QOD: January 6, 2026

Tuesday, 6 January 2026

January 6, 2026

QOD: If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell. ~ Carl Sandburg (né Carl August Sandburg, Jan. 6, 1878 ~ July 22, 1967), American poet

I'm Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band. If you can read backwards, you will see the circles spell out the name of a rock band, hence "back-up" bands.

17-Across. "This could've been a lot worse": IT'S NOT SO BAD. BOSTON. The American band Boston was formed in 1975 in Boston. What an original name.

31-Across. Jewel boxes: CD CASES. AC/DC. AC/DC is Australian rock band and was formed in Sydney in 1973, although the founding brothers, Angus (b. Mar. 31, 1955) and Malcolm Young (Jan. 6, 1953 ~ Nov. 18, 2017) were both Scottish.

37-Across. Antiwar gathering of world leaders: PEACE SUMMIT. MUSE. Muse is an English band that was formed in 1994. It's the youngster in this quartet.

44-Across. Hit that may go out of the park: HOME RUN. R.E.M. R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in 1980.

And the unifier:

59. Supporting musicians, or what can be found in 17-, 31-, 37-, and 44-Across: BACK-UP BANDS.

You can see the Backup Bands in the circles below.

Across:

1. Pantry platform: SHELF.

6. Contrail, essentially: VAPOR. A contrail, also known as a condensation trial, it is the line-shaped cloud formed by aircraft engine exhaust mixing with the cold, humid air at high altitudes.

11. Auction offer: BID.

14. Humped beast at a desert oasis: CAMEL. One hump or two? One-humped camels are Dromedaries. They are the ones that live in the Sahara desert. The two-humped camels are Bactrians. They can be found in the colder Central Asian steppes. The primary difference is their habitat. Both store fat in their humps for energy, not water, and have closeable nostrils to keep the sand out of their noses.

15. "Go me!": I RULE!

16. Eggs, to a biologist: OVA.

19. __ or nothing: ALL.

20. Draped dresses in Hindi films: SARIs. A brief history of the Sari.

21. Paleontologist's find: FOSSIL.

23. Tire gauge meas.: PSI. As in Pounds per Square Inch.

26. Schleps: TOTES. Anyone watch Elsbeth? She is always carrying tons of tote bags.

28. High point of a trip to Sicily?: ETNA. This volcano has become a crossword staple.

29. Play with, as a trampoline: JUMP ON.

34. Reject: SPURN.

35. Confident about: SURE OF.

40. "Women Talking" novelist Toews: MIRIAM. Women Talking is a 2018 novel by Miriam Toews (b. May 21, 1964). The book is based on actual events in a remote Mennonite community where women were drugged and sexually assaulted by men.

41. CNN journalist Hill: ERICA. Erica Ruth Hill (b. July 20, 1976) is a television journalist and has worked for CNN, CBS and NBC.

47. Alternative to "Yours truly": AS EVER. I think this phrase is now associated with Meghan Markle.

48. Extremely dry: ARID. In the arid desert, where you will find a one-humped camel.

49. Finish by: END AT.

52. "That's gotta hurt": OOF!

53. Sentra automaker: NISSAN.

56. Archer's projectile: ARROW.

58. Distress signal: SOS.

64. Tree with serrated leaves: ELM. I understand that street is a real nightmare.

65. Remove a wooden pin from: UNPEG.

66. Listless feeling: ENNUI. A word seen only in the crossword puzzles.

67. Filmmaker Ang: LEE. Ang Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) often makes guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

68. Warty hoppers: TOADS.

69. 28 of the cards in a Monopoly set: DEEDS.

Down:

1. __-fi: SCI.

2. Topper: HAT.

3. 911 responders, briefly: EMS. As in Emergency Medical Services.

4. Periscope part: LENS.

5. Experience elation: FLOAT ON AIR.

6. Pop in on: VISIT.

7. Came up: AROSE.

8. Trivia night venue: PUB.

9. "Frozen" snowman: OLAF.

10. Try again: REDO. A crossword staple.

11. Sings one's own praises: BOASTS.

12. Means to administer medication: IV LINE.

13. Texas city with the Cowboys and the Wings: DALLAS. The Dallas Wings are a professional basketball team in the WNBA.

18. Sci-fi franchise with "Legacy" and "Ares" installments: TRON.

22. Bioluminescence produced by marine microorganisms: SEAFIRE. Everything you wanted to know about marine microbes.

23. Garments that might have feet, familiarly: PJs.

24. Dine, quaintly: SUP.

25. Grumble from the recently roused: I'M UP.

27. Rugby play with tight formation: SCRUM.

30. Some organic chemistry students: PRE-MEDS.

32. Blue pol: DEM. As in Democrat. Enough said. No politics.

33. Joins one's partner in retirement?: COMES TO BED.

35. River through Paris: SEINE.

36. Mex. neighbor: USA.

38. Grand __: French wine classification: CRU. The term Grand Cru, which is French for "great growth", denotes the highest tier of vineyard classification for superior French wines.

39. DVR pioneer: TiVo. An archaic line of digital video recorders.

42. Corp. leader: CEO. As in Chief Executive Order.

43. Dog park sound: ARF.

44. Gretel's brother: HANSEL. In case you are unfamiliar with the German folktale, here is a brief history of of the story as depicted by the Brothers Grimm.