Friday, February 18, 2022

QOD:  What you have to do is work with the raw material you have, namely you, and never let up.  ~  Helen Gurley Brown (née Helen Marie Gurley; Feb. 18, 1922 ~ Aug. 13, 2012), American magazine editor

Thursday, February 17, 2022

QOD:  A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.  ~  Dorothy Canfield Fisher (née Dorothy Frances Canfield; Feb. 17, 1879 ~ Nov. 9, 1958), American educator and social activist

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

QOD:  A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.  ~  Henry Brooks Adams (né Henry Brooks Adams; Feb. 16, 1838 ~ Mar. 27, 1918), American historian

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

QOD:  What would life be without coffee?  But, then, what is life even with coffee?  ~  Louis XV, King of France (Feb. 15, 1710 ~ May 10, 1774)

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble.  The circled letters can be "mixed" around to give you the word CLONE, which is a Double of the original.  Dolly the Sheep was the first CLONEd mammal.

Dolly and her "original" mother

19-Across. Historic U.S. Olympics hockey victory, familiarly: MIRACLE ON ICE.  CLONE

On February 22, 1980, the United States Hockey team beat the Soviet Union team and won the Gold Medal at the Olympics that were held in Lake Placid, New York.  Wow!  Can that really have happened 42 years ago!!!

27-Across. Satirist who redefined the word "truthiness": STEPHEN COLBERT.  CLONE

46-Across. Police storage facility: EVIDENCE LOCKER.  CLONE

And the unifier (of sorts):

52-Across. Tennis format with man-and-woman pairs ... and a hint to each set of circles: MIXED DOUBLES.  Clones are "doubles" of the original.  Bit of a stretch, I think, but if you see something deeper in this theme, please let us know.

Across:

1. Acting credits list: CAST.

5. Start to crumble?: CEE.  As in the letter "C".

8. "__ of a Salesman": DEATH.

13. "The Godfather" enforcer __ Brasi: LUCA.  Luca Brais is the fictional character from The Godfather.  In the movie, he was portrayed by Lenny Montana (né Leonardo Passafaro; Mar. 13, 1926 ~ May. 12, 1992), a professional wrestler.

14. It's true: FACT.

15. __ City Music Hall: RADIO.

16. Singer Lambert who sometimes sings with Queen: ADAM.  Brian May (b. July 1947), an original member of Queen, is apparently not keen on working with Adam Lambert (b. Jan. 29, 1982).

17. Thing to scratch: ITCH.

18. Equipment, on a balance sheet: ASSET.

22. Tolkien trilogy, to fans: LOTR.  As in Lord of the Rings.  You either love the trilogy or hate it.

23. Hosp. crisis area: ICU.  As in the Intensive Care Unit.

24. Peter and Agnes: Abbr.: STs.  Both are Saints.  Hi, Irish Miss!

31. Rd. or hwy.: RTE.  A Road and a Highway are both Routes that will get you somewhere.  But, "if you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else."  ~  Yogi Berra.

32. Brontë's Jane: EYRE.  Jane Eyre is a 1847 novel by Charlotte Brontë.  I probably read parts of it back when I was in high school.

33. Unpeaceful, queasy feeling: NAUSEA.

34. Structure with a keystone: ARCH.

36. Some school RAs: SRs.  Some college Resident Assistants might be Seniors in College, or just Seniors in the community.  Many colleges allow older folks to be the dorm house "parents".

38. "__ Yankees": DAMN.

39. Iroquoian people, or a hairstyle named for them: MOHAWK.

42. Enjoy an e-cig: VAPE.

45. Admin on Reddit: MOD.  As in a Moderator.

49. Formerly named: NÉE.  A crossword staple.

50. "The Simpsons" outburst: DOH!   

51. Comics villain __ Kadabra: ABRA.

57. Fast: RAPID.

60. Red gem: RUBY.

61. Move like molasses: OOZE.  In 1919, a steel tank of molasses in Boston, Massachusetts ruptured, ultimately killing over 20 people and injured scores of others.  This Molasses Flood did more than just ooze along: it moved rapidly through the city.  Dennis Lehane wrote about this event in his novel Any Given Day.

62. Garlicky spread: AIOLI.

63. Votes for: YEAS.

64. Shrek, for one: OGRE.

65. Welcome at the door: GREET.

66. Std. paper size: LTR.  Letter is the standard paper size.

67. Pained whine: MOAN.

Down:

1. Chowder ingredient: CLAM.  Clam Chowder can be white (New England) or red (Manhattan).

2. Car with a four-ring 54-Down: AUDI.  Audi's origin story.  //  And 54-Down. See 2-Down: LOGO.

3. Injury reminder: SCAR.

4. Leaf-wrapped masa dish: TAMALE.  Hi, Lucina!

5. Wedding hires: CATERERS.

6. Shoe brand that sounds like a sound: ECCO.  The company makes shoes designed for comfort.

7. Word before origin or identity: ETHNIC.

8. Van Helsing nemesis: DRACULA.  I had no idea, but I did visit Dracula's castle 6 years ago.

9. Facility: EASE.

10. They pop up too often: ADs.  Yup!  lots of advertisement pop-up when searching on some websites.

11. Draw: TIE.

12. Sweltering: HOT.

14. Extremely, as rich: FILTHY.

20. Deal (with): COPE.

21. Emoji, for one: ICON.

24. Key tahini ingredient: SESAME.  Tahini is a Middle Eastern condiment made from Sesame Seeds.

25. Quake aftershock: TREMOR.

26. Rise: STAND.

27. Tried hard (for): STROVE.

28. Geek Squad member: TECHIE.

29. Stomach or guts: NERVE.

30. Flower harbinger: BUD.

31. Collegian's diet staple: RAMEN.  I ate my share when I was in grad school.

35. Ate: HAD.

37. Counter offering Italian, French and Russian options: SALAD BAR.  Cute clue!  Salad dressings from around the world!

40. "Congrats to us!": WE DID IT!

41. "Goldfinger" fort: KNOX.  You can visit Fort Knox, but they don't give out samples.

43. Nawlins subs: PO'BOYS.  Better than your traditional submarine sandwich.

44. Beige look-alike: ECRU.

Shades of Beige

47. Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Miller: CHERYL.  I was unfamiliar with Cheryl Miller (b. Jan. 3, 1964).

48. Comics explosion: KA-BOOM.

52. "Walk a __ in My Shoes": Joe South hit: MILE.

53. Two piece?: DUET.  Another cute clue.

55. Poet Pound: EZRA.  Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (Oct. 30, 1885 ~ Nov. 1, 1972) was a controversial figure.

56. Noticed: SEEN.

57. "The Entertainer," e.g.: RAG.

58. Word with bag or ball: AIR.

59. "The Raven" writer: POE. 

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, February 14, 2022 / Valentine's Day

QOD:  Give me golf clubs, fresh air and a beautiful partner, and you can keep the golf clubs and fresh air.  ~  Jack Benny (né Benjamin Kublesky; Feb. 14, 1894 ~ Dec. 26, 1974), American actor and comedian

Sunday, February 13, 2022

QOD:  Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.  ~  Susan Ertz (Feb. 13, 1887 ~ Apr. 11, 1985), British novelist