Friday, December 8, 2023

QOD:  Never take anyone’s advice.  ~  John Banville (né William John Banville; b. Dec. 8, 1945), Irish novelist

Thursday, December 7, 2023

QOD:  Money is a protection, a cloak; it can buy one quiet and some sort of dignity.  ~  Willa Cather (née Willa Sibert Cather; Dec. 7, 1873 ~ Apr. 24, 1947), American novelist

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

QOD:  What’s another word for thesaurus?  ~  Steven Wright (né Steven Alexander Wright; b. Dec. 6, 1955), American comedian

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

QOD:  There is a point when you go with what you’ve got.  Or you don’t go.  ~  Joan Didion (Dec. 5, 1934 ~ Dec. 23, 2021), American writer

Water, Water, Everywhere but not in my Glass, my Cup, my Pitcher, or my Bowl.

17-Across. Sherlock Holmes costume accessory: MAGNIFYING GLASS.

22-Across. Means of sticking a shower caddy to a tile wall: SUCTION CUP.

35-Across. Support from the bullpen: RELIEF PITCHER.

46-Across. Annual football game in Arizona: FIESTA BOWL.

And the unifier

52-Across. Isn't credible, or a literal description of 17-, 22-, 35-, or 46-Across?: DOESN'T HOLD WATER.

I laughed when I got the reveal.  While the last word of each theme answer could hold water, the answer as written is not an item that would hold water.

Across:

1. Mooch, as a smoke: BUM.

4. Royal elephant of children's literature: BABAR.  We saw Babar just last Wednesday when he made an appearance in the puzzle.  Babar has been around since 1931.  It's not without controversy, however.  [Name # 1, fictional.]

9. Functional: UTILE.

14. Slice of history: ERA.

15. Alpaca relative: LLAMA.  This made me think of Ogden Nash and his thoughts on the Llama.

            The one-l lama,

            He’s a priest.

            The two-l llama,

            He’s a beast.

            And I will bet

            A silk pajama

            There isn’t any

            Three-l lllama.”

16. Inheritance from one's parents?: GENES.  Cute clue.  //  and 56-Down. Makeup of 16-Across: DNA.  We learned about Eugene Pool last Thursday.

20. Marriage: UNION.

21. Desert watering holes: OASES.  Is the Cajun Oasis in the desert?

26. Fungus gnat, e.g.: PEST.

29. Paul Anka's "__ Beso": ESO.  I'll spare your ears.

30. Score more than: BEAT.  Earlier this Fall, the LSU Tigers beat the Georgia State Panthers in football by a score of 56 to 14.

31. Figure on the last float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: SANTA.  And a shoutout to our dear Argyle.  The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day / Annual Christmas Parade was in 1924.  

This Float from 1924 was filled with oxygen, so was propped up on stilts instead of actually floating.

32. To the left, at sea: APORT.

34. Takes effect: SETS IN.

38. Bibliography list: TITLES.  A bibliography is a list of all of the sources used in preparing a research paper.  The bibliography typically includes the authors' names and the titles of the works, such as papers, books, etc.

39. Neglects to mention: OMITS.

40. "The Good Place" creator Michael: SCHUR.  I never saw The Good Place and am not familiar with Michael Schur (né Michael Herbert Schur; b. Oct. 29, 1975).  The show was a sit-com that starred Ted Danson (né Edward Bridge Danson, III; Dec. 29, 1947).  [Name # 2.]

Michael Schur is on the right.

41. "Sunday NFL Countdown" network: ESPN.

42. Agcy. operating full-body scanners: TSA.  This federal agency, the Transportation Security Administration,  makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

45. __ out a win: almost lost: EKED.

49. Convene again: RESIT.  Meh!

51. Dubbed: NAMED.

57. Muse of poetry: ERATO.  She makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  She is especially known for erotic poetry.   Erato is one of the nine muses of Greek mythology.  Can you name the other eight?  [Name # 3, fictional.]

58. Supreme Court justice Kagan: ELENA.  Justice Kagan (b. Apr. 28, 1960) also makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  She has served in the Supreme Court since August 2010.  [Name # 4.]

59. Nail polish brand: OPI.  We often see this nail polish brand in the puzzles, although the company prefers to be called a Nail Lacquer.

60. Luminous: AGLOW.

61. Weather forecast aid: RADAR.

62. Web portal with Bing: MSN.

Down:

1. Perplex: BEMUSE.

2. Ice planet beyond Saturn: URANUS.  There are so many sophomoric jokes about this planet.  Uranus is the ancient Greek deity of the Heavens.

3. Realismo __: Isabel Allende genre: MÁGICO.   Today's Spanish lesson.  Isabel Allende (née Isabel Angélica Allende Llona; b. Aug. 2, 1942) novels incorporates Magical Realism, which is a style of literary fiction and art. It paints a realistic view of the world while also adding magical elements, often blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.  Allende is a Peruvian author and much of her works have been translated into English.  Her novels are often based upon her personal experience and historical events, while weaving together elements of myth and realism.

