Friday, December 31, 2021 / New Year's Eve

QOD:  When I was younger, I had an ego.  But it gets in the way.  ~  Anthony Hopkins (né Philip Anthony Hopkins; b. Dec. 31, 1937), Welsh actor

Thursday, December 30, 2021

QOD:  The past is a foreign country: They do things differently there. ~  L.P. Hartley (né Leslie Poles Hartley; Dec. 30, 1895 ~ Dec. 13, 1972), British novelist

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

QOD:  You use and lose a lot of energy being grumpy.  ~  Ted Danson (né Edward Bridge Danson, III; b. Dec. 29, 1947), American actor

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

QOD:   The reason grandparents and grandchildren get along so well is that they have a common enemy.  ~  Sam Levenson (né Samuel Levenson; Dec. 28, 1911 ~ Aug. 27, 1980), American humorist

A Perfect Cuppa Tea.  

17-Across. Teatime: AFTERNOON REPAST.

41-Across. Tee time: GOLF RESERVATION.

65-Across. T-time: DRESS-DOWN FRIDAY.

Across:

1. Whack with a folded newspaper, say: SWAT.

5. Nile serpents: ASPs.

9. Kama __: SUTRA.

14. Number of Greek Muses: NINE.  The Greek Muses are believed to be the sources of inspiration for the arts and sciences.  Can you name them all?

15. Owl's call: WHOO.

16. Fireplace glower: EMBER.

20. Contraption: GIZMO.

21. The Stooges, e.g.: TRIO.  Hi, Chairman Moe!

22. Shailene's "Divergent" role: TRIS.  Shailene Diann Woodley (b. Nov. 15, 1991) is the actress who plays Tris Prior in the Divergent movie.

23. Track on a DVD: SONG.

25. What might be granted after begging one's pardon?: AMNESTY.

27. Triangular sail: JIB.

30. Soft mineral: TALC.

32. Secret advantage "up one's sleeve": ACE.

33. Twistable cookie: OREO.

35. Singer Anthony: MARC.  Marc Anthony (né Marco Antonio Muñiz; b. Sept. 16, 1968) was the 3rd husband of Jennifer Lopez (née Jennifer Lynn Lopez; b. July 24, 1969).

37. Common sprain site: ANKLE.

44. Big glitch: SNAFU.

45. Captain Hook's right hand: SMEE.  Characters from Peter Pan.  See makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

46. For experts, as a game: HARD.

47. __-cone: SNO.  It's 80 F here as I write this, so I could really use a snow-cone today.

49. "Doubtful": AS IF.

51. Certain sib: SIS.

52. Lustrous sheet fabrics: SATEENS.  Sateen or Egyptian Cotton?

56. Treble __: music symbol: CLEF.

58. Turkish military leader: AGHA.

59. Bachelor ending: -ETTE.  As in Bachelorette.

61. Wake up: ARISE.

68. Fable writer: AESOP.  You can read some of Aesop's 600+ fables here.

69. Take for a __: scam: RIDE.

70. Musical pitch: TONE.

71. Minuscule: TEENY.

72. Prince William's school: ETON.  Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) and Eddie Redmayne (b. Jan. 6, 1982) were classmates at Eton, as seen in the back row of this photo.

73. Auto pioneer Ransom __: OLDS.  Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 ~ Aug. 26, 1950) makes occasional appearances in the puzzles.  The Oldsmobile and the REO car brands were named after him.

Down:

1. Surprise problem: SNAG. 

2. Coffeehouse amenity: WI-FI.

3. 1998 film with talking bugz?: ANTZ.

4. Swarms: TEEMS.

5. Wheat bristle: AWN.

6. Pony in a bar: SHOT GLASS.  The Pony explained.

7. Destitute: POOR.

8. Justice Sotomayor who swore in Vice President Harris: SONIA.  Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor (b. June 24, 1954) swore in Vice President Kamala Harris (b. Oct. 20, 1964) on January 20, 2021.

9. "What did I tell you?": SEE!

10. Latest in an endless series of occurrences: UMPTEENTH.

11. Some ski lifts: T-BARS.  Goes well with today's theme.

12. Convene again: RESIT.  Awkward!

13. Like craft shows: ARTSY.

18. Tooth anchor: ROOT.

Anatomy a tooth

19. Capital of Italia: ROMA.  Today's Italian lesson.  Or, as we say in America: Rome.

24. "__ it": "Whatever you want": NAME.

26. Sweet Sixteen org.: NCAA.  As in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.  Everything you wanted to know about college baseball's Sweet Sixteen.

27. Runs leisurely: JOGS.

28. Steel, mostly: IRON.  More than you wanted to know about the Composition of Steel.

29. "Romanian Folk Dances" composer Bartók: BÉLA.  Béla Bartók (Mar. 25, 1881 ~ Sept. 26, 1945) was a Hungarian composer and is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th Century.

31. Espresso topper: CREMA.  More of today's Italian lesson.  Everything you wanted to know about Crema, but didn't know to ask.

34. Winter at the Jersey Shore, say: OFF SEASON.

36. Increase in loudness: CRESCENDO.

38. Korean exports: KIAs.

39. "Queen of QVC" Greiner: LORI.  I am not familiar with Lori Greiner.

40. What means may justify: ENDS.  The Ends Justify the Means is an idiom that, per Webster's means "that a desired result is so good or important that any method, even a morally bad one, may be used to achieve it."  

42. Mystical old letter: RUNE.

43. Bride's face cover: VEIL.  A history of the Bridal Veil.

48. Harry Styles' band, to fans: ONE D.  Harry Edward Styles (b. Feb. 1, 1994) is in the band One Direction.  He is also known for his modeling in Vogue magazine.

50. Dread: FEAR.

52. 1978 Peace co-Nobelist Anwar: SADAT.  Egyptian Anwar Sadat (Dec. 25, 1918 ~ Oct. 6, 1981) and Israeli Menachem Began (Aug. 16, 1913 ~ Mar. 9, 1992) were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work in negotiating a peace agreement between their two countries.  Sadly, Sadat was assassinated in 1981.

53. Concur: AGREE.

54. The ones here: THESE.

55. Mall unit: STORE.

57. Corn chip: FRITO.  Yummers!  My guilty pleasure.

60. Silly goose: TWIT.

62. Cher or Adele, e.g.: IDOL.  Cher (née Cheerily Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) and Adele (née Adele Laurie Blue Adkins; b. May 5, 1988) are both know by only their first names.

63. Beach cover: SAND.

64. A mantis has five of them: EYES.  Everything you wanted to know about the mantis eyes, but didn't know to ask.

Can you see all 5 eyes?

66. Secret agent: SPY.

67. Swampy area: FEN.

חתולה

Happy New Year everyone and All the Best for 2022!

Monday, December 27, 2021

QOD:  Sex: In America an obsession.  In other parts of the world, a fact.  ~  Marlene Dietrich (née Marie Magdalene Dietrich; Dec. 27, 1901 ~ May 6, 1992), German actress

Sunday, December 26, 2021

QOD:  As bad a dresser as I am, anything beats being judged by my character.  ~  David Sedaris (né David Raymond Sedaris; b. Dec. 26, 1956), American humorist