QOD: Marcelene Cox

Showing posts with label Marcelene Cox. Show all posts

Tuesday, 25 April 2023

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

QOD: No man knows his true character until he has run out of gas, purchased something on the installment plan, and raised an adolescent. ~ Marcelene Cox, American author

Milk: It's not just dairy anymore. Cow's milk vs plant milk, it's quite controversial.

18-Across. Slopes accessory: SKI MASK. Skim Milk

26-Across. Inauguration text: OATH OF OFFICE. Oat Milk. You can make you own at home.

38-Across. Baha Men hit single: WHO LET THE DOGS OUT. Whole Milk.

52-Across. Dystopian thriller starring Charlton Heston: SOYLENT GREEN. Soy Milk. What is Soy Milk, anyway?

And the Unifier:

64-Across. Ad campaign featuring white mustaches, and a hint to the starts of the answers to 18-, 26-, 38-, and 52-Across: GOT MILK? This puzzle gives us two forms of cow's milk and two plant-based milks.

Across:

1. American marsupial, familiarly: POSSUM. Occasionally a Possum / Opossum will wander through our yard and we live in the city.

7. "__, Brute?": ET TU. Today's Latin lesson.

11. Swimmer's unit: LAP.

14. Military maneuvers?: SALUTES.

16. Speckled horse: ROAN. A Roan is a horse of a different color.

17. Rideshare driver's guess: ETA. As in Estimated Time of Arrival.

19. French pals: AMIS. Today's French lesson.

20. Oinker's pen: STY.

21. Autocorrect target: TYPO. This is becoming a crossword staple.

22. Online store icon: CART.

24. TV collie: LASSIE.

28. "Searching for Italy" host Tucci: STANLEY. Although considered as a character actor, Stanley Tucci (b. Nov. 11, 1960) has been in numerous films where he really shines. My favorite Stanley Tucci movie is Big Night. [Name # 1.]

31. Stackable cookies: OREOS. A crossword staple. The company is always trying different frosting innards to make some unique flavors of their cookies.

32. Bagel-shaped: TORIC. Everything you wanted to know about a Torus, but didn't know to ask. How to make your Bagel into a mathematically correct breakfast treat.

33. Jog: TROT.

35. X-ray kin: MRI. As in Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

43. Alley-__ pass: OOP. In basketball, an alley-oop is an offensive play in which one player passes the ball near the basket to a teammate who jumps, catches the ball in mid-air and dunks or lays it in before touching the ground.

44. Unsubtle actors: HAMS.

45. Buenos __: AIRES. I took my parents to Buenos Aires to celebrate their 80th birthdays. It was a fabulous city to visit.

46. One on the Pacific Crest Trail, say: HIKER. The Pacific Crest Trail runs from the Washington State-Canadian border to the California-Mexican border.

49. Revolved around: ORBITED.

55. Get started on, as a problem: TACKLE.

56. Ear-related: OTIC.

57. Border: EDGE.

61. 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup champs: USA. FIFA is the French abbreviation for the Federation Internationale de Football Association. Football in this context is really soccer. The FIFA was founded in Paris on May 21 1904 by representatives from Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

62. Airbnb alternative: VRBO. As in Vacation Rentals By Owner.

66. Put down: DIS.

67. Currier and __: IVES. Currier and Ives was a printmaking company known for its lithographs. Many of their prints were of Christmas scenes, landscapes and significant historical scenes. They occasionally ventured into political cartoons and illustrations of current events. The company was founded by Nathaniel Currier (Mar. 27, 1813 ~ Nov. 20, 1888) in 1835. His partner in the company was James Merritt Ives (Mar. 5, 1824 ~ Jan. 3, 1895). [Names # 2 and 3.]

68. "Forget it!": NO SIREE!

69. Chicago-to-Orlando dir.: SSE. It's a South-SouthEast drive from Chicago to Orlando.

70. State bird of Hawaii: NENE. Everything you wanted to know about Nenes but didn't know to ask.

71. Holiday treats served with applesauce: LATKES. Yummers. A Chanukah staple. Latkes are potato pancakes that are traditionally eaten during Chanukah because they are fried. They symbolize the miracle of Chanukah when the oil of the menorah in the Temple kept the flame alive for eight days even there was only enough oil for one day.

