Friday, July 21, 2023

QOD:  Never think that war, no matter how necessary, no matter how justified, is not a crime.  ~  Ernest Hemingway (né Ernest Miller Hemingway; July 21, 1899 ~ July 2, 1961), American novelist

Thursday, July 20, 2023

QOD:  It was good that G~d kept the truths of life from the young as they were starting out or else they’d have no heart to start at all.  ~  Cormac McCarthy (né Charles McCarthy; July 20, 1933 ~ June 13, 2023), American novelist

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

QOD:  Everyone has talent at 25.  The difficulty is to have it at 50.  ~  Edgar Degas (né Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas; July 19, 1834 ~ Sept. 27, 1917), French impressionist artist

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

QOD:  Resentment is like drinking poison and hoping it will kill your enemies.  ~  Nelson Mandela (July 18, 1918 ~ Dec. 5, 2013), South African political leader and former President

Time to Celebrate!  Raise Your Glass and give a Toast as we Cheer C.C. for creating this wonderful blog!  I'll Drink to That!

20-Across. Pink #1 single, and a hint to the ends of 28- and 47-Across: RAISE YOUR GLASS.

28-Across. Eggy, bready breakfast choice: FRENCH TOAST.  Everything you wanted to know about French Toast, but didn't know to ask.

47-Across. Raspberries: BRONX CHEERS.

54-Across. Exclamation after a rousing speech, and a hint to the ends of 28- and 47-Across: I'LL DRINK TO THAT.

Across:

1. Pace set by a drummer or a metronome: TEMPO.

6. And so on, briefly: ETC.  //  Not to be confused with 29-Down. Travel schedule abbr.: ETA.

9. All thumbs: INEPT.

14. Unadorned: STARK.

15. "Quiet, please!": SHH.

16. "Obvs": NO DUH!

17. "The Hate U Give" writer Thomas: ANGIE.  Angie Thomas (b. Sept. 20, 1988) is an author best known for her young adult literature.  The Hate U Give is her first published novel.   The novel is portrayed through the eyes of a 16-year-old African-American girl from a poor neighborhood who attends an elite private school in a predominantly white neighborhood.  She witnessed a white police officer shoot and kill her childhood friend, Khalil.  She becomes involved in the social tensions that end in a riot after  the police officer is not held responsible for the shooting.  [Name # 1.]

18. Uni- + bi-: TRI.

19. Impressive Blue Angels maneuver: FLY BY.  The Blue Angels are a flight demonstration squadron within the United States Navy.  The Blue Angels have a base in Pensacola, Florida.  They are an aerobatic team that performs many aerial demonstrations throughout the United States and Canada.

23. Painter's deg.: MFA.  MFA = Master of Fine Arts.

24. Battery size: AAA.

25. Audit firm exec: CPA.  CPA = Certified Public Accountant.

35. Shared frustrations with, perhaps: RANTED TO.

37. Sharp-eyed bird: EAGLE.

38. Impulse: URGE.

39. Muscles worked by dead bug exercises: ABs.  This exercise will strengthen the Abdominal muscles.

41. Writer Lebowitz: FRAN.  Fran Lebowitz (née Frances Ann Lebowitz; b. Oct. 27, 1950) is known for her humorous and sarcastic social commentary.   [Name # 2.]

42. Rumpus: MELEE.

44. Building projects in the toy aisle: LEGO SETS.  I played with Legos before there were such elaborate sets.  My bricks were just red and white with a grey base.  Still, I have fond memories of playing and making wonderful creations.

50. Opposite of WNW: ESE.

51. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.  UAE = United Arab Emirates.

52. Cyberchats, for short: IMs.  IMs = Instant Messagings.

62. Island near Oahu: KAUAI.  //  And 67-Across. Archipelago unit: ISLET.  The Hawaiian Islands form an Archipelago.

63. Art expert Sister Wendy, e.g.: NUN.  In addition to being an art historian, Sister Wendy (née Wendy Mary Beckett; Feb. 25, 1930 ~ Dec. 26, 2018) was also a Catholic nun.  She was known for being the host of a documentary series on art history that aired on the BBC.  [Name # 3.]

