie Chaplin's fourth wife.  Quite a pedigree!

18. Cordial flavoring: ANISE.

23. "The Greatest": ALI.  Muhammad Ali (né Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; Jan. 17, 1942 ~ June 3, 2016).

24. Promote big-time: TOUT.

25. Sporty sunroofs: T-TOPS.

26. Teensy amounts: IOTAs.

27. Church assembly: SYNOD.

29. Perfectly timed: ON CUE.

30. Agreements: PACTS.

36. Brewpub orders: ALES.  Since I am currently in New Hampshire, and it is excruciatingly hot, here are some places I can get a nice cold ale.

37. Unowned, free-ranging pooch: STRAY DOG.

39. Weigh station?: SCALE.

41. Galley implement: OAR.

45. Gives a hoot: MINDS.

46. Beats but good: ROUTS.

47. Three-handed game: SKAT.  In case you are curious about the game of Skat.

48. "Psst! Over __!": HERE.

49. Grandson of Eve: ENOS.  Enos is supposedly the son of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve.  Very little is known about him other than Seth was 105 years old when he was born.  (See Genesis 5:6-11).

50. Move like a bee: FLIT.  Butterflies can also flit.

52. Finished: OVER.

53. City near Tahoe: RENO.  Reno is also the home of the National Judicial College.  I took some classes there about 20 years ago.

55. "Inside Politics" airer: CNN.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, August 16, 2021

QOD:  Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.  ~  Jean de la Bruyère (Aug. 16, 1645 ~ May 11, 1696), French philosopher and writer 

Sunday, August 15, 2021

QOD:  It is a curious thing that people only ask if you are enjoying yourself when you aren’t.  ~  Edith Nesbit (Aug. 15, 1858 ~ May 4, 1924), English author