Down:

1. Attention-getting hiss: PSST!

2. Like wine aged in certain barrels: OAKY. Not to be confused with Oat milk

3. __ of the tongue: SLIP.

4. Japanese wrestling form: SUMO.

5. The NBA's Jazz, on scoreboards: UTA. The basketball team, Jazz, formerly of New Orleans (hence the name), is now located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

6. Smoky liquor made from agave: MESCAL.

7. Muse of poetry: ERATO.

8. Celebrity chef Colicchio: TOM. I am not familiar with Tom Colicchio (né Thomas Patrick Colicchio; b. Aug. 15, 1962), but apparently he has been a judge on Top Chef. [Name # 4.]

9. Customize for: TAILOR TO.

10. Treacherous: UNSAFE.

11. "You're trying too hard": LESS IS MORE. This phrase was adopted with the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (né Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; Mar. 27, 1886 ~ Aug. 17, 1969).

Van der Rohe's iconic style of Less is More.

12. Scary story?: ATTIC. I guess an attic is a scary place to venture into.

13. Venmo recipient: PAYEE. The name Venmo comes from vendere, Latin for "to sell," and "mo" for mobile.

15. Enjoy the roller rink: SKATE.

23. Part of R&B: RHYTHM.

25. Bay Area hub, for short: SFO. The San Francisco International Airport.

26. __ in a blue moon: ONCE. According to Britannica: The term blue moon originated from the 16th-century expression “the Moon is blue,” meaning something that was impossible. For two years following the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia in 1883, people around the world reported seeing strangely coloured sunsets and a Moon that appeared blue. With this possible, but uncommon, occurrence, “once in a blue moon” came to mean rare rather than impossible.

27. Comestibles: FOOD.

28. NYC nabe near Little Italy: SOHO. SoHo is an acronym for South of Houston Street in New York City. It is a neighborhood that features galleries, and high-end commercial and luxury boutiques.

29. Place to store cups and bowls?: TROPHY CASE.

30. Feel unwell: AIL.

32. Pair: TWO.

34. Vacation spot: RESORT. My ideal spot would be on the beach.

36. Regretted: RUED.

37. "__ go time!": IT'S.

39. "I can't believe they did that!": THE NERVE!

40. Like Key lime pie: TART. Yummers!

41. Acquire: GAIN.

42. Word often said while holding a treat: SIT.

47. Kind: ILK.

48. Temperature unit: KELVIN. The Kelvin temperature scale is a scale where there is an absolute zero, below which temperatures do not exist. Absolute is the temperature where molecular energy is at a minimum. Absolute zero is -273.15 Celsius. The temperature scale is named after William Kelvin (1824 ~ 1907), a physicist and mathematician. He proposed the concept of this temperature scale over 170 years ago. How to convert Kelvin to Fahrenheit. [Name adjacent.]

50. 1952-2022, for Queen Elizabeth II: REIGN. Her Majesty the Queen.

51. "Don't embarrass me": BE COOL.

52. Small earrings: STUDS.

53. Fertile desert spot: OASIS.

54. Bird in a gaggle: GOOSE. But did you know that a bunch of crows is called a murder?

57. Let off: EMIT.

58. NBA great Nowitzki: DIRK. Dirk Werner Nowitzki (b. June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player. He had a long career with the Dallas Mavericks. [Name # 5.]

59. Mirth: GLEE. It's also the name of a television musical about a high school glee club that ran from 2009 to 2015.

60. Squeezes (out): EKES.

63. Actor Kingsley: BEN. Sir Benjamin Kingsley (né Krishna Pandit Bhanji; b. Dec. 31, 1943) has starred in numerous films. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Gandhi in 1982 movie of the same name. [Name # 6.]

65. Airport safety gp.: TSA. As in Transportation Security Administration.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, 27 September 2022

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

QOD: If at first you don’t succeed, blame your parents. ~ Marcelene Cox, American author

An Ice Breaker:

17-Across. * Another thing altogether: WHOLE NEW BALLGAME. Whole Truth

30-Across. * William S. Burroughs novel: NAKED LUNCH. Naked Truth

49-Across. * Background sound that may be a sleep aid: WHITE NOISE. White Lie

And the unifier:

65-Across. Ice-breaker activity involving three claims, or what the starts of the answers to the starred clues literally are: TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE. Two Truths and a Lie is a simple ice-breaker game that is designed to get to know others in a group. Each individual shares three statements about themselves: 2 of the statements are true, and one is false. The rest of the group tries to guess which statement is the lie by asking questions.

