Friday, March 15, 2024 // Ides of March

QOD:  How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be when there’s no help in truth.  ~  Socrates, Greek philosopher

Thursday, March 14, 2024

QOD:  Dream the impossible ~ and go out and make it happen,  I walked on the moon.  What can’t you do?  ~  Eugene Cernan (né Eugene Andrew Cernan; Mar. 14, 1934 ~ Jan. 16, 2017), American astronaut

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

QOD:  A good police force is one that catches more crooks than it employs.  ~  Sir Robert Mark (Mar. 13, 1917 ~ Sept. 30, 2010), British police officer and Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police

 

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

QOD:  Practice kindness all day to everybody and you will realize you’re already in heaven now.  ~  Jack Kerouac (né Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac; Mar. 12, 1922 ~ Oct. 21, 1969), American writer and poet

Dropping Your Change.  The circles, when read from bottom to top, a spell out a foreign coin that is "flipped".

3-Down. Fix for distressed genes?: DNA REPAIR.  Rand.  The Rand is the currency of South Africa.  As of this week, 1 Rand = $0.054 Dollars / $1.00 = 18.68 Rands.

7-Down. Carrier that makes short hops: REGIONAL AIRLINE.  Rial.  The Rial is the currency of Iran.  As of this week, 1 Rial = $0.000024 / $1.00 = 42,040.00 Rials.

9-Down. Source of information for vacation planners: TRAVEL BUREAU.  Ruble.  The Ruble is the currency of Russia.  As of this week, 1 Ruble = $0.011 / $1.00 = 90.95 Rubles.

21-Down. Reaction to a chill or a fright, to Brits: GOOSE PIMPLES.  On this side of the pond, the expression would be Goose Bumps.  Peso.  Several countries use the Peso as currency, including, but not limited to, Argentina, Columbia, Cuba, and Mexico.  For comparison, I will use our closest neighbor, Mexico:  As of this week, 1 Mexican Peso = $0.060 / $1.00 = 16.80 Pesos.  

35-Down. Decide by calling heads or tails, and an apt title for this puzzle: FLIP A COIN.

Across:

1. Spots for pillow talk: BEDS.  //  And 55-Across. "Sweet dreams!": SLEEP WELL.

5. 43,560 square feet: ACRE.

9. British streetcars: TRAMS.

14. Forearm bone: ULNA.

15. Agonize (over): FRET.

16. Morocco's capital: RABAT.

17. Din: ROAR.

18. Like takeout food: TO GO.

19. Love, in Italian: AMORE.  Today's Italian lesson

20. Bit of rosemary: SPRIG.

22. Temperature-controlled storage for bottles: WINE VAULT.

24. Shirt that may have a V-neck: TEE.

25. Nabisco brand: OREO.  A crossword staple.  //  And 30-Across. Nabisco brand: NILLA.

27. Caused: LED TO.

28. Cunning scheme: PLOY.

32. Sentence part with a subject and a predicate: CLAUSE.  Did you have to diagram sentences when you were in high school?

34. Many an Omani: ARAB.  The Sultanate of Oman is a country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

35. Vaccine-approving org.: FDA.  As in the Food and Drug Administration.

38. Trusting to a fault: NAIVE.

39. Sort: ILK.

40. Like some monuments at night: UPLIT.

42. Listener-supported news source: NPR.  National Public Radio.

43. Dad: PAPA.  We saw Ain't Too Proud recently, which is a musical about The Temptations.  Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.

45. Confident poker declaration: I RAISE.

46. Red Sea peninsula: SINAI.

47. Fill-in worker: TEMP.

48. "__ and Punishment": CRIME.  Did you know that Crime and Punishment, an 1866 novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky (November 11, 1821 ~ Feb. 9, 1881) was initially published in a Russian literary journal in 12 monthly installments?  I read this book in high school.

50. Alabama-born activist Parks: ROSA.  When she died, Rosa Parks (née Rosa Louise McCauley; Feb. 4, 1913 ~ Oct. 24, 2005) lay in honor in the Rotunda of the Capitol.  She was the first woman and second African-American to receive that honor.  A bronze sculpture depicting the Rosa Park can be found in the United States Capitol's National Statuary Hall. 

52. Kerfuffle: ADO.

57. Open, as toothpaste: UNCAP.

59. Gem from an oyster: PEARL.

60. Kristen of "Bridesmaids": WIIG.  Kristen Carroll Wiig (b. Aug. 22, 1973) was on Saturday Night Live for many years.

62. Move like sap: OOZE.

63. Close-knit group: CADRE.

64. Jealous feeling: ENVY.

65. Neck and neck: TIED.

66. Districts: AREAS.

67. "We __ to be at an impasse": SEEM.

68. Puts the kibosh on: ENDS.

Down:

1. Fly into pieces: BURST.

2. Get hitched in a hurry: ELOPE.

4. Draped garment in Hindi films: SARI.

5. Toward the rudder: AFT.

6. "Jerry Maguire" director Cameron: CROWE.  "You had me at Hello."  This Cameron Crowe (né Cameron Bruce Crowe; b. July 13, 1957) movie was first released in 1996.   Cameron Crowe's first film was the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High when he was still in his 20s.

8. Elite British boarding school: ETON.  Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) and Eddy Redmayne (né Edward John David Redmayne; b. Jan. 6, 1982) were classmates at Eton.

10. Best Western rival: RAMADA.  Both are hotel chains.

11. Approximately: ABOUT.

12. "The Wire" drug lord Stanfield: MARLO.  Marlo Stanfield is a fictional character, portrayed by Jamie Hector (b. Oct. 7, 1975) on the HBO series The Wire.

13. Editor's "Actually, don't cut that": STET.

23. Fitzgerald of jazz: ELLA.  We haven't seen Ella Fitzgerald (née Ella Jane Fitzgerald; Apr. 25, 1917 ~ June 15, 1996) on a Tuesday in quite some time.  She is a frequent guest in the puzzles.

26. Pastrami on __: RYE.

29. Hon: LUV.

31. Nettle: IRK.  A crossword staple

32. "Erin Burnett OutFront" channel: CNN.

33. Friendly cat's spot: LAP.

36. Bad-mouth: DIS.

37. Devoured: ATE.

39. Hoppy brew, briefly: IPA.  India Pale Ale.  Everything you wanted to know about India Pale Ale but didn't know to ask.

41. Cooking spray brand: PAM.  It comes in lots of flavors.

44. Again: ANEW.

45. "__ Always Sunny in Philadelphia": IT'S.  It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a comedy series that follows a group of misfit, narcissistic sociopaths, referred to as "The Gang", who runs a meager, unsuccessful Irish bar called Paddy's Pub in the neighborhood of South Philadelphia.

46. Word before Leone or Madre: SIERRA.

48. "Understood?": CLEAR.

49. Duane __: New York drugstore chain: READE.  I learned about the Duane Reade drugstore chain from doing the crossword puzzles.

51. Mediterranean oil source: OLIVE.

53. In a mental fog: DAZED.

54. Newspaper pundit pieces: OP-EDs.  The term Op-Ed means Opposite the Editorial Page.

55. Pet adoption org.: SPCA.  Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

56. Female sheep: EWES.

58. Post-it jotting: NOTE.

61. Fitness class: GYM.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, March 11, 2024

QOD:  It is a well known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.  ~  Douglas Adams (né Douglas Noel Adams, Mar. 11, 1952 ~ May 11, 2001), English author

Sunday, March 10, 2024

QOD:  The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves.  ~  Barbara Corcoran (née Barbara Ann Corcoran; b. Mar. 10, 1949), American businesswoman and real estate mogul