QOD

This blog purely for my own amusement. I like to start the day with a quote, be it amusing, inspiration, or simply something that caught my fancy.

On occasion, I might also include some commentary on the day's crossword puzzle that is published in the Los Angeles Times.

Tuesday, 8 July 2025

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

 QOD:  I would be the most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.  ~  Anna Quindlen (née Anna Marie Quindlen; b. July 8, 1952), American journalist

It's All Fun and Games Until ...  The last word of each theme answer is the name of a card game, unlike Chess, which is a board game.

17-Across. *   Wrestling contest where opponents hold hands: THUMB WAR.




25-Across. *   Homemade liquor during Prohibition: BATHTUB GIN.


39-Across. *  Marinated antipasto items: ARTICHOKE HEARTS.


51-Across. *   Isthmus: LAND BRIDGE.


And the unifier:

64-Across. Chess finales, and what the answers to the starred clues have: END GAMES.  The END word of each theme answer is a Card GAME.


Across:
1. Scoffer's laugh: HAH(toolah).

4. Shapes of some annexes: ELLs.

8. No longer feral: TAMED.


13. Kerfuffle: ADO.

14. Roll of fabric: BOLT.


15. Open declaration: AVOWAL.


19. Replace outdated connections, perhaps: REWIRE.


20. Sprinkler hookups: HOSES.


21. Georgia home of the Allman Brothers: MACON.

23. Poetry Out Loud org.: NEA.  As in the National Endowment for the Arts.


24. Top poker cards: ACES.


27. Fatherly nickname: PAPA.

29. __-friendly: USER.

30. Quilters' gathering: BEE.

32. Positive quality: ASSET.

35. "It's a cinch!": EASY.

43. [OMG!]: GASP.

44. Sticky pine product: RESIN.

45. Long, slithery fish: EEL.


46. "Humpty Dumpty" rhyme scheme: AABB.

49. Thompson who won four NBA championships with the Warriors: KLAY.  Klay Alexander Thompson (b. Feb. 8, 1990) currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks.  He previously played for the Golden State Warriors for 13 seasons.


56. Money to repay: LOAN.

59. Reproductive cells: OVA.

60. __-Coeur Basilica: Paris tourist spot: SACRÉ.  Today's French lesson.  Sacré-Cœur Basilica is a minor basilica in Paris and is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.


61. Pianist's practice piece: ÉTUDE.  More of today's French lesson.

62. Cocktail garnishes: OLIVES.


66. Experts: MAVENS.

67. Rum quaff: GROG.  There are several "origin" stories of how Grog came to be.  Here is one version.


68. Not mainstream, informally: ALT.  As in Alternative.

69. White of "The Golden Girls": BETTY.  Betty Marion White (Jan. 17, 1922 ~ Dec. 31, 2021) was a wonderful comedian and actress.  She also starred in the Mary Tyler Moore Show.


70. Filming locations: SETS.

71. __ Moines, Iowa: DES.  Anyone here from Iowa?  




Down:
1. Gentle yoga style: HATHA.  Everything you wanted to know about Hatha yoga but didn't know to ask.



2. Like some committees: AD HOC.  Today's Latin lesson.

3. Indoor cats, e.g.: HOUSE PETS.  //  And 63-Down. 3-Down doc: VET.


4. Flows out, as the tide: EBBS.

5. Close to the ground: LOW.

6. Camel kin in Peru: LLAMA.


7. Classic Fender, familiarly: STRAT.  Everything you wanted to know about Fender guitars.




8. Fortunetelling decks: TAROTS.


9. Utah or Maine, in Washington, D.C.: AVENUE.

10. Make a path in a field, say: MOW.


11. Former Knicks center Patrick: EWING.  Although Patrick Ewing (né Patrick Aloysius Ewing; b. Aug. 5, 1962) was born in Jamaica, he lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts during his childhood before being recruited by Georgetown, where he played college basketball.


12. "Is it worth the risk?": DARE I?

16. Like turkey chili: LEAN.

18. Flat-topped landform: MESA.


22. Skydivers' needs: CHUTES.


25. Wild party: BASH.

26. La __ Tar Pits: BREA.

28. Ms. __-Man: arcade classic: PAC.


30. Tote or duffel: BAG.

31. Pitching stat: ERA.  As in Earned Run Average.

33. Food preservative acid: SORBIC.


34. Scrape (by): EKE.

36. "Did I do something wrong?": ARE YOU MAD?

37. Fr. holy woman: STE.  A continuation of today's French lesson.

38. Fr. fashion brand: YSL.  More of today's French theme.  The company is a luxury fashion house founded 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent (né Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent; Aug. 1, 1936 ~ June 1, 2008) and Pierre Bergé (né Pierre Vital Georges Bergé; Nov. 14, 1930 ~ Sept. 8, 2017)


40. Apple Pencil device: iPAD.

41. Mountain trail activity: HIKE.


42. Made a JPEG bigger, briefly: ENL.  As in Enlarge.

47. Not at school: ABSENT.

48. Loud and shrill, as a trumpet: BRASSY.


50. Ski town in Utah's Wasatch Mountains: ALTA.

51. Weaver's device: LOOM.


52. Space for tech-savvy HS kids: AV LAB.

53. Clueless: NAÏVE.

54. Wine residue: DREGS.


55. Artistic category: GENRE.

57. "Skyfall" vocalist: ADELE.  Adele (née Adele Laurie Blue Adkins; b. May 5, 1988) English singer-songwriter known for her soulful ballads and mezzo-soprano vocals.


58. Cozy spots: NESTS.


61. Soufflé ingredients: EGGS.  Yummers!

65. Part of a URL: DOT.


Here's the Grid:




חתולה



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