Friday March 3, 2023

QOD:  Politics boils down to the stories we tell ourselves.  And unfortunately, we tell ourselves different stories.  ~  Ron Chernow (né Ronald Chernow; b. Mar. 3, 1949), American journalist and historian

Thursday, March 2, 2023

QOD:  It is hard work and great art to make life not so serious.  ~  John Irving (né John Wallace Blunt, Jr.; b. Mar. 2, 1942), American novelist

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

QOD:  Damaged people are dangerous.  They know they can survive.  ~   Josephine Hart, Baroness Saatchi (Mar. 1, 1942 ~ June 2, 2011), Irish writer

Tuesday, February 28, 2923

QOD:   When I play with my cat, who knows if I am not a pastime to her more than she is to me?  ~  Michel de Montaigne (Feb. 28, 1533 ~ Sept. 13, 1592), French philosopher

Having a BAD HAIR DAY, so I'm Off to the Salon:  This theme threw me for a moment until I wrote down each of the answers and stared at them for a few moments.   The last word of each theme answer describes what can be done to one's hair.  We had a BAD HAIR DAY last Friday, so today, after getting Waves, Highlights, Treatment, Extensions and Streaks, we'll look Great!

17-Across. Patterns recorded by an EEG: BRAIN WAVES.

23-Across. Items on a TV headline ticker: NEWS HIGHLIGHTS.

35-Across. Passive-aggressive refusal to speak: SILENT TREATMENT.

49-Across. .doc and .pdf, for example: FILE EXTENSIONS.

56-Across. Uninterrupted periods of success: HOT STREAKS.

Across:

1. All-hrs. cash devices: ATMS.  As in Automatic Teller Machines.  This is a crossword staple.

5. Flower from a bulb: TULIP.  A brief history of the Tulip.  We associate tulips with Holland, but they are not actually native to that country.

10. Hoppy brewpub orders, for short: IPAS.  As in India Pale Ales.  Another crossword staple.  Ever wonder how the India Pale Ale got its name?

14. Langston Hughes, for one: POET.  I discovered Langston Hughes (né James Mercer Langston Hughes; Feb. 1, 1901 ~ May 22, 1967) when I was in high school and absolutely fell in love with his poetry.   [Name #1.]

15. "Step __!": ASIDE.

16. "Sticky" grain in some sushi: RICE.

19. Native of ancient Peru: INCA.  The Incas are probably best known for the creation of Machu Picchu.

20. Prefix with natal: NEO-.  As in Neonatal.

21. Gets the better of: ACES OUT.  I am not familiar with this phrase.

28. WNW's opposite: ESE.  Compass points.

29. Draft rating: ONE-A.  Everything you wanted to know about selective service classifications but didn't know to ask.

30. Go up: RISE.

31. Flavoring in a shaker: SALT.

33. Camera letters: SLR.  As in Single-Lens Reflex.  Another crossword staple.  Everything you wanted to know about the Single-Lens Reflex camera, but didn't know to ask.

34. The Pointer Sisters' "__ So Shy": HE'S.  [Name # 2.]

41. Extinct New Zealand bird: MOA.  Why did they die off?

42. TSA checkpoint needs: IDs.  As in Identification cards, be it a driver's license or passport.

43. Flat-bottomed barge: SCOW.  This vessel appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

44. Tablet downloads: APPs.

46. Four-award acronym: EGOT.  As in the Emmy (Television), Grammy (Recording), Oscar (Film) and Tony (Broadway theater).  Viola Davis (b. 1965) is the most recent person to achieve all of these awards.  Earlier this year, she won a Grammy.  Check out this site for a complete list of EGOT Winners.

48. "Yoo-__!": HOO.

53. Extent: BREADTH.

54. Guitar store buy: AMP.

55. Band that headlined the World Infestation Tour: RATT.  Ratt is (was?) a glam metal band that was big in the 1980s.  [Name # 3.]

62. Bordeaux bestie: AMIE.  Today's French lesson.

63. Tennis star Naomi: OSAKA. We've seen Naomi Osaka (b. Oct. 16, 1997) in the puzzles before.  She is a Japanese professional tennis player.  She was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian-American father.   [Name # 4.]

64. "Iliad" city: TROY.

