Friday, August 4, 2023

QOD:  Our democracy is not a speedboat.  It’s an oceanliner.  ~  Barack Obama (né Barack Hussein Obama, II; b. Aug. 4, 1961), 44^th President of the United States

Thursday, August 3, 2023

QOD:  If you are creative, you get busier as you get older.  ~  Tony Bennett (né Anthony Dominick Benedetto; Aug. 3, 1926 ~ July 21, 2023), American singer

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

QOD:  You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.  ~  James Baldwin (né James Arthur Baldwin; Aug. 2, 1924 ~ Dec. 1, 1987), African-American writer and activist

 

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

QOD:  It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.  ~  Herman Melville (Aug. 1, 1819 ~ Sept. 28, 1891), American novelist

Double Trouble or Double Fun?  Today we have a double reveal.  The FIRST word of each two-word theme answer is a physical PLACE.  The SECOND word of each theme answer relates to LOOKing.

17-Across. *   Google Maps feature: STREET VIEW.

Google Map view of Times Square

21-Across. *   Ultrasound sweep that produces a wedge-shaped image: SECTOR SCAN.  A way to see your innards.

31-Across. *   Observation wheel on the Thames: LONDON EYE.  It looks spectacular, especially at night.

41-Across. *   Local security patrol: CITY WATCH.  It's a Neighborhood Watch where I live.

FIRST Reveal:

50-Across. Top spot on the podium, and what the answers to the starred clues all have?: FIRST PLACE.

SECOND Reveal:

59-Across. Reappraisal, and what the answers to the starred clues all have?: SECOND LOOK.

Across:

1. Scratching post user: CAT.

4. Basketball Hall of Famer Weatherspoon: TERESA.  Teresa Weatherspoon (b. Dec. 8, 1965) is a professional basketball coach.  She is also a former professional basketball player.  In 1997, she was one of the original players in the WNBA; she played for the New York Liberty.  She also played basketball at Louisiana Tech, in Ruston, Louisiana.  Until June of this year, she was also an assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans.   [Name # 1.]

10. Healthy aura: GLOW.

14. Even a little: ANY.

15. Spinning one's wheels, literally or figuratively: IN A RUT.

16. Chopped-up fare: HASH.  Anyone here ever had Red Flannel Hash?

19. A single time: ONCE.  Once upon a time ...

20. Jets, Mets, or Nets: TEAM.  Football, Baseball, and Basketball teams respectively, all in New York.

23. Arthur of "The Golden Girls": BEA.    //  And 22-Down. McClanahan of "The Golden Girls": RUE.  Bea Arthur (née Beatrice Frankel; May 13, 1922 ~ Apr. 25, 2009) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  Before becoming an actress, Bea Arthur had enlisted in the Marine Corps.  She died of lung cancer at age 84.  Rue McClanahan (née Eddi-Rue McClanahan; Feb. 21, 1934 ~ June 3, 2010) is probably best known for her role as Blanche Devereaux from The Golden Girls.  She was also the youngest of the four women in the show.  The cast was rounded out by Betty White (née Betty Marion White; Jan. 17, 1922 ~ Dec. 31, 2021) and Estelle Getty (née Estelle Scher; July 25, 1923 ~ July 22, 2008).  [Names  # 2 and 3.]

25. External: OUTER.

26. Grammy winner Carlile: BRANDI.  I was not familiar with singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile (née Brandi Marie Carlile; b. June 1, 1981).  [Name # 4.]

29. Slaw and fries: SIDES.  As in Side dishes.

33. __ and haw: HEM.

36. Acorn droppers: OAKS.

37. Gold unit: KARAT.

39. Pixar film set in Mexico: COCO.  [Name # 5.]

40. Pre-iTunes stack: CDs.

43. __-Bits: letter-shaped cereal: ALPHA.

46. Studio stands: EASELS.

47. Off-limits: TABOO.  When it's spelled Tabu, it's a perfume.

49. Actor Brynner: YUL.  Yup Brynner (né Yuliy Borisovich Briner; July 11, 1920 ~ Oct. 10, 1985) was born in Vladivostok, Russia.  He is best known for his role as King Mongkut in the musical The King and I.   Vladivostok is in the far east of Russia and is a major Pacific port city near the Chinese border.  It is a 7-day journey by the Trans-Siberian Rail to Moscow.  [Name # 6.]

