Friday, January 13, 2023

QOD:  A culture war is something only the other side fights.  The side you are on is merely talking sense.  ~  Richard Shrimsley, British journalist 

Thursday, January 12, 2023

QOD:  I am not the kind of person women fall in love with.  I sort of grow on them, like fungus.  ~  Jeff Bezos (né Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen; b. Jan. 12, 1964), American businessman and founder of Amazon

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

QOD:  To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.  ~  Aldo Leopold (Jan. 11, 1887 ~ Apr. 21, 1948), American author, naturalist and environmentalist

Tuesday, January 10, 2022

QOD:  We’re not getting any younger.  ~ Donald Fagen (né Donald Jay Fagen; b. Jan. 10, 1948), American musician and member of the band, Steely Dan

What's the connection?  The theme answers have absolutely NADA in common with each other.

17-Across. 1965 Beach Boys hit whose B side was "Please Let Me Wonder": DO YOU WANNA DANCE.

29-Across. "Just part of the job": ALL IN A DAY'S WORK.

49-Across. Fruity cocktail: BANANA DAIQUIRI.

And the unifier:

63-Across. Lack of similar interests, and what the three long answers with circled letters have?: NOTHING IN COMMON.

Here's the Grid, so you can see for yourself that the three long answers have Nothing In Common (aka NADA).

Across:

1. __ off: gets smart: WISES.  I wanted Mouth off, but the second part of the clue indicates a plural answer.

6. Online customer service option: CHAT.

10. Actor Daniel __ Kim: DAE.  Daniel Dae Kim (b. Aug. 4, 1968) was born in Busan, South Korea.  He moved with his family to the United States when he was just 1-year old.  [Name # 1.]

13. Quaking trees: ASPENS.

15. Honolulu's island: OAHU.

16. Mos. and mos.: YRS.  Months and Months add up to Years and Years.

20. Cry of disgust: UGH.

UGG.

21. Field of greens?: GOLF.

22. "L'shanah __": Rosh Hashanah greeting: TOVAH.  Technically, this phrase means "for a good year".

23. Stage accessory: PROP.

25. "Thor" role for Anthony Hopkins: ODIN.  Although Sir Anthony Hopkins (né Philip Anthony Hopkins; b. Dec. 31, 1937) played Odin in Thor, he is probably best known as Hannibal Lecter in The  Silence of the Lambs.   [Name # 2.]

27. "__ and Juliet": ROMEO.  My father was a member of the ROMEOs (Retired Old Men Eating Out).  [Name # 3.]

32. Honey liquor: MEAD.  I wonder if Margaret Mead (Dec. 16, 1901 ~ Nov. 15, 1978) liked Mead?

33. Uber status: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.  This answer usually refers to plane schedules.

34. Method: Abbr.: SYS.  As in System.

35. Depilatory brand: NAIR.

38. Job detail, briefly: SPEC.

41. "__ your imagination!": USE.

44. Animated pic: GIF.  As in Graphics Interchange Format.

46. Protective trench: MOAT.

54. Bonus: EXTRA.

55. Khaki alternative: ECRU.  Both are shades of brown.

56. Simply must have: NEED.

58. Greek letter between rho and tau: SIGMA.

60. Slog away: TOIL.

62. Director DuVernay: AVA.  Ava DuVernay (née Ava Marie DuVernay; b. Aug. 24, 1972) is probably best known for her 2018 film A Wrinkle in Time.  [Name # 4.]

66. Letter opener?: ELL.  As in the letter "L".  I am not keen on this type of clue and answer.

67. Rex Stout sleuth Wolfe: NERO.  Nero Wolfe was/is a fictional private detective created in 46 mystery stories written by Rex Stout (né Rex Todhunter Stout; Dec. 1, 1886 ~ Oct. 27, 1975).  Stout's mysteries were later adapted into a television series that starred William Cannon (1920 ~ 1994).   [Name # 5.]

68. "Cobra Kai" practice: KARATE.  Cobra Kai is a martial arts comedy drama television series.

