Friday, August 11, 2023

QOD:  Shyness has a strange element of narcissism, a belief that how we look howe we perform, is truly important to other people.  ~  Andre Dubus (né Andre Jules Dubus, II; Aug. 11, 1936 ~ Feb. 24, 1999), American short story writer and essayist

Thursday, August 10, 2023

QOD:  All the world is not a stage: Backstage and beyond the theater are important territories, too.  ~  Rebecca Solnit (b. 1961), American author and essayist

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

QOD:  Dogs are mute and obedient, but they have watched us and know us and can smell how pitiful we are.  ~  Tove Jansson (née Tove Marika Jansson; Aug. 9, 1914 ~ June 27, 2001), Finnish author and painter

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

QOD:  Too many people don't do things for fear of falling. You'll never get good unless you fall. Experiences and new accomplishments are feelings we should never lose.  ~  Robin Quivers (née Robin Ophelia Quivers; b. Aug. 8, 1952), American radio personality

The Monster Mash:  The first word of each theme answer is a CREATURE, but not necessarily a monster.

43-Across. *   Bookmark, in a way: DOG EAR.

46-Across. *   Frame style of some vintage glasses: CAT EYE.  This is an apropos clue.  Just last week, the Google Doodle celebrated the 116th anniversary of the birth of Altina Schinasi (Aug. 4, 1907 ~ Aug. 19, 1999).  She was an artist, inventor, and designer of the distinctive cat-eye glasses.  I find it fascinating that at the time, she was working as a window dresser for the upscale Bonwit Teller department store and collaborated with Salvador Dalí (May 11, 1904 ~ Jan. 23, 1989).

3-Down. *   Speaker at a protest?: BULL HORN.

7-Down. *   Spout shape for some kettles: GOOSE NECK.

11-Down. *   Fan-shaped breakfast pastry: BEAR CLAW.  Yummers!

And the Unifier:

60-Across. Monster movie, and what the answer to each starred clue has?: CREATURE FEATURE. 

Across:

1. Student __ relief: DEBT.  It's been in the news a lot recently.  Enough said.

5. Copperfield field: MAGIC.  Not the Dicken's character, but the American magician whose birth name is David Seth Kotkin (b. Sept. 16, 1956).  [Name # 1.]

10. Reading basics: ABCs.

14. Grad: ALUM.

15. Sweet smell of success, at a bakery: AROMA.

16. "Drag Me to Dinner" judge __ Patrick Harris: NEIL.  Patrick Neil Harris (b. June 15, 1973) is best known for his comedic roles in sit-coms, such as Doogie Howser, M.D., and How I Met Your Mother.  [Name # 2.]

17. Grocery section: DELI.

18. Subway map dots: STOPS.

The London Tube map.

19. Spanish cat: GATO.  Spanish for Hahtool.  Hi, JD.  Do you still do the crossword puzzles?

20. Oft-torn knee pt.: ACL.  ACL = Anterior Cruciate Ligament. This injury appears with some frequency.

21. Pattern with teardrop shapes: PAISLEY.  Paisley Park was the home of Prince.

23. Seeded bread: RYE.  Yummers!

24. Biblical "you": THEE.  Only if one is referring to the English translation of the King James Bible.  A brief history of the King James Bible.

26. Have a look at: SEE.

27. Per person: EACH.

29. Pitchfork projection: PRONG.

30. Gasteyer of "American Auto": ANA.  Ana Kristina Gasteyer (b. May 4, 1967) is probably best known for being a cast member on Saturday Night Live.  She starred in the recently cancelled sit-com American Auto.  [Name # 3.]

31. God of Islam: ALLAH.

33. Civil offenses: TORTS.

34. Mario Bros. console: NES.  NES = Nintendo Entertainment System.

35. Item held by Lady Justice: SCALE.  It's said Justice is Blind, meaning that it should be impartial and objective.

36. Latin years: ANNI.  Today's Latin lesson.

37. Knight clubs: MACES.  Cute clue.

39. Parliament members: OWLS.

40. Powder on a gymnast's uniform: CHALK DUST.

50. Charlottesville sch.: UVA.  As in the University of Virginia.

51. Prepare cocktails: MIX.

53. Cloud location: SKY.  We had a powerful thunderstorm here last week, that caused lots of rain, wind and wide-spread power outages.

54. Org. that issues Challenge America grants: NEA.  NEA = National Endowment for the Arts.  According to the NEA website, Challenge America Grants are designed to offer "support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach of the arts to groups/communities with rich and dynamic artistic and cultural contributions to share that are underserved."

