Friday, February 10, 2023

QOD:  He who laughs has not yet heard the terrible news.  ~  Bertolt Brecht (né Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht; Feb. 10, 1898 ~ Aug. 14, 1956), German playwright

Thursday, February 9, 2023

QOD:  Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors.  ~  Alice Walker (b. Feb. 9, 1944), African-American novelist

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

QOD:  What exists, exists so that it can be lost and become precious.  ~  Lisel Mueller (née Elisabeth Neumann; Feb. 8, 1914 ~ Feb. 21, 2020), German-born poet

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

QOD:  Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.  ~  Charles Dickens (né Charles John Huffman Dickens; Feb. 9, 1819 ~ June 9, 1870), British novelist

Black and White:  There is no grey area in today's puzzle.

17-Across. *  Focaccia with kalamatas, e.g.: OLIVE BREAD.  Black Olive and White Bread.  Black and White can also apply to and White Olive (yes, there is such a thing) and Black Bread.

24-Across. *   Exclusive Hollywood clubhouse that has a Parlour of Prestidigitation: MAGIC CASTLE.  Black Magic and White Castle.  Black and White can also apply to White Magic (magic used to do good in the world) and Black Castle (It's a castle in Ireland).

47-Across. *   Virtual locale for exchanging ideas: MARKET SPACE.  Black Market and White Space.  White Market refers to legal transactions.  Black Space is an Israeli series that was released on Netflix.

56-Across. *   Holiday candle scent: FOREST PINE.  Black Forest and White Pine.  Black and White can also apply to White Forest (a fictional area in the Pokémon world) and Black Pine.

And the unifier:

35-Across. Clear-cut, and what each part of the answers to the starred clues can follow, respectively: BLACK AND WHITE.

Today's theme reminded me of the Entenmann's Black and White cookies.

Across:

1. Athletic activity: SPORT.  //  And 10-Across. Three follower: PEAT.  In sports, a Three-Peat is a third consecutive championship.

6. Diesel, e.g.: FUEL.  Also the stage name of actor Mark Sinclair (b. July 18, 1967), better known as Vin Diesel.

14. "60 Minutes" correspondent O'Donnell: NORAH.  Norah O'Donnell (née Norah Morahan O'Donnell; b. Jan. 23, 1974) has been with 60 Minutes for nearly a decade.   [Name # 1.]

15. Other, in Spanish: OTRA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

16. Golfer Nordqvist who won the 2021 Women's British Open: ANNA.  I don't follow golf, so was unfamiliar with Swedish golfer Anna Nordqvist (née Ana Maria Nordqvist; b. June 10, 1987), although the perms made her her name was easy enough to fill in. [Name # 2.]

19. Pesters: NAGS.

20. Buffy player Sarah Michelle __: GELLAR.  Sarah Michelle Gellar (b. Apr. 14, 1977) has been in other productions, but will forever be associated as being the Vampire Slayer.   [Name # 3.]

21. Side: FACET.

22. "Is that really true about me?": AM I?

27. TV room: DEN.

28. Actor Vigoda: ABE.  Abe Vigor (né Abraham Charles Vigoda; Feb. 24, 1921 ~ Jan. 26, 2016) is probably best known for his role as Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather and as Phil Fish on Barney Miller.   [Name # 4.]

29. Hodgepodge: OLIO.

30. Piece of granite: SLAB.  Often used in cemeteries.

32. Clutter-averse type: NEATNIK.  //  I would expect the beatnik to be 55-Across. Orderly: TIDY.

39. "Funny Face" co-star Fred: ASTAIRE.  Fred Astaire (né Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 ~ June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor and singer.  He stared with Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.  [Name # 5.]

40. Penny: CENT.

42. Caribbean landmass: ISLE.

43. "You're it!" game: TAG.

