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, 25 November 2025

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

QOD:  Keep on beginning and failing.  Each time you fail, start all over again, and you will grow stronger until have accomplished a purpose ~ not the one you began with perhaps, but one you’ll be glad to remember.  ~  Ben Stein (né Benjamin Jeremy Stein; b. Nov. 25, 1944), American comedian and political commentator

You Can Ring My Bell.


18-Across. Debt security sold to raise funds for World War I: LIBERTY BOND.  //  Liberty Bell.


23-Across. Unexpected and undeserved fortune: DUMB LUCK.  //  Dumb Bell.


51-Across. Singer dubbed the "Mother of the Blues": MA RAINEY.  /  Ma Bell.  Ma Bell was the name for the Bell System, a telecommunications monopoly led by AT&T.  It provided telephone service in North America for about 100 years.  It was the "mother" [Ma] company that provided all telephone services Alexander Graham Bell (Mar. 3, 1847 ~ Aug. 2, 1922) is credited with inventing the telephone, hence, the Bell.  The monopoly was ultimately broken up by a federal court antitrust case in 1984.

56-Across. Weekly promotion in some Tex-Mex restaurants: TACO TUESDAY.  //  Taco Bell.


And the Unifier:

36-Across. Start of the stock exchange trading day, or a feature of 18-, 23-, 51-, and 56-Across: OPENING BELL.  Each theme answer Opens with a Bell.

Across:
1. Twosome: DUO.

4. Long-tailed parrot: MACAW.  They are beautiful birds.


9. Pitch, as a tent: PUT UP.


14. Mork's planet: ORK.  Mork and Mindy was a sit-com from the late 1970s-early 1980s.  Mork, an alien from the planet Ork on a mission to Earth to study human behavior.  He met up with Mindyr, travels to 1970s Boulder, Colo., where he meets up with Mindy, a young journalism graduate.  Mork was portrayed by Robin Williams (July 21, 1951 ~ Aug. 11, 2014) and Mindy was played by Pam Dawber (b. Oct. 18, 1951).


15. "Yay for me!": I RULE!

16. "When the moon hits your eye" condition: AMORE.  Today's Latin lesson.


17. Soda can opener: TAB.  Also the name of a discontinued soda.  Tab was introduced in 1963 and was the Coca-Cola's first diet drink.  It was discontinued in 2020.


20. "Orinoco Flow" singer: ENYA.  The given name of this Irish singer and composer is Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (b. May 17, 1961).  No wonder she goes by Enya.


22. Glacier-forming periods: ICE AGES.

If you go to hockey games, you will understand this cartoon.

26. Airport surface: TARMAC.  The history of the word Tarmac.

29. Essential login info: USER ID.


30. Ray gun sound: ZAP.

31. iPad program: APP.

32. Perfect place: UTOPIA.  Also the title of a 1516 book of fiction and political satire by Sir Thomas More (Feb. 17, 1478 ~ July 6, 1535).  The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs.  It was before my time.


35. Earnest entreaty: PLEA.

39. Abundant supply: GLUT.

41. Little house, in Spanish: CASITA.  Today's Spanish Lesson

42. "I'd rather __": NOT.

43. Tiny ammo: BBs.

45. Apply a cipher to: ENCODE.

49. Unit of coffee: CUPFUL.


53. Greek goddess of the hunt: ARTEMIS.  Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and the twin sister of Apollo.  Because she is the huntress, she is often depicted with a bow and arrow, accompanied by hunting dogs.  As a virgin goddess, she protects young unmarried women and is also associated with childbirth, forests, wild animals, and archery. 


55. Bunco trio: DICE.  I am not familiar with this game, but apparently it is played with 3 die.



60. Fla. NBA team: ORL.  As in the Orlando Magic.


61. Any ABBA member: SWEDE.


62. Made off with: STOLE.

63. Previously named: NÉE.  This French word is becoming a crossword staple.

64. Mexican bucks: PESOS.  As of this writing, 1 Mexican Peso is worth 0.054 Dollars.  Or another way, $1 is worth 18.47 Pesos.




65. From Nepal, e.g.: ASIAN.


66. The best is __ to come: YET.

Down:
1. End of a school email address: DOT EDU.

2. Planet between Saturn and Neptune: URANUS.  William Herschel (né Frederick William Herschel; Nov. 15, 1738 ~ Aug. 25, 1822) discovered the planet in 1781, which he wanted to call Georgium Sidus, which means George's Star in honor of George III, King of England (June 4, 1738 ~ Jan. 29, 1820).   Other astronomer, however, had other ideas and they won out.  So how did Uranus get its name, which becomes name official in 1850.



3. "I'm fine with that": OK BY ME.

4. The Brewers, in box scores: MIL.  As in the Milwaukee Brewers.

5. Former NPR host Shapiro: ARI.  Ari Michael Shapiro (b. Sept. 20, 1978) is a radio journalist.  He had been one of the hosts of All Things Considered.  He left NPR in September of this year.


6. Three-dimensional: CUBIC.

7. Smart __: ALECK.

8. "Now __ talking!": WE'RE.

9. Wage inequality: PAY GAP.  Yup, it's real.

10. Natural pigment darker than ocher: UMBER.


11. Like shoes that cause blisters, perhaps: TOO SMALL.


12. Ornate flowerpot: URN.

13. Thin sock worn to try on shoes: PED.

19. The "TT" of TTFN: TATA.  Textspeak for TaTa For Now.

21. Sudden: ABRUPT.

24. Low-calorie, in ads: LITE.


25. Japanese soup noodle: UDON.  These tasty noodles appear often in the puzzles.


27. Mimic: APE.

28. Tax prep pro: CPA.  As in a Certified Public Accountant.

30. Zigs and __: ZAGS.


33. "__ or it didn't happen!": PICS.  That used to be true, but now ...

34. Cookbook writer Garten: INA.  Ina Rosenberg Garten (b. Feb. 2, 1948) is known as the Barefoot Contessa.


35. Serene: PLACID.

36. Runs faster than: OUTPACES.

37. Order in a German pub: BIER.  Today's German lesson.


38. Active Sicilian volcano: ETNA.  This Sicilian volcano makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzle.


39. Chain known for health products: GNC.  Formerly known as General Nutrition Centers.


40. Bud's bud in comedy: LOU.  Abbott and Costello were an American comedy team composed of comedians Bud Abbott (né William Alexander Abbott; Oct. 2, 1895 ~ Apr. 24, 1974) and Lou Costello (né Louis Francis Cristillo; Mar. 6, 1906 ~ Mar. 3, 1959).


43. Narrow flat-topped hills: BUTTES.  //  And 54-Down. Wide flat-topped hill: MESA.


44. "Sacré __!": BLEU.  More of today's French lesson.

46. Like some pungent dips: ONIONY.

47. Official directive: DECREE.

48. Doily loop: EYELET.


50. Hobbit who travels to Mount Doom: FRODO.

51. Waters gently, as a houseplant: MISTS.

52. "Same here," formally: AS DO I.

56. Recipe amt.: TSP.  As in a Teaspoon.

57. Feeling of wonder: AWE.

58. __ mode: À LA.  More of today's French lesson.

59. Urge: YEN.  Also Japanese currency.


Here's the Grid:



חתולה




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