QOD: Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Tuesday, 10 June 2025

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

QOD: You don’t want to own a boat. You want to be friends with someone who owns a boat. ~ Bill Burr (né William Frederick Burr; b. June 10, 1968), American stand-up comedian

A Menagerie in the House. One word in each two-word theme answer is a Sound a Pet might make.

17-Across. American government official accused of Soviet espionage in the McCarthy era: ALGER HISS. // Snake (or a Cat). Alger Hiss (Nov. 11, 1904 ~ Nov. 15, 1996) was and remains a controversial figure. He was accused of spying for the Soviet Union, but was never convicted on these charges. Instead, he was convicted of perjury. Whether or not he actually committed espionage remains unresolved.

25-Across. Arts and entertainment company known for large-scale interactive installations: MEOW WOLF. // Cat. I was not familiar with Meow Wolf.

34-Across. Traditional canoe material: BIRCH BARK. // Dog. A brief history of the Birch Bark Canoe.

48-Across. Kaleidoscope opening: PEEP HOLE. // Chick.

And the unifier:

57-Across. Beach Boys album that's No. 2 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and what can be found in 17-, 25-, 34-, and 48-Across: PET SOUNDS.

Across:

1. Chatted privately online, for short: DM'ED. As in Direct Message(ed)

5. Smack: SLAP.

9. College mil. unit: ROTC. As in Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

13. Meaty red sauce: RAGU. Ragu a sauce typically made with ground meat, onions, tomato puree, and red wine, and served with pasta. It is also the name of a commercially prepared pasta sauce.

14. Musical finale: CODA.

15. Belgian bills: EUROS. The euro (€) is the official currency of 20 out of 27 European Union member countries. The following countries use the euro: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.

19. Curry who was the NBA MVP in 2015 and 2016: STEPH. Steph Curry (né Wardell Stephen Curry II; b. Mar. 14, 1988) professional basketball player and is currently a point guard for the Golden State Warriors.

20. Subgroup: FACTION.

21. Golf peg: TEE.

23. Soccer star Hamm: MIA. Mia Hamm (née Mariel Margaret Hamm; b. Mar. 17, 1972) is an American retired professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist (1996 and 2004) and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion (2001 and 2002).

24. Connects with: TIES TO.

27. Class for some immigrants: Abbr.: ESL. As in English as a Second Language. It's a crossword staple.

28. Anaheim MLB team: ANGELS.

30. Heaps: ALOT.

31. Oscar winner Benicio __ Toro: DEL. His full name is Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez (b. Feb. 19, 1967). He won an Oscar for his portrayal of a conflicted Mexican detective in the 2000 crime thriller Traffic.

32. Pre-Easter period: LENT.

33. Plans secretly: PLOTS.

37. Colorado spot for hitting the slopes: ASPEN.

40. Daytime TV host Kelly: RIPA. Kelly Maria Ripa (b. Oct. 2, 1970) has been co-hosting the Daytime show Live! since 2001. She has had a number of co-hosts including: Regis Philbin, Michael Strahan, and Ryan Seacrest. Her current co-host is her husband, Mark Consuelos (né Mark Andrew Consuelos; b. Mar. 30, 1971).

41. Indy 500 sponsor: STP. Did you know that STP stands for Science, Technology, Performance?

44. Ballet class bend: PLIÉ.

45. Verse: POETRY.

47. Cartoon frame: CEL.

50. Break free: ESCAPE. On May 16, 10 inmates escaped from a jail in New Orleans. As of yesterday, 8 of the 10 had been recaptured.

52. Suffix with puppet: -EER. As in a puppeteer.

53. Total: ADD.

54. Latvia's northern neighbor: ESTONIA.

55. Declares publicly: AVOWS. A crossword staple.

59. Genuine, casually: LEGIT.

60. Wild and crazy: AMOK.

61. Brazilian soccer legend: PELÉ. Pelé (né Edson Arantes do Nascimento; Oct. 23, 1940 ~ Dec. 29, 2022), was a Brazilian professional soccer player and is generally regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

62. One-__-fits-all: SIZE.

63. Comedian Love: LONI. I am not familiar with Loni Love (b. July 12, 1971). Before turning to show biz, she earned a degree as an electrical engineer and worked in that field until the early 2000s.