64. Worcestershire __: SAUCE.

65. One more time: AGAIN.

66. "If u ask me ... ": IMO.  Textspeak for In My Opinion.

68. Adolescent: YOUNG.  //  And 36-Down. Adolescent: TEEN.

69. __ and flow: EBB.

70. Beach umbrella benefit: SHADE.

Down:

1. Pre-Lenin Russian ruler: TSAR.  Tsar or Czar?

Nicholas II was the last Tsar of Russia.

2. Sicilian volcano: ETNA.

3. Gift-bearing Nativity trio: MAGI.

4. Light-bending block: PRISM.

5. Painter Georgia known for large flowers and New Mexico landscapes: O'KEEFFE.  Georgia O'Keeffe (née Georgia Totto O'Keeffe; Nov. 15, 1887 ~ Mar. 6, 1986) was married to photographer Alfred Stieglitz (Jan. 1, 1864 ~ July 13, 1946).  She is best known for her meticulous paintings of natural forms, particularly (suggestive) flowers and desert-inspired landscapes.  [Name # 4.]

6. Spanish "this": ESTO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

7. Drive-__ window: THRU.

8. President between Mitterrand and Sarkozy: CHIRAC. Jacques Chirac (né Jacques René Chirac; Nov. 29, 1932 ~ Sept. 26, 2019) served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He had previously served as the French Prime Minister in the 1970s.  [Name # 5.]

9. Blow up: INFLATE.

10. Bourbon Street locale, informally: NOLA.  As in New Orleans, LA.

11. Brand found near Ben & Jerry's: EDY'S.  Both are brands of Ice Cream.  What's your favorite Ice Cream?  [Name adjacent.]

12. Places for pints: PUBS.

13. "Love __ neighbor": THY.

21. Fabric measure: YARD.

22. "I'm so frustrated!!!": GAH.

25. Tidbit: CRUMB.

26. Peeling knife: PARER.

27. __-Saxon: ANGLO.

30. Aristocratic: NOBLE.

31. Buffoons: OAFS.

32. Say yes: AGREE.

33. Wooden strips: SLATS.

34. On pins and needles: TENSE.

40. "What'd I tell ya?": SEE.

43. Giving off: EXUDING.

45. "True __": Western remake starring Hailee Steinfeld: GRIT.  I remember the original version of True Grit, which starred John Wayne (né Marion Robert Morrison; May 26, 1907 ~ June 11, 1979).  In 2010, the Coen brothers directed a remake in which Hailee Steinfeld (b. Dec. 11, 1996) portrayed Mattie Ross, originally played by actress Kim Darby (née Deborah Zerby; b. July 8, 1947). [Name # 6.]

46. Gradual absorption method: OSMOSIS.

48. Hatchback, e.g.: CAR.

49. Tush: HEINIE.

53. Hidden supply: STASH.

54. "Othello" villain: IAGO.  Iago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello (c. 1601–1604).  Iago is the play's main antagonist. Iago hates Othello and devises a plan to destroy him by making him believe that Othello's wife, Desdemona, is having an affair.  James Earl Jones (b. Jan. 17, 1931) is probably the best known actor who portrayed Othello.  [Name # 7.]

55. Traditional Hawaiian feast: LUAU.  //  And 59-Down. Dance at a 55-Down: HULA.

56. Reclined: LAIN.

57. Anesthetized: NUMB.

58. Etch A Sketch control: KNOB.

60. Got 100% on: ACED.

61. Chapeau's spot: TÊTE.  Today's French lesson.

62. Longtime Yankees broadcaster Michael: KAY.  I don't follow the Yankees, thus am not familiar with Michael Kay (b. Feb. 2, 1961).  [Name # 8.]

Here's the grid:

חתולה

Monday, July 17, 2023

QOD:  Fear has never been a good advisor, neither in our personal lives nor in our society.  ~  Angela Merkel (née Angela Dorothea Kasner; b. July 17, 1954), Chancellor of Germany

Sunday, July 16, 2023

QOD:  How quick we are to learn: that is, to imitate what others have done or thought before.  And how slow to understand: that is, to see the deeper connections.  ~  Frits Zernike (July 16, 1888 ~ Mar. 10, 1966), Dutch physicist and recipient of the 1953 Nobel Prize in Physics