Friday, December 17, 2021

QOD:  It sometimes strikes me that men and women aren’t quite the right people for each other.  ~  Penelope Fitzgerald (née Penelope Mary Knox; Dec. 17, 1916 ~ Apr. 28, 2000), British author

Thursday, December 16, 2021

QOD:  The earth has music for those who listen.  ~  George Santayana (né Jorge Agustín Nicholás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás; Dec. 16, 1863 ~ Sept. 26, 1952), Spanish author

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

QOD:  It takes but one person, one moment, one conviction, to start a ripple of change.  ~  Donna Brazile (née Donna Lease Brazile; b. Dec. 15, 1959), American political strategist

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

QOD:  When people keep telling you that you can’t do a thing, you kind of like to try it.  ~  Margaret Chase Smith (née Margaret Madeline Chase; Dec. 14, 1897 ~ May 29, 1995), American politician and former Senator from Maine

You can say that again!

17-Across. Tray with egg rolls, fried wontons, etc.: PU PU PLATTER.  Everything you wanted to know about the Pu Pu Platter, but didn't know to ask.  Apparently, the term comes from the Hawaiian word: pū-pū, which means a small bite.

23-Across. Amorous looks: GOO GOO EYES.

33-Across. Yoga-inspired athletic brand: LULULEMON.  A store that sells expensive yoga clothes.  There is a Lululemon store near me, but I get my yoga clothes elsewhere.

48-Across. Yogi's cartoon buddy: BOO-BOO BEAR.  Cute that Yogi follows Yoga.  Boo-Boo Bear is Yogi Bear's friend who tries to keep Yogi out of trouble.

53-Across. Colorful Hawaiian garment: MUUMUU DRESS.

 

Any other double-speak in today's puzzle?  Nothing dystopian in today's puzzle.

Across:

1. Fruity drink suffix: -ADE.  Hi, Lemonade!

4. Hwy. with tolls: TPKE.  As in Turnpike.  I took the Massachusetts Turnpike on my drive back from New Hampshire to Louisiana this past September.

8. Starring roles: LEADS.

13. One in a pod: PEA.

14. Hip bones: ILIA.  Plural of Ilium.

15. Traditional Easter wear: BONNET.  //  And 43-Down. Easter time: Abbr.: SPR.  Easter falls in the Spring.

16. Series-ending letters: ETC.

19. Butler at Tara: RHETT.

21. Bygone Ford: LTD.  The Ford LTD was manufactured from 1965 to 1986.  //  And 23-Down. Classic sports cars: GTs.  The meaning of GT designation.

1971 model

22. "... thus wide I'll __ my arms": "Hamlet": OPE.  Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5.

26. Bygone blade: SNEE.  This has become a crossword staple.

27. Slight bit, as of color: TINGE.

28. Cloak-and-dagger org.: CIA.  As in the Central Intelligence Agency.  Ever wonder where the term Cloak-and-Dagger originated?

29. Tour of duty: STINT.

30. Big first for a baby: STEP.

31. "__ we having fun yet?": ARE.  I am.  I hope you are having fun, too.

32. Concert pianos: GRANDs.  The pandemic prevented Michael Gurt from traveling, so he gave solo performances on his Grand Piano from his home.

36. Order to relax: AT EASE.

39. Two-outs-in-a-single-AB stats: DPs.  As in a Double Play in baseball.

40. Mil. awards: DSCS.  As in the Distinguished Service Cross.

44. Ending with wind or air meaning "transmitted by": BORNE.

45. Early Beatle Sutcliffe: STU.  Stu Sutcliffe (né Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe; June 23, 1940 ~ Apr. 10, 1962) was the original bass guitarist for the nascent Beatles.  He is sometimes referred to as the Fifth Beatle, because the group initially was a 5-member band.  He left the band to pursue a career in painting.  Sadly, he died at age 21 of a brain hemorrhage.

46. Camera setting: F-STOP.  Everything you wanted to know about the F-Stop, but didn't know to ask.

47. "Phooey!": DRAT.