65. Cards below jacks: TENS.

66. Glossy fabric: SATIN.

67. Related: AKIN.

Down:

1. Widespread PD alert: APB.  As in an All Points Bulletin.

2. The Raptors, on schedules: TOR.  The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team.  Hi, CanadianEh!

3. Have good intentions: MEAN WELL.

4. Pigpens: STIES.

5. Observed, to Tweety: TAW.

6. New Mexico's country: Abbr.: USA.  Some people think that New Mexico is a foreign country.

7. Actress Tyler: LIV.  Liv Tyler (née Liv Rundren; b. July 1, 1977) is the daughter of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler (b. Mar. 26, 1948), although she initially thought Todd Rundren (b. June 22, 1948) was her father.   [Name # 5.]

8. Standard of perfection: IDEAL.

9. Joe of "Home Alone": PESCI.  Joe Pesci (né Joseph Frank Pesci; b. Feb. 9, 1943) is known for playing tough guys, but also does some comedy and was in not only the Home Alone movies, but in My Cousin Vinny.  [Name # 6.]

10. Idioms used on the Emerald Isle: IRISHISMS.  Apparently Irishisms is an actual word.  Hi, Irish Miss!

11. Wine grapes: PINOTS.  Everything  you wanted to know about Pinot grapes, but didn't know to ask.

12. Place blame on: ACCUSE.

13. __ belt: SEAT.

18. Big Apple nabe: NOHO.  NOHO is the neighborhood North of Houston Street in New York City.

22. Gulf Coast bird: EGRET.  Egrets are beautiful birds.  There are lots of egrets that hang out in the lake near my house.

23. Loch with a legend: NESS.

24. Actor Morales: ESAI.  Esai Morales (né Esai Manuel Morales, Jr.;b. Oct. 1, 1962) makes frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles due to the all the vowels in his short name.  [Name # 7.]

25. Social media app with video "Reels," familiarly: INSTA.

26. Hanukkah moolah: GELT.  Everything you wanted to know about Hanukkah Gelt, but didn't know to ask.

27. Abolitionist Tubman: HARRIET.  Harriet Tubman (1822 ~ 1913) was a former slave who escaped  and helped other slaves escape through the underground railroad.  [Name # 8.]

32. Preformatted Excel documents, e.g.: TEMPLATES.

34. Is wearing: HAS ON.

36. Hard-__: unsentimental: NOSED.

37. Slight advantage: EDGE.

38. Neighborhood near Dodger Stadium: ECHO PARK.

39. Morning's end: NOON.

40. Go Fish request: TWOS.  Do you have any Twos?

44. Steep-roofed house style: A-FRAME.  Chalet is the same number of letters.

45. Bakery container: PIE TIN.  Did you know the origin of the Frisbee?

47. Bygone sovereign: TSAR.  Nicholas II (1868 ~ 1918) was the last Tsar of Russia.

50. Set of guiding beliefs: ETHOS.

51. Language with click consonants: XHOSA.  Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe.

52. "__ man with seven wives ... ": I MET A.  On my way to St. Ives I saw a man with 7 wives. Each wife had 7 sacks. Each sack had 7 cats. Each cat had 7 kittens. Kitten, cats, sacks, wives. How many were going to St. Ives?

53. Pesky tyke: BRAT.

57. Skin design, briefly: TAT.  I wonder if he knows his tattoo spells Matzoh?

58. Compete in the Super G, e.g.: SKI.  Everything you wanted to know about the Super G, or SuperGiant Slalom, but didn't know to ask.

59. Color of khakis: TAN.

60. Colorful carp: KOI.

61. Wd. found in Roget's: SYN.  Peter Mark Roget (1779 ~ 1869) led an interesting life, but is best known for publishing the Thesaurus of Words and Phrases.  [Name # 9.]

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, February 27, 2023

QOD:  Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people.  ~  David Sarnoff (Feb. 27, 1891 ~ Dec. 12, 1971), Russian-born broadcasting pioneer

Sunday, February 26, 2023

QOD:  Nothing makes a man so adventurous as an empty pocket.  ~  Victor Hugo (né Victor Marie Hugo; Feb. 26, 1802 ~ May 22, 1885), French novelist