Friday, February 25, 2022

QOD:  To be left alone is the most precious thing on can ask for of the modern world.  ~  Anthony Burgess (né John Anthony Burgess Wilson, Feb. 25, 1917 ~ Nov. 22, 1993), British author

Thursday, February 24, 2022

QOD:  It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.  ~  Steve Jobs (né Steven Paul Jobs; Feb. 24, 1955 ~ Oct. 5, 2011), American businessman and co-founder of Apple, Inc.

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

QOD:  Since my leaving the drinking of wine, I do find myself much better, and do mind my business better, and do spend less money, and less time lost in idle company.  ~  Samuel Pepys (Feb. 23, 1633 ~ May 26, 1703), English civil servant and diarist

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

QOD: It’s not true that life is one damn thing after another ~ it’s one damn thing over and over.  ~  Edna St. Vincent Millay (Feb. 22, 1892 ~ Oct. 19, 1950), American poet and playwright

Thomas Paine revisited.  Did you see the Common thread?

17-Across. *  Chic runway event: FASHION SHOW.  Fashion Sense dos and don'ts.

Not sure I'd go with either one.

29-Across. *  Popular betting sport: HORSE RACING.  Horse Sense.

45-Across. *  Uptown New York City thoroughfare west of Madison: SIXTH AVENUE.  Sixth Sense.  Also the name of a movie starring Bruce Willis.

And the Unifier:

57-Across. Practical judgment ... and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues: COMMON SENSE.  The word can follow the first word of each theme answer to give us a new concept.

Across:

1. TV host with her "OWN" network: OPRAH.  As in Oprah Winfrey Network.

6. Avoider of foods from animals: VEGAN.  When my mother-in-law turned 90, hubby and I planned a big party for her.  Foodwise, it was a challenge, as I had to have a kosher menu to accommodate various family members whose diets include vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free (diabetes). 

11. Weep: SOB.  Hand up if your initial thought was 27-Down. Weep: CRY.

14. "A penny saved ... " is one: ADAGE.

15. Thrill: ELATE.

16. "Into __ Woods": THE.  Into the Woods was a musical with music and lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim (Mar. 22, 1930 ~ Nov. 26, 2021).

19. Actress de Armas: ANA.  Ana de Armas (b. Apr. 30, 1988) is a Cuban actress.  She portrayed the nurse Marta Cabrera in the movie Knives Out.

20. Not clash: AGREE.

21. Zac of "High School Musical" films: EFRON.  

Zackary David Alexander Efron (b. Oct. 18, 1987)

23. Mex. neighbor: USA.

26. Part of a snicker: HEE.  Tee-Hee-Hee!

27. Seafood found in cakes: CRAB.  You can order a half dozen Maryland Jumbo Lump crab cakes for only $129.99 plus shipping.

28. Short rest: NAP.

34. PC problem solvers: IT PROS.  As in Information Technology Professionals.

36. Harvard or Yale, e.g.: IVY.  The mysterious origin of the term Ivy League.

37. Robert of "The Sopranos": ILER.  Robert Michael Iler (b. Mar. 2, 1985) portrayed A.J. Soprano, Tony Soprano's son.  We watched the series in the first year of the Covid shutdown.

38. Spanish bull: TORO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

39. Director Ang: LEE.  And Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker who has won numerous awards.

40. As well: ALSO.

41. Greek Cupid: EROS.

42. Lively dance: JIG.

43. Bowling woes: SPLITS.  Hi, Boomer!  Hope you are feeling better.

48. Game console letters: NES.  As in Nintendo Entertainment System.

49. Its symbol is Fe: IRON.  Iron is number 26 on the Periodic Table.  It's chemical symbol is Fe, which comes from the Latin, Ferrum.

50. Dedicated poem: ODE.  A crossword staple.

51. Test for M.A. hopefuls: GRE.  As in a Graduate Record Examination.

52. Masters of the Universe superhero: HE-MAN.

54. With 55-Down, superhero alter ego: CLARK.  //  And 55-Down:  See 54-Across: KENT.  Together we get Clark Kent, who is the mild-mannered reporter and Superman's alter ego.

56. Señora Perón: EVA.

63. Tennis call: LET.

64. Coin flip call: HEADS.

65. Baseball's Shohei Ohtani, notably: ANGEL.  Shoehi Ohtani (b. July 5, 1994) plays baseball for the Los Angeles Angels.

66. "Black-ish" patriarch: DRE.  Anthony Anderson (b. Aug. 15, 1970) portrays the father, Dre Johnson on the sit-com Black-ish.

67. Scents: ODORS.

68. Sporty car roofs: T-TOPS.

Down:

1. Dolt: OAF.

2. Romantic kiss in a crowd, for short: PDA.  As in Public Display of Affection.  Not to be confused with a Personal Digital Assistant.

3. Univ. aides: RAs.  As in the Resident Assistant, which also appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.

4. Turkish title: AGHA.

5. Song sung by a toon mining septet: HEIGH-HO.  And off to work we go ...

6. Facade: VENEER.

 

7. Otherwise: ELSE.

8. "Dilbert" cry: GAH.

9. From __ B: basic step: A TO.  From A to B ... pretty basic, indeed.

10. Period of change that's "ushered in": NEW ERA.

11. Diva's goal: STAR BILLING.

12. "That's awful!": OH, NO!

13. Coffee source: BEAN.

18. The first of them was sold March 6, 1912: OREOS.  Good to know!  The Cookie will soon be 110 years old.

22. Spa treatment: FACIAL.

23. Brings together: UNITES.

24. Zen enlightenment: SATORI.  Zen Philosophy.

25. Close, but not precise: APPROXIMATE.

30. Prolonged battle: SIEGE.

31. Holiday lead-in: EVE.

32. Empty __: parent whose kids have grown and moved: NESTER.

33. __ Pointe, Michigan: GROSSE.  Everything you wanted to know about Grosse Pointe, but didn't know to ask.

35. Speech platforms: ROSTRA.  Plural of Rostrum.

39. 2020 Super Bowl number: LIV.  Not to be confused with LIV Ullmann (b. Dec. 16, 1938).

42. Yr. starter: JAN.  The first month of the YR is January.

43. Khartoum's land: SUDAN.

44. Eyes closely: PEERS AT.

46. Bigwig: HONCHO.

47. "We can do without him": NO LOSS.

52. Conducted, as a meeting: HELD.

53. Eternally: EVER.

54. Starfleet rank: Abbr.: CMDR.  As in Commander.

58. 20-vol. reference: OED.  Here's the history of the Oxford English Dictionary.

59. Red Guard leader: MAO.

Andy Warhol's rendition

60. Nonprofit aid gp.: NGO.  As in a Non-Governmental Organization.

61. Labor Day mo.: SEP.  Labor Day is the first Monday of September.

62. Golfer Ernie: ELS.  I learned about Ernie Els (né Theodore Ernest Els; b. Oct. 17, 1969) from doing the crossword puzzles.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, February 21, 2022

QOD:  Political history is far too criminal and pathological to be a fit subject of study for the young.  Children should acquire their heroes and villains from fiction.  ~  W.H. Auden (né Wystan Hugh Auden; Feb. 21, 1907 ~ Sept. 29, 1973), Anglo-American poet

Sunday, February 20, 2022

QOD:  You don’t have to become something you’re not to be better than you were.  ~  Sidney Portier (Feb. 20, 1927 ~ Jan. 6, 2022), Bahamian-American actor