Friday, September 24, 2021

QOD:  Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy.   ~  F. Scott Fitzgerald (né Francis Scott Fitzgerald; Sept. 24, 1896 ~ Dec. 21, 1940), American novelist

 

Thursday, September 23, 2021

QOD:  Comedy works best when people recognize themselves.  ~  Jason Alexander (né Jay Scott Greenspan; b. Sept. 23, 1959), American actor

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

QOD:  Young men are apt to think of themselves as wise enough, as drunken men are apt to think of themselves as sober enough.  ~  Philip Stanhope, 4^th Earl of Chesterfield (Sept. 22, 1694 ~ Mar. 24, 1773), British statesman and diplomat

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

QOD:  Poetry is just the evidence of life.  If your life is burning well, the poetry is just the ash.  ~  Leonard Cohen (né Leonard Norman Cohen; Sept. 21, 1934 ~ Nov. 7, 2016), Canadian-American singer-songwriter 

Same Word, Different Meaning.  As we wind down the baseball season (Game 1 of the World Series is scheduled for October 26), let's take a look at some of the sport's figures.

20. Football-shaped gem: MARQUISE DIAMOND.

Baseball Diamond

Marquise Diamond

28. Get revenge: EVEN A SCORE.

And the Red Sox Win!

48. Retriever retriever, perhaps: DOG CATCHER.

Carlton Fisk, former Red Sox Catcher

Here's the Unifier:

54. Estimates, and what the last parts of 20-, 28- and 48-Across are, in different ways: BALLPARK FIGURES.

2021 Red Sox figures

As you read today's commentary, I will be somewhere between New Jersey and the D.C., area as I make my trek back home after spending the past 2 months in New England.  Thus, this will be a somewhat abbreivated commentary.

Across:
1. Unit of parsley: SPRIG.

6. Gridiron gear: PADS.

10. Souvenir of a ticket: STUB.  Can it really be 25 years ago that I went to this Stones concert?

14. 2000s first lady Bush: LAURA.  Laura Bush (née Laura Lane Welsh; b. Nov. 4, 1946) married George W. Bush (b. July 6, 1946) in 1977.

15. Sheltered, at sea: ALEE.

16. Overblown publicity: HYPE.

17. Perpendicular to the keel: ABEAM.

18. Travel aimlessly: ROAM.

19. Monopoly token replaced by a cat: IRON.  I rather liked the Iron.

23. "The Addams Family" cousin: ITT.  A new Addams Family movie is coming out in October.

24. Switch positions: ONs.

25. Winter sports footwear: SKIS.

35. Author Rand: AYN.  Ayn Rand (née Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; Feb. 2, 1905 ~ Mar. 6, 1982) was born in St. Petersburg, Russia.  She moved to the United States in the 1920s.  Her best known works are The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

36. "__ the Falling Snow": Enya song: AMID.

37. Gas up: REFUEL.  I will have may refueling stops on my drive from New England to Louisiana.

38. Train making all the stops: LOCAL.

40. Assist: AID.

42. Column-bottom number: TOTAL.

43. Right away: AT ONCE.

45. Danson and Nugent: TEDs.  Ted Danson (né Edward Bridge Danson, III; b. Dec. 29, 1947) is a former model and actor.  Ted Nugent (né Theodore Anthony Nugent; b. Dec. 13, 1948) is a musician.

47. Hudson Riv. engineering school: RPI.  As in the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Hi, Spitzboov!

50. Own (up): 'FESS.

51. Vietnamese soup: PHO.

52. Anti-discrimination initials: EEO.  As in the Equal Employment Opportunity.

63. Side squared, for a square: AREA.

64. Zippo: NONE.

65. By oneself: ALONE.

66. Thailand, once: SIAM.

67. Dealing with the issue: ON IT.

68. Pasta wheat: DURUM.  Everything you wanted to know about Durum, but didn't know to ask.

69. Angel's instrument: HARP.

70. After normal hours: LATE.

71. "Austin Powers" genre: SPY-FI.  A pun on Sci-Fi.

Down:

1. Grand __: SLAM.

2. Old sunscreen ingredient: PABA.  Para-Aminobenzoic Acid (PABA) is not used so much in sunscreen products, in part because it is a strong sensitizing agent and can cause allergic dermatitis.  

3. Remorseful one: RUER.  You'll rue the day ...

4. Baghdad natives: IRAQIs.

5. Entire spectrum: GAMUT.

6. What birdies barely beat: PARs.  A golfing reference.

7. Skin soother: ALOE.  A crossword staple.

8. Perfectly accurate: DEAD ON.

9. Business training session: SEMINAR.

10. Leveling wedge: SHIM.  This word is becoming a crossword staple.

11. Beginner: TYRO.  Can you use this word in a sentence?

12. Stratford-__-Avon: UPON.  This city is best known for being the birthplace of Willie the Shakes.  (Hi, OMK!)

13. Curve in the road: BEND.

21. Checkout counter unit: ITEM.

22. Portfolio listings: ASSETS.

25. Dish with greens: SALAD.  My favorite salads are Caesars.

26. Former capital of Japan: KYOTO.  The city of Kyoto is known for its Buddhist temples, Shinto Shrines and beautiful gardens.

27. Undercover, informally: INCOG.

29. By way of: VIA.

30. Archie's spouse: EDITH.  A reference to All In the Family. 

31. Corp. money manager: CFO.  As in the Chief Financial Officer.

32. Bizarre: OUTRÉ.  The word comes to us from the French

33. Brings in at harvest time: REAPS.

34. Clothing designer Perry: ELLIS.  Perry Ellis (né Perry Edwin Ellis; Mar. 3, 1940 ~ May 30, 1986) was a fashion designer.

36. Li'l Abner creator: AL CAPP. Al Capp (né Alfred Gerald Caplin; Sept. 28, 1909 ~ Nov. 5, 1979) created Li'l Abner in 1934.

39. Mandela's org.: ANC.  As in the African National Congress.

41. Low grade: DEE.  Not a good grade.

44. Fuel additive: ETHANOL.

46. Eins plus zwei: DREI.  Today's German lesson: 1 + 2 = 3.

49. Popular Mexican beer: CORONA.  Not to be confused with the Corona Virus.

50. Make a mess of: FOUL UP.

53. "Yipes!": EGADS!

54. Wild party: BASH.

55. Opera highlight: ARIA.  Aria from Carmen.

56. Shakespeare's mad king: LEAR.

57. Genie's abode: LAMP.

58. Work with needles: KNIT.  A CSO to some of our regulars.

59. Big bash: FÊTE.

60. Golfer McIlroy: RORY.  Rory McIlroy (b. May 4, 1989) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland.

61. Sufficient, in texts: ENUF.

62. Game before the finals: SEMI.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, September 20, 2021

QOD:  Contentment is work so engrossing that you do not know you are working.  ~  Donald Hall (né Donald Andrew Hall, Jr.; Sept. 20, 1928 ~ June 23, 2018), American laurate poet

Sunday, September 19, 2021

QOD:  Whether one eats a cat or not is a personal choice, and I don’t want to sway anyone one way or another.  But if you do, there is one obvious cooking tip: Always remember to remove the bell from the cat’s collar before cooking.  ~  Mike Royko (né Michael Royko, Jr.; Sept. 19, 1932 ~ Apr. 29, 1997), American newspaper columnist