Friday, March 22, 2024

QOD:  Everybody is born 100 percent ego, and after that it’s just adjustment.  ~  Agnes Martin (née Agnes Bernice Martin; Mar. 22, 1912 ~ Dec. 16, 2004), Canadian-born American artist

Thursday, March 21, 2024

QOD:  A doubtful friend is worse that a certain enemy.  Let a man be one thing or the other, and then we know how to meet him.  ~  Aesop, Greek fabulist  

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

QOD:  If you’re not in the obit, eat breakfast.  ~  Carl Reiner (Mar. 20, 1922 ~ June 29, 2020), American comedian and film director

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

QOD:  Knowledge is power if you know it about the right person.  ~  Edith Watts Mumford (1870s ~ 1940), American author  

The Screaming Meemies!  The word Me is found at the end of one word, and then immediately Repeated again at the beginning of the next world/

17-Across. Permanent patrons: LIFETIME MEMBERS.

23-Across. Line at zero degrees longitude: PRIME MERIDIAN.

44-Across. Drastic actions: EXTREME MEASURES.

And the unifier:

51. "I'll say it again," and what 17-, 23-, and 44-Across literally do?: LET ME REPEAT.

Across:

1. Pose a question: ASK.

4. "__! Humbug!": BAH.

7. Word before brow or blow: LOW.

10. Cal. neighbor: ORE.  Oregon is just north of California.

13. 1950s prez: IKE.  [Name # 1.]  Dwight David Eisenhower (Oct. 14, 1890 ~ Mar. 28, 2969) served as the 34th President of the United States.  He served two terms from January 1953 until January 1961.

14. "My mind is blown!": I'M IN AWE.

16. Guinea pig or teacup pig: PET.

20. "Say cheese!": SMILE.

21. In vitro cells: OVA.  Today's Latin lesson.

22. Impressive spread: ARRAY.

An Impressive Array of Spices in the Old Market in Jerusalem.

26. Ray gun sound: ZAP.

27. Green vegetable in samosas: PEA.  Samosa are fried South Asian pastries with a savory filling, that often includes peas as well as other ingredients, such as spiced potatoes, onions, meat, or fish.

28. Nightclub: CABARET.

32. Uses a buddy system: PAIRS UP.

36. "Beef" Emmy winner Wong: ALI.  Ali Wong (née Alexandra Dawn Wong; b. Apr. 19, 1982) has recently become a frequent guest in the puzzles.  She is probably best known as being a stand-up comic.  [Name # 2.]

37. Florida home of the Ernest Hemingway House: KEY WEST.  You can visit Hemingway's home, complete with his six-toed cats, any day from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.  [Name adjacent.]

39. Con's opposite: PRO.

40. Text status: READ.

42. Avocado center: PIT.

43. Iced dessert: CAKE.

49. Hummus ingredient: TAHINI.  Tahini is a Middle-Eastern condiment that is made from toasted ground sesame seeds.  

50. Entirely: PURELY.

55. Raised, as livestock: BRED.

57. Poker declaration: I CALL.

58. Bits of advice: TIPS.

61. Glissade garb: TUTU.

62. Valparaíso's country: CHILE.  Valparaíso is a port city on Chile’s coast. It's known for its steep funiculars and colorful, clifftop homes.  We took my parents there about 15 years ago.  It's a 14.5 hour flight from my home.

63. Sandwich cookie: OREO.  A crossword staple.

64. Mourn, maybe: WEEP.

65. Shoe bottoms: SOLES.

66. Rip apart: REND.

Down:

1. Isn't 100%: AILS.

2. Pinch pennies: SKIMP.

3. Fermented milk drink: KEFIR.  Everything you wanted to know about kefir but didn't know to ask.

4. Evidence of a vampire attack: BITE MARK.

5. French friend: AMI.  A French boy friend.

6. Shoutout to a parent: HI, MOM!

7. Quarterback Jackson who was the NFL's MVP in 2019 and 2023: LAMAR.  Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (b. January 7, 1997) plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. [Name # 3.]

8. Carry a balance: OWE.

9. Cry at the end of a long road trip: WE MADE IT!

10. "The Phantom of the __": OPERA.  The Phantom of the Opera is a 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux (né Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux; May 6, 1868 ~ Apr. 15, 1927).  It was later made into a musical.

11. Aired again: RERAN.

12. Crafts website: ETSY.

15. "Scream" star Campbell: NEVE.  Neve Adrianne Campbell (b. Oct. 3, 1973) is a Canadian actress best known for her portrayal in horror films.  [Name # 4.]

18. Schuyler sister who married Alexander Hamilton: ELIZA.  Eliza Schuyler (Aug. 9, 1757 ~ Nov. 9, 1854) married Alexander Hamilton (1750s ~ July 12, 1804) in 1780.  He was killed in a duel in his late 40s.  She never remarried and lived until age 97.  [Name # 5.]

19. Prickly shrub: BRIAR.

24. Fencing blade: ÉPÉE.  A crossword staple.

25. Some hoppy brews, briefly: IPAs.  This beverage appears often in the puzzles.  In fact, I provided the history of the brew just last week.

28. "Insert this" symbol: CARET.

29. Name often said in a smart home: ALEXA.  Everything you wanted to know about Amazon Alexa but didn't know to ask.  [Name adjacent.]

30. Winter Olympian with a rifle: BIATHLETE.  A Biathlete competes in a biathlon, which is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.

31. Do some screen writing?: TYPE.  Cute clue.

32. Tennis great Sampras: PETE.  Pete Sampras (b. Aug. 12, 1971) is an American is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.  [Name #6.]

33. Attachment on the back of a Jeep: SPARE TIRE.

34. "Did I do that?" TV nerd: URKEL.  A reference to a 1990s television sit-com.  [Name # 7, fictional.]

35. Sonnets, odes, and the like: POESY.   The difference between a poem and a poesy.

38. "Buena Vista Social Club" director Wenders: WIM.  Wim Wenders (né Ernst Wilhelm Wenders; b. Aug. 14, 1945) is a German filmmaker.  Some of his other films include Paris, Texas, which starred Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassja Kinski, and Wings of Desire.   [Name # 7.]

41. Evaporated: DRIED UP.

43. Art collection custodian: CURATOR.

45. Tonsillitis doc: ENT.  As in an Ear Nose Throat doctor.

46. Copies: MIMICS.

47. Genius Bar computers: APPLES.

48. Bring legal action against: SUE.

52. Sound that rebounds: ECHO.  Hi, Charlie!

53. Banister: RAIL.

54. French fashion magazine: ELLE.

November 1945 issue

55. "Just so you know" shorthand: BTW.  Textspeak for By The Way.

56. Deeply regret: RUE.  Also the French word for Street.

Street signs in Lafayette, Louisiana.

59. Bic product: PEN.  These were the pens of choice when I was in junior high school.

60. Landscaping roll: SOD.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, March 18, 2024

QOD:  Regrets are as personal as fingerprints.  ~  Margaret Kulkin Banning (née Margaret Frances Culkin; Mar. 18, 1891 ~ Jan. 4, 1982), American novelist

Sunday, March 17, 2024 // St. Patrick's Day

QOD:  A good friend is like a four-leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have.  ~  Irish Proverb