55. Tablet downloads: APPs.

58. Get one's feet wet: WADE.

61. Nutrient in spinach: IRON.

62. Ottawa's country: CANADA.  //  And 51-Down. Symbol on 62-Across's flag: LEAF.  Hi, CanadianEh!

63. French yes: OUI.  Today's French lesson.

64. Dermatologist's concern: WART.  //  52-Down. Dermatologist's concern: ACNE.

65. Conditional statement type, in programming: IF ELSE.

66. British co.: LTD.  The letters LTD after a company's name stands for Limited Company.  Such a company is the type of corporation that limits the personal liability of the corporation's shareholders.  If the company goes belly-up, creditors can only go after the business assets and not the personal assets of the owners.

Down:

1. Acting credits list: CAST.

2. Poker buy-in: ANTE.

3. Supermodel who created "America's Next Top Model": TYRA BANKS.  Tyra Lynne Banks (b. Dec. 4, 1973) began her modeling career at age 15.  She was also the first African-American to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.  [Name # 7.]

4. Bind (to): TIE.

5. Sinus docs: ENTs.  ENT = Ear Nose and Throat.

6. "Must-see" review: RAVE.  Barbenheimer is all the rage and getting RAVE reviews.

7. Actor Stoltz: ERIC.  Eric Cameron Stoltz (b. Sept. 30, 1961) has been in numerous movies, including the 1985 film Mask and the 1994 film Pulp Fiction.  [Name # 8.]

8. Bird feeder cake: SUET.

9. "The Testaments" novelist Margaret: ATWOOD.  Margaret Eleanor Atwood (née Nov. 18, 1939) is a Canadian author.  She is probably best known for her 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale.   The Testaments her 2019 the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale.  [Name # 9.]

10. CBS sitcom set in a haunted mansion: GHOSTS.  There is both an American version and a British version of Ghosts.  The premise is that a young married couple acquire an old house/mansion that they intend to transform into an inn.  It just so happens to be inhabited by ghosts who died on the property and only the wife can see them.  Each ghost appears just as they did at the time of their death, thus they are from various periods of history.

11. Stick on a horse?: LANCE.

12. Hollywood award: OSCAR.  The award is the Academy Award and the Statuette is called the Oscar.  The origin of the Oscar has several possibilities.  [Name # 10.]

13. "At what time?": WHEN?

18. Fixes, as text: EMENDS.

24. Big fuss: ADO.  Much ADO about Nothing.

26. Coalition: BLOC.

27. Line on a map: ROAD.

Road Map of Tel Aviv.

28. Calligraphy supply: INK.

29. Lebanon neighbor: SYRIA.

30. "__ my peas with honey ... ": I EAT.

32. Apiece: EACH.

33. Spot for a dip while on a trip: HOTEL POOL.

34. OT book after Proverbs: ECCL.  The OT = Old Testament is the hint that we are looking for the book that follows Proverbs in the Christian Bible.  ECCL is an appreciation for Ecclesiastes.  Both books are also found in the Hebrew Bible, but the order is different.  In the Hebrew Bible, Job follows Proverbs and Ecclesiastes comes after Lamentations.

35. Mineral hardness scale: MOHS.  The Mohs hardness scale is a measure of a mineral's resistance to scratching.  It is named after Friedrich Christian Mohs (Jan. 29, 1773 ~ Sept. 29, 1839), a German chemist and mineralogist who created the scale.

38. "Ready Player One" actor Sheridan: TYE.  Ready Player One is a sci-fi film that takes place in 2045, which stars Tye Kayle Sheridan (b. Nov. 11, 1996).  [Name # 11.]

39. Like some Friday work attire: CASUAL.

42. Method: WAY.

43. Somewhere else: ABSENT.

44. Parking area: LOT.

45. Mag that produces the podcast "The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week": POP SCI.  As in Popular Science.

47. Small crown: TIARA.  There is a very British protocol on wearing tiaras.

48. Zeal: ARDOR.

50. "Just sayin'," in texts: FWIW.  Textspeak for For What It's Worth.

53. Mined fuel: COAL.

54. Stops: ENDS.

56. Sulk: POUT.

57. Lose traction: SKID.

60. Actor Daniel __ Kim: DAE.  Daniel Dae Kim (né Kim Dae-hyun; b. Aug. 4, 1968) is a Korean-born actor best known for his role as Chin Ho Kelly on the remake of Hawaii Five-O.  [Name # 12.]

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, July 31, 2023

QOD:  Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.  ~  Milton Friedman (July 31, 1912 ~ Nov. 16, 2006), recipient of the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science

Sunday, July 30, 2023

QOD:  Resist the urge to grow a shell.  Don’t let fear convince you that hardness is good.  ~  Celeste Ng (b. July 30, 1980), American writer and novelist