46. "The Catcher in the __": RYE.  The Catcher in the Rye is the 1951 novel by J.D. Salinger (né Jerome David Salinger; Jan. 1, 1919 ~ Jan. 27, 2010) and, when I was growing up, was read in high school.  It may be on the banned list now.  

51. Smallish battery: AAA.

52. "By Jove!": EGADS!

53. Gift giver's exhortation: OPEN IT!

60. Skin balm: ALOE.  A crossword staple.  It appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.

61. Wide-mouthed jug: EWER.

62. Unsocial one: LONER.

63. Microscope part: LENS.

64. Marries: WEDS.

65. "Last Night in Soho" director Wright: EDGAR.  Last Night in Soho is a 2021 psychological film.    Edgar Wright (né Edgar Howard Wright; b. Apr. 18, 1974) is a British movie director.  [Name # 6.]

Down:

1. __-cone: shaved ice treat: SNO.

2. One running for office, informally: POL.

3. Documents brought to copy shops: ORIGINALS.

4. Big dance party: RAVE.

5. "__ & Louise": THELMA.  I can't believe that it has been 31 years since Thelma & Louise was released.  [Name adjacent]

6. Hunt for provisions: FORAGE.

7. Wombs: UTERI.

8. Pitching stat: ERA.  As in Earned Run Average.

9. Boy: LAD.

10. Camcorder maker headquartered in Osaka: PANASONIC.  Everything you wanted to know about the Panasonic company, but didn't know to ask.

11. Put into law: ENACT.

12. Heavenly figure: ANGEL.

13. Little bite: TASTE.

18. Chatter thoughtlessly: BLAB.

21. Religious belief: FAITH.  Also the name of country singer Faith Hill (née Audrey Faith Perry; b. Sept. 21, 1967).

22. Commercials: ADS.

23. Peach __: fruity dessert with vanilla ice cream: MELBA.  Peach melba was invented in the 1890s by a French chef to honor Dame Nellie Melba (née Helen Porter Mitchell; May 19, 1861 ~ Feb. 23, 1931), an Australian soprano opera singer.  [Name adjacent.]

25. Not just for women: CO-ED.

26. Prize grabber in an arcade game: CLAW.

31. Coloring agents for some textile workers: BATIK DYES.

32. SSW's opposite: NNE.  Compass points.

33. Repeating: ITERATING.

34. Maasai Mara National Reserve location: KENYA.  The Maasai Mara is an important wildlife conservation area in Africa.  It is home to large populations of lions, leopards, cheetahs and the African bush elephant.  It is also important in the Great Wildebeest Migration

36. Docket backlog: CASES.

37. Tartan wrap: KILT.  I was at the theater over the weekend, and there was a random man wearing a kilt.

38. Son of Zeus: ARES.  Ares was the Greek god of war.  [Name # 7.]

41. Lipton beverage: TEA.

43. Slim candles: TAPERS.

44. King toppers: ACES.

45. Low dryer setting: GENTLE.

47. Alloy component: METAL.

48. Nimble: AGILE.

49. Hazardous gas: RADON.  Everything you wanted to know about Radon, but didn't know to ask.

50. Studied, with "over": PORED.

54. Music-playing Apple device: iPOD.  I use my iPod all the time.  I don't know what I will do when the battery finally gives out.

56. Not many: FEW.

57. Be in debt to: OWE.

58. Teachers' org.: NEA.  As in the National Education Association.

59. Go wrong: ERR.

And here's the grid:

חתולה

Monday, February 6, 2023

QOD:  Macho does not prove mucho.  ~  Zsa Zsa Gabor (née Sári Gábor; Feb. 6, 1917 ~ Dec. 18, 2016), Hungarian-born actress

Sunday, February 5, 2023

QOD:  There are worse things than losing an election.  The worse thing is to lose one’s convictions and not tell people the truth.  ~  Adlai E. Stevenson, II (né Adlai Ewing Stevenson, II; Feb. 5, 1900 ~ July 14, 1965), American lawyer and politician