Isabel Allende

4. Russian pancakes: BLINI.  They are supposed to be easy to make.  I can't vouch for this because I have never tried to make Blini.

5. Melmac native of 1980s TV: ALF.  Did you know that Alf's name stood for Alien Life Form?  He was known for wanting to eat the family cat, which is probably why I never watched the show.  [Name # 6, fictional.]

6. __ leaf: stew herb: BAY.

7. Bordeaux beau: AMI.  Today's French lesson.

8. Expired, as time: RAN OUT.

9. Fleece-lined boots: UGGS.  Ugg is right!

10. Mind readers: TELEPATHS.

11. Sort of: IN A SENSE.

12. "__ Misérables": LES.  Les Misérables is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo (Feb. 26, 1802 ~ May 22, 1885).  The book, which follows the lives of several people, focuses primarily on Jean Valjean, an ex-convict.  Jean Valjean struggles for redemption.  The novel culminates with the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris.  The novel has also been adapted into movies and musicals.  [Name adjacent.]

13. Serpentine curve: ESS.

18. "__ my cup of tea": NOT.  A shoutout to Yellow Rocks as this was an expression she often used in her comments.  Has anyone heard from her?

19. Athleta parent company: GAP.  Or, if you're in London, you must mind the Gap.

23. Orchestral reeds: OBOES.  A crossword staple.

24. Tank the efficacy of, in gamer slang: NERF.  According to dictionary.com, Nerf means: "(in a video game) to reconfigure (an existing character or weapon), making it less powerful."  The only Nerf I knew of was the Nerf Ball.

25. Arched-back yoga asana: CAT POSE.  The Cat-Cow are common warm-up positions in yoga.

27. Risotto recipe verb: STIR.  Yummers!  I love a good risotto.  It does take a long time to make and there is a lot of stirring to get the dish to come out just right.

28. Khaki kin: TAN.

31. Splinter group: SECT.  This, too, is becoming a crossword staple.

32. Mentions indirectly: ALLUDES TO.

33. Docking spot: PIER.

34. Duration of employment: STINT.

35. Novelist Riordan: RICK.  I am not familiar with this author.  Rick Riordan (né Richard Russell Riordan, Jr.; b. June 5, 1964) writes fantasy novels.  He is best known for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which is also a movie series.    [Name # 7.]

36. Light and delicate: ETHEREAL.

37. Little rascals: IMPS.

38. "The Waste Land" poet's monogram: TSE.  I always thought Thomas Stearns Eliot (Sept. 26, 1888 ~ Jan. 4, 1965) was British.  He was actually born in St. Louis, Missouri, but renounced his American citizenship and became a British subject in 1939.  [Name # 8.]

41. "Both would be fine": EITHER.

42. Narrow-headed drum: TOM-TOM.

43. Wins every game in a series: SWEEPS.

44. Astronaut Buzz who was the second man on the moon: ALDRIN.  Besides being an astronaut, Buzz Aldrin (né Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.; b. Jan. 20, 1930), was also a jet fighter pilot.  He flew 66 combat missions during the Korean War.  He legally changed his name from Edwin to Buzz in 1988. [Name # 9.]

46. Athletic: FIT.

47. Peace Nobelist Sadat: ANWAR.  In 1978, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Anwar Sadat (né Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat; Dec. 25, 1918 ~ Oct. 6, 1981) and Manachem Begin (Aug. 16, 1913 ~ Mar. 9, 1982) for jointly negotiating peace between Egypt and Israel.  Sadly, Sadat was assassinated in 1981.  [Name # 10.]

48. What did ewe say?: BAA.

50. Skier's surface: SNOW.

52. Anti-narcotics law gp.: DEA.

53. URL ending for charities: ORG.  The difference between .com and .org.

54. Suffix with pay or Cray: -OLA.  As in Payola, which is a criminal offense, and Crayola, which are crayons.

55. Conducted: LED.  Gustav Mahler (July 7, 1860 ~ May 18, 1911) was Bohemian composer and one of the leading conductors of his time.  He was from a little village called Kaliště, which is in what is now the Czech Republic.   We visited Kaliště a few years ago because it is also the home town of hubby's great-grandfather.  They were contemporaries.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I'll be away for the next few weeks, but I know you will be in good hands.  Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 4, 2023

QOD:  There is no more wretched prison than the fear of hurting someone who loves you.  ~  Rainier Maria Rilke (né René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke; Dec. 4, 1875 ~ Dec. 29, 1926), Austrian poet

Sunday, December 3, 2023

QOD:  All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun.  ~  Jean-Luc Godard (Dec. 3, 1930 ~ Sept. 13, 2022), French film director