Friday, October 14, 2022

QOD:  Remember, loneliness is still time spent with the world.  ~  Ocean Voung (b. Oct. 17, 1988), Vietnamese poet

Thursday, October 13, 2022

QOD:  You can’t lead from the crowd.  ~  Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (née Margaret Hilde Roberts; Oct. 13, 1925 ~ Apr. 8, 2013), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

QOD:  In most places in the country , voting is looked upon a right and a duty, but in Chicago it’s a sport.  ~  Dick Gregory (né Richard Claxton Gregory; Oct. 12, 1932 ~ Aug. 19, 2017), African-American comedian and civil rights activist

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.

52. Clear, as data: WIPE.

53. Little songbird: WREN.

54. Govt. agents: FEDS.

56. Sense of self: EGO.

57. Shoot down: NIX.

59. Freeway meas.: MPH.  As in Miles Per Hour.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, October 10, 2022

QOD:  One was of looking at speech is to say that it is a constant stratagem to cover nakedness.  ~  Harold Pinter (Oct. 10, 1930 ~ Dec. 24, 2008), British playwright

Sunday, October 9, 2022

QOD:  If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.  ~  John Lennon (né John Winston Lennon; Oct. 9, 1940 ~ Dec. 8, 1980), British musician