QOD: Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Tuesday, 11 October 2022

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

QOD: Everyone is so obsessed with themselves nowadays that they have no time for me. ~ Louise Rennison (Oct. 11, 1951 ~ Feb. 29, 2016), British comedian and author

Road Trip: We will visit first Athens then Sérres, Greece. The first word in each theme answer begins with an A, THEN the second word begins with an S.

1-Across. * "Yes, captain!": AYE, SIR!

18-Across. * "Well, shoot": AW, SHUCKS! Also the name of a chain of oyster bars.

27-Across. * Immunotherapy injection: ALLERGY SHOT.

44-Across. * Plane passenger's selection: AIRLINE SEAT.

55-Across. * Director's "That's a wrap!": AND SCENE!

And the unifier:

65. Capital of Greece, or a three-word hint to the answers to the starred clues: ATHENS. Take it apart, and we get A Then S.

Across:

7. Kansas City cuisine, briefly: BBQ. There are lots of regional styles of Barbecue.

10. "Quickly!" letters: ASAP. As Soon As Possible!

14. Period of self-care: ME TIME.

15. Steal from: ROB. [Name adjacent.]

16. Greek philosopher known for a paradox: ZENO. There are actually several Greek philosophers, but the one with paradoxes was Zeno of Elea (BCE 490 ~ 430). [Name # 1.]

17. "Things are bleak": IT'S BAD.

20. Like many budget reno projects: DIY. As in Destroy-It-Yourself.

21. Aussie greeting: G'DAY. Hi, Kazie!

23. Wide variety: ARRAY.

24. Underling: PEON.

25. Little pigs count: THREE.

31. Playground game: TAG.

34. God: DEITY.

35. "Stop pouring": WHEN.

36. Start of a play: ACT I.

37. Kayaking site: LAKE.

38. Scallion kin: CHIVE. Everything you wanted to know about the difference between Chives and Scallions, but didn't know to ask.

39. Civil rights icon Parks: ROSA. Rosa Parks (née Rosa Louise McCauley; Feb. 4, 1913 ~ Oct. 24, 2005) was instrumental in the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, when in December 1955, she refused to give up her seat to move to the back of the bus. [Name # 2.]

40. Happily __ after: EVER.

41. Move, in Realtor lingo: RE-LO. As in Re-Locate.

42. Expand, as a highway: WIDEN. A widening of Interstate-10 in Louisiana is anticipated.

43. Dreaming sleep phase, briefly: REM. As in Rapid Eye Movement sleep.

46. "How about that!": I'LL BE!

48. Surrender, as territory: CEDE.

49. Janelle of "Moonlight": MONÁE. Janelle Monáe (née Janelle Monáe Robinson; b. Dec. 1, 1985) also starred in Hidden Figures. [Name # 3.]

51. __ Strauss & Co.: LEVI. Everything you wanted to know about this history of the Levi Strauss company, but didn't know to ask. [Name adjacent.]

52. Scrabble-like game app, briefly: WWF. As in Words With Friends. These initials also stand for World Wildlife Fund and was formerly referred to the World Wrestling Federation.

58. Think highly of: ADMIRE.

60. "Rhyme Pays" rapper: ICE-T. Ice-T (né Tracy Lauren Marrow; b. Feb. 16, 1958) also portrays Detective Odafin Tutuola on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. [Name # 4.]

61. Job on a band's tour: GIG.

62. Immersed briefly: DIPPED. On Rosh Hashanah, the holiday we just celebrated, it is traditional to dip apples in honey.

63. Some long-lasting bulbs: LEDs. As in Light-Emitting Diode light bulbs.

64. Good Grips kitchenware brand: OXO. This brand appears with som frequency in the puzzles.

Down:

1. In the thick of: AMID.

2. Himalayan creature sometimes sought on "Finding Bigfoot": YETI. Also the name of a very expensive brand of ice chests and related items. [Name # 5.]

3. Online crafts marketplace: ETSY.

4. Sis or bro: SIB. As in Sibling.

5. Language that paints mental pictures: IMAGERY.

6. Kid-lit's Clifford, notably: RED DOG.

7. Donkey sound: BRAY.

8. Decoration on a wrapped present: BOW.

9. NFL play callers: QBs. As in Quarter Backs.

10. Sky blue: AZURE.

11. Encryption for private messages: SECRET CODE.

12. "My Way" songwriter Paul: ANKA. Paul Albert Anka (b. July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-born singer. He and Mick Jagger (b. July 26, 1943), and John Lennon (b. Oct. 9, 1940) are contemporaries, but have completely different musical styles. [Name # 6.]

13. Small bouquet: POSY.

19. Musical partner of Rodgers before Hammerstein: HART. Richard Rodgers (né Richard Charles Rodgers; June 28, 1902 ~ Dec. 30, 1979) and Lorenz Hart (né Lorenz Milton Hart; May 2, 1895 ~ Nov. 22, 1943) collaborated on stage musicals from 1920 until Hart's death . [Names # 7 and #8.]

Hart is on the right.

22. No place in particular: ANYWHERE.

24. Tosh of reggae: PETER. His given name is Winston Hubert McIntosh (Oct. 19, 1944 ~ Sept. 11, 1987). He was murdered at age 42. [Name # 9.]

25. NBC singing competition hosted by Carson Daly: THE VOICE. [Name # 10.]

26. Fine-tune, as skills: HONE.

27. Chicago's __ Planetarium: ADLER. If you haven't been to the Adler Planetarium, it is well worth the visit. It was named after Max Adler (May 12, 1866 ~ Nov. 4, 1952). He had been a vice president at Sears Roebuck. After he retired, he became a key figure in funding the planetarium, which has the distinction of being the first planetarium the western hemisphere. [Name adjacent.]

28. Walk away: LEAVE.

29. On the same wavelength: LIKE MINDED.

30. Con artist's aide: SHILL.

32. Hopelessly lost: AT SEA.

33. Humongous: GIANT.

36. Come to light: ARISE.

38. Nursery bed: CRIB.

42. "Teamwork makes the dream work!": WE DID IT!

44. Smart __: wiseacre: ALEC.

45. Reno's state: NEVADA. Reno, Nevada is also the home of the National Judicial College.

47. Endures: LASTS.

49. Postal delivery: MAIL.

50. __ and for all: ONCE.

51. Danish toy maker: LEGO. The Lego company has been around for 90 years. Did you know that Lego comes from the Danish words Leg Godt, which translates to Play Well in English. I played with Legos as a child, when they only came in white and red bricks. It's all fun and games until you step on one at night in the dark.