50. NBA tiebreakers: OTS.  As in OverTimes.

51. Muppet chimp __ Minella: SAL.  His name is a word play on the word Salmonella, which is a bacterium that can cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

52. To this point: AS YET.

57. "__ Abner": L'IL.  Famous enough to earn a postage stamp, back when stamps were affordable.

59. Gofer's job: ERRAND.

60. Drooling comics canine: ODIE.  Garfield's side-kick.

61. Having four sharps: IN E.  As in the Key of E in music compositions.

62. They're not options: NEEDS.

63. Like retailers during holiday season: BUSY.

64. Self-esteem: EGO.

Down:

1. Tarzan raiser: APE.

2. Home of Lions and Tigers, but not Bears: DETROIT.  Oh, My!

3. Every last person: EACH ONE.

4. Move sneakily: TIP-TOE.

5. Verb meaning "demote" coined in 2006: PLUTO.  I was so sad to learn that Pluto had been demoted.  I remember as a grade school student reading The Search for Planet X, by Tony Simon.  The book really made an impression on me.  I really liked learning about Pluto and Clyde Tombaugh (Feb. 4, 1906 ~ Jan. 17, 1997), its discoverer.

6. Nap, to a Brit: KIP.  Here are 10 words that are used in England that are head-scratchers here.

7. Water in la mer: EAU.  Today's French lesson.

8. Truckful: LOAD.

9. Rhinitis-treating MD: ENT.  As in an Ears, Nose and Throat doctor.

10. Former justice Scalia: ANTONIN.  Antonin Gregory Scalia (Mar. 11, 1936 ~ Feb. 13, 2016) served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from September 1986 until his death nearly 30 years later.  He died in his sleep while on a quail hunting trip in Texas.

11. Diving board site: DEEP END.

12. City map lines: STREETS.  

A Judgmental Map of Houston

15. Initial diner orders?: BLTs.  As in a Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich

18. Response to a judge: PLEA.

20. Parmigiana choice: EGGPLANT.  Yummers.  This is a favorite dish of mine.

24. Beige hue: ECRU.

Pantone's designation: Ecru is the 3rd color down.

25. Not argue with: YIELD TO.

26. Waits for further instructions: STANDS BY.

29. "No seats" sign: SRO.  As in Standing Room Only.

31. Pint at a bar: ALE.

32. Baseball VIPs: GMs.  As in General Managers.

34. "__ as directed": USE.

35. File format for digital books: E-PUB.  As in Electronic Publishing.

36. Stomach: ABDOMEN.

37. Long wait, to some: TORTURE.

38. Solver's smudge: ERASURE.

41. Metal marble: STEELIE.

42. Just enough snow to cover the ground: COATING.  As I write this, it's 19F outside and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground.  Not enough to be considered a coating of snow, however.

45. Auction cry: SOLD.

46. "Gorillas in the Mist" author Dian: FOSSEY.  Diann Fossey (Jan.  16, 1932 ~ Dec. 26, 1985) studied  mountain primates in Rwanda.  Sadly, she was murdered in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda when she was only 53.

48. Data transfer unit: BAUD.  Webster's defines Baud as: a variable unit of data transmission speed (such as one bit per second).

49. Desert refuge: OASIS.

51. Catches some rays: SUNS.

54. "Spy vs. Spy" magazine: MAD.

55. Filmmaker Reiner: ROB.  Rob Reiner (né Robert Norman Reiner; b. Mar. 6, 1947) is probably best known for his role as Mike Stivic on All in the Family.  He is the son of actor and comedian Carl Reiner (1922 ~ 2020).

56. UCLA URL ending: EDU.

58. Sign before Virgo: LEO.  Hi, Leo III!

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, December 13, 2021

QOD:  What I’ve learned is not to change who you are, because eventually you’re going to run out of new things to become.  ~  Taylor Swift (née Taylor Alison Swift; b. Dec. 13, 1989), American singer

 

Sunday, December 12, 2021

QOD:  To make anything interesting you simply have to look at it long enough.  ~  Gustave Flaubert (Dec. 12, 1821 ~ May 8, 1880), French novelist