Across:

1. "How tragic": SO SAD!

6. Cent: PENNY.

11. Gender-neutral German article: DAS. // And 5-Down. Feminine German article: DIE. The masculine German article, DER is missing from today's German lesson.

14. Food safety concern: E. COLI. The full name of this bacterium is Escherichia coli. Most strains of E. coli are actually harmless. It is often used in microbiology teaching labs.

15. Infer: EDUCE.

16. Foot part: ARCH.

20. Annual presidential speech, for short: SOTU. As in State Of The Union.

21. Maker of Simply Radishing and Can't Be Beet! nail polish: OPI. This brand is becoming a crossword staple.

22. Sunburn soother: ALOE GEL.

23. Chain reaction component: DOMINO.

26. Restroom, to a Brit: LOO.

27. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame architect: I.M. PEI. I.M. Pei (né Ieoh Ming Pei; Apr. 26, 1917 ~ May 16, 2019) was a Chinese-American architect. He was quite a visionary and designed many unique looking buildings. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is designed to look like a record player.[Name # 1.]

35. Pad thai strand: NOODLE. Yummers!

37. One-line rave on movie posters: A MUST SEE!

38. __ Angeles Kings: LOS. The professional hockey team.

39. Medium for many homemade cards: CRAYON. If you are lucky, you have 64 color choices.

42. Chapped, maybe: DRY.

43. Remains calm: ACTS COOL.

46. Interstate through Chicago: NINETY. Interstate-90 runs from Boston, Massachusetts to Seattle, Washington.

52. High-IQ group: MENSA.

53. "__ Lasso": TED. Ted Lasso is a fictional character portrayed by Jason Sudeikis. [Name Adjacent.]

54. Doodads: GIZMOS.

56. Pseudonym: PEN NAME. // And 18-Down. __ de plume: NOM. Theodor Seuss Geisel (Mar. 2, 1904 ~ Sept. 24, 1991) used Dr. Seuss as his pen name.

60. Org. headed by Michael S. Regan: EPA. Michael Stanley Regan (b. Aug. 6, 1976) is the current Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. [Name # 2.]

61. Wooden barrel: CASK.

68. Hardens: SETS.

69. Sports data: STATS.

70. "Assuming there is one": IF ANY.

71. "Black-ish" role: DRE. Actor Anthony Anderson (b. Aug. 15, 1970) portrays Dre Johnson on the television sit-com Black-ish. [Name adjacent]

72. Generational tales: SAGAS. I can get lost in a good saga. I have read several on this list. Ken Follett also writes wonderful historical sagas.

73. Trait carriers: GENES.

Down:

1. Wraps (up): SEWS.

2. Cuatro x dos: OCHO. Spanish math. Hi, Lucina!

3. Flue residue: SOOT.

4. Slyly referred (to): ALLUDED.

6. Peek through shutters, say: PEEP IN.

7. Holly's "Raising Arizona" role: EDWINA. Raising Arizona was a 1987 movie that starred Holly Hunter (b. Mar. 20, 1958) and Nicholas Cage (b. Jan. 7, 1964). Holly hunter portrayed Edwina McDunnough. [Name Adjacent]

8. Much-used pencil: NUB.

9. March Madness gp.: NCAA. As in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

10. Holler: YELL.

11. International reality show that inspired "Shark Tank": DRAGONS' DEN. I am not familiar with Dragon's Den.

12. Pinnacle: ACME.

13. Writer Silverstein: SHEL. Shel Silverstein (né Sheldon Allan Silverstein; Sept. 25, 1930 ~ May 11, 1999) was a poet, cartoonist and songwriter. Did you know that he wrote A Boy Named Sue? [Name # 3.]

16. Get too old: AGE OUT.

19. Lounges around: LOLLS.

24. Cruet contents: OIL.

25. Just so-so: OKAY.

27. Spouse's kin: IN-LAW.

28. Scrounging sort: MOOCH.

29. Sticky