55. Fill-in worker: TEMP.

57. By the book: LEGAL.

59. Michelangelo's "The Creation of __": ADAM.  The Creation of Adam is a fresco on the ceiling of Sistine Chapel.  It was painted by Michelangelo (né Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni; Mar. 6, 1475 ~ Feb. 18, 1564) sometime between 1508 and 1512.  He had been commissioned to paint the ceiling and it took him about 4 years to complete the project.  [Name adjacent]

63. Attach, as a trailer: HITCH.

64. Individual: ONE.

65. Preserves in brine: CORNS.  Before there was refrigeration, people used salt to preserve food, such as beef.  Think Corned Beef.  The name came from the corn kernel-sized grains of salt in which the meat would be packed and stored. 

66. French head: TÊTE.  Today's French lesson.

67. Strikes (out): XES.

68. Mimics: APES.

Down:

1. Father, in baby talk: DADA.

2. Subatomic particle in a cloud: ELECTRON.

4. "No more details pls": TMI.  Textspeak for Too Much Information.

5. Tortilla dough: MASA.  It's made of ground corn.  Everything you wanted to know about MASA, including a recipe, but didn't know to ask.

6. Like some farmers market products: ARTISANAL.  What are ARTISANAL farmers market products?  They might be breads, cheeses, fruit preserves, cured meats, oils, and vinegars that are home made.

8. "That makes me very happy": I'M PLEASED.

9. Suffix with suit or brief: CASE.

I've had this experience!

10. "Life of Pi" director Lee: ANG.  Before it was a movie, Life of Pi was a novel by Yann Martel (b. June 25, 1963).  The book was adapted to the 2012 movie directed by Ann Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954).  [Name # 4.]

12. Local wedding venue: CITY HALL.

13. __ gin fizz: SLOE.  Everything you wanted to know about a Sloe Gin Fizz, but didn't know to ask.

21. Labels (as): PEGS.

22. Votes in favor: YEAS.

25. Tempt: ENTICE.

28. "Little Women" novelist: ALCOTT.  Louisa May Alcott (Nov. 29, 1832 ~ Mar. 6, 1888) wrote a number of books, but is best known for Little Women.  The novel is a coming of age story roughly based on her own life.  [Name # 5.]

29. School fundraising org.: PTA.  The Parent Teacher Association makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

32. The Chiffons' "__ So Fine": HE'S.  And now a musical interlude ...

37. Actress Henner: MARILU.  Although she has a long list of film and TV credits, Marilu Henner (b. Apr. 6, 1952) is probably best known for her role as Elaine O'Connor Nardo in the television sit-com Taxi.  [Name # 6.]

38. Nurse: SUCKLE.

41. Sandwich meat: HAM.  Not in my sandwiches.

42. Utter aloud: SAY.

43. __ oven: cast-iron cookware: DUTCH.  I have one, but rarely use it.

44. "So done with that": OVER IT.

45. Cell produced by meiosis: GAMETE.  //  58-Down. Chromosome part: GENE.  Today's biology lesson.  From the National Human Genome Research Institute: "Meiosis is a type of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that reduces the number of chromosomes in gametes (the sex cells, or egg and sperm). In humans, body (or somatic) cells are diploid, containing two sets of chromosomes (one from each parent)."

47. Live through: ENDURE.

48. Hankers (for): YEARNS.

49. Namesake of an iconic chair: EAMES.  Charles (né Charles Ormond Eames Jr.; June 17, 1907 ~ Aug. 21, 1978) and Ray (née Ray-Bernice Bernice Alexandra Kaiser; Dec.. 15, 1912 ~ Aug. 21, 1988) Eames were a married couple known for designing industrial / office furniture.  They were known for groundbreaking contributions in the field of architecture, furniture design, industrial design, manufacturing and the photographic arts [Name # 7.]

52. Photocopier brand: XEROX.

53. Strongboxes: SAFES.

56. Treaty: PACT.

59. Upon: ATOP.

61. Specifying article: THE.

62. 2010 healthcare legislation initials: ACA.  ACA = Affordable Care Act.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, August 7, 2023

QOD:  They say such nice things about people at their funerals that it makes me sad to realize that I’m going to miss mine just by a few days.  ~  Garrison Keillor (né Gary Edward Keillor; b. Aug. 7, 1942), American author and humorist

Sunday, August 6, 2023

QOD:  Of all the arts, the art of living is probably the most important.  ~  Deborah Levy (b. Aug. 6, 1959), British novelist