QOD: Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Tuesday, 3 September 2024

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

QOD: It’s very hard to find someone who’s successful and dislikes what they do. ~ Malcolm Gladwell (né Malcolm Timothy Gladwell; b. Sept. 3, 1963), Canadian journalist

If April Showers bring Mayflowers, what to Mayflowers bring? The word Shower can follow the last word in each theme to give us a new concept.

20-Across. Winter weather caused by cold air moving over warm water: LAKE EFFECT SNOW. Snow Shower.

I can't recall hearing the term Snow Shower, but according to NOAA, a Snow Shower is: is a short duration of moderate snowfall. Some accumulation is possible.

32-Across. Hopping African primate: BUSH BABY. Baby Shower.

39-Across. Malady that causes the sniffles: HEAD COLD. Cold Shower. Maybe this is where one has shower thoughts.

51-Across. Mundane musings, or what the last words of 20-, 32-, and 39-Across have in common?: SHOWER THOUGHTS. I don't believe I have ever heard the expression Shower Thoughts. According to Collins Dictionary, a Shower Though is "a sudden idea that occurs to a person during an unconnected mundane activity." It doesn't have to be a thought or idea you had in the shower, however

Across:

1. Many a home in the Italian countryside: VILLA. A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house.

6. Automotive historian Jay: LENO. Although best known for being a stand-up comedian and television host, Jay Leno (né Douglas Muir Leno; b. Apr. 28, 1950) is also know for having a huge collection of cars and motorcycles. [Name # 1.]

10. Friends: PALS.

14. Flawless: IDEAL.

15. Smell: ODOR.

16. Bryce Canyon state: UTAH.

17. Undertaking: DOING.

18. "O patria mia" opera: AIDA. This opera appears often in the puzzles. I have given its history on several occasions.

19. Old Roman garb: TOGA.

23. "Downton __": PBS historical drama: ABBEY. This television show was a favorite Dudley, one of one of our early commenters.

24. Ancient strings: LUTES.

25. Seize: NAB.

28. "Totally sweet!": RAD.

29. Philippine money: PESO. 1 US Dollar is worth approximately 56.16 Philippine pesos.

30. Like many parking garage ramps: ONE WAY.

36. "__-Hero": Taylor Swift hit: ANTI. I'll spare your ears. [Name # 2.]

37. Cup on a hook: MUG.

38. Director Kazan: ELIA. Elia Kazan (né Elias Kazantzoglou; Sept. 7, 1909 ~ Sept. 28, 2003) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles. He became a controversial figure in Hollywood for naming names in before House Un-American Activities Committee in the early 1950s. [Name # 3.]

42. Highway divider: MEDIAN. In New Orleans, it's called the Neutral Ground.

44. A long, long time: EONS.

45. "Scrunch out the crunch" hair product: GEL.

46. "You should know better": TSK.

47. Begin: START.

49. Principle: TENET.

55. Caitlin Clark's college team: IOWA. Caitlin Clark (née Caitlin Elizabeth Clari; b. Jan. 22, 2002) now plays professional basketball for the Indiana Fever. [Name # 4.]

56. Like Big Bend National Park: ARID. Big Bend National Park is in southwest Texas. Much of the park in in the Chihuahuan Desert, hence it is ARID.

57. No-frills font: ARIAL. This is Arial. This is Times. Everything you wanted to know about the origin of the Arial font but never cared to ask.

59. Summer top: TANK.

60. Preserve with salt: CURE.

61. Guts: NERVE.

62. Otherwise: ELSE.

63. Canvas shoe with a Monster High collaboration: KEDS. I'll pass on these shoes. [Name adjacent.]

64. Coarse fabric: TWEED. We saw the Tweed fabric in the Tuesday August 20, 2024 puzzle. See 20-Across in that puzzle.

Down:

1. TikTok post, briefly: VID. Short for Video.

2. Object of adoration: IDOL. Idol has become a frequent Tuesday guest. See 6-Down in last week's puzzle.

3. Heroine from Alderaan: LEIA. Alderaan is a fictional planet in the Star Wars franchise. It was the home planet of Princess Leia, portrayed by Carrie Fischer (Oct. 21, 1956 ~ Dec. 27, 2016). See 12-Down in last Tuesday's puzzle. [Name # 5, fictional.]

4. "Sri __ Matha": South Asian national anthem: LANKA. The name of the anthem translates to Mother Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is the tear-drop shaped country at the tip of India.

5. Subject with an "x" factor?: ALGEBRA. More than you ever wanted to know about Algebra.

6. Lounged around: LOAFED.

7. Enlighten: EDIFY.

8. Lymph __: NODE.

9. Ancient prophets: ORACLES.

10. Finalizes for printing, as a newspaper: PUTS TO BED.

11. Back up an apology, say: ATONE.

12. Burial place of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti: LAGOS. Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (Oct. 15, 1938 ~ Aug. 2, 1997) was a Nigerian musician and political activist. Not your usual Tuesday guest. [Name # 6.]

13. "Killing Eve" actress Fiona: SHAW. Fiona Shaw (née Fiona Mary Wilson; b. July 10, 1958) is an Irish actress. Killing Eve is a British spy television series. [Name # 7.]

21. Modern trading post: EBAY.

22. Bottom: TUSH. Today's Yiddish lesson.

25. "Barbie" co-writer Baumbach: NOAH. Noah Baumbach (b. Sept. 3, 1969) is an American filmmaker and is married to Greta Gerwig (née Greta Celeste Gerwig; b. Aug. 4, 1983), who was the other co-writer of Barbie. Today is his 55th Birthday. [Name # 8.]

26. Green Gables girl: ANNE. Anne of Green Gables is a 1908 children's novel written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne Shirley is an 11-year-old orphan girl Anne Shirley sent by mistake to two middle-aged siblings, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who wanted to adopt a boy to help them on their farm. The story takes place in Prince Edward Island, Canada. You can visit the Anne of Green Gables museum. [Name # 9, fictional.]

27. __ carotene: BETA. Beta Carotene, also written as β-Carotene, is an organic, colored red-orange pigment abundant in fungi, plants, and fruits.

29. Short-muzzled dog: PUG.

31. Not at all sleepy: WIDE AWAKE.

32. __ vase: BUD.

33. Dismounted: ALIT.

34. Lack of objectivity: BIAS.

35. Tug sharply: YANK.

37. Chicago Fire org.: MLS. Chicago Fire is a soccer team, hence, MLS stands for Major League Soccer.

40. Apple part: CORE.

41. Likely to succeed: ON TRACK.

42. Cafe reading: MENU.

43. Like an ingeniously simple mathematical proof: ELEGANT. More than you ever wanted to know about Beautiful and Elegant Math proofs.

45. Stardew Valley mine finds: GEODES.

47. Underwater bank: SHOAL. I grew up near the Isle of Shoals, a group of small islands and tidal ledges located about 6 miles off the east coast between Maine and New Hampshire.