69. Digit on a foot: TOE.

70. Peabody-winning journalist Ifill: GWEN.  Gwen Ifill (Sept. 29, 1955 ~ Nov. 14, 2016) hosted Washington Week in Review.  She was the first African-American woman to host a nationally televised US public affairs program.  Sadly, she died young of cancer.  [Name # 6.]

71. Fees for overdue library books, e.g.: FINES.  I have 2 overdue books from my local library that should have been returned when I was away.  Oops!

Down:

1. Crumple into a ball: WAD UP.

2. Map line connecting points of equal value: ISOGRAM.

3. Small security opening in a door: SPY HOLE.

4. Job listing abbr.: EEO.  As in Equal Employment Opportunity.

5. Warm and cozy: SNUG.

6. Disclose: CONFIDE.

7. __ Chinese: world's largest ethnic group: HAN.

8. At the drop of __: A HAT.

9. Some houses with exposed-beam exteriors: TUDORS.

10. Big bundles of energy: DYNAMOS.  Also the name of the professional soccer team in Houston.

11. Target sport: ARCHERY.

 

12. Opposite of WNW: ESE.  Points on the compass.

14. Faint: SWOON.

18. "Bridge of Spies" actor Alan: ALDA.  Alan Alda (né Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; b. Jan. 28, 1936) is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H.  He'll celebrate his 87th birthday later this month.  [Name # 7.]

19. Declare bluntly: AVOW.  A crossword staple.

24. Strategize: PLAN.

26. Battle of the Beltways MLB team: NATS.  [Name adjacent.]

28. Approves: OKs.

30. Mont. neighbor: IDA.  Idaho is adjacent to Montana.

31. Shrill bark: YAP.

36. Swiatek ranked world No. 1 by the WTA in 2022: IGA.  [Name # 8.]  Hand up if you are familiar with Iga Natalia Świątek (b. May 31, 2001).  She is a Polish professional tennis player.

37. Uber service: RIDE.

39. CGI bird in Liberty Mutual ads: EMU.  I'll spare you these annoying adverts.

40. Nickel or dime: COIN.

 

41. Purple yam from the Philippines: UBE.

42. Moment to shine at a jazz recital, perhaps: SAX SOLO.

43. Authorize: ENTITLE.

45. Political subgroup: FACTION.

47. Nameless local guy in The Onion headlines: AREA MAN.  Total guess.

48. 50-50 in the Senate, say: TIE VOTE.  Hmm...  No politics on this blog.

50. Exasperated cry: ARGH!

51. New pet owner's task: NAMING.

 

52. Wrinkle remover: IRON.

53. "Hurry up!": QUICK.

57. "Homeland" Emmy winner Claire: DANES.  Claire Danes (née Claire Catherine Danes; b. Apr. 12, 1979) got her start in the teen drama My So-Called Life.  In 2011, she began her role as CIA agent Carrie Mathison on Homeland.  [Name # 9.]

59. From the top: ANEW.

61. Bread shape: LOAF.

63. Pickleball court divider: NET.  Everything you need to know about Pickleball, but didn't know to ask.

64. Test for aspiring profs: GRE.  As in the Graduate Record Examinations, which of often required for admission into graduate school.

65. CT scan kin: MRI.

חתולה

Many thanks to Anonymous T for filling in for me for the last several weeks while I had the opportunity to explore in Southeast Asia.  Below are a few photos from my travels.

The Royal Palace Complex in Phnom Penh

The Royal Palace Complex in Phnom Penh

The Royal Palace

Angkor Thom

Angkor Wat

At the Udon Monestery

Monday, January 9, 2023

QOD:  A man is not finished when he’s defeated; he’s finished when he quits.  ~  Richard Nixon (né Richard Milhouse Nixon; Jan. 9, 1913 ~ Apr. 22, 1994), 37^th President of the United States

Sunday, January 8, 2023

QOD:  You would think that a rock star being married to a supermodel would be one of the greatest things in the world.  It is.  ~ David Bowie (né David Robert Jones; Jan. 8, 1947 ~ Jan. 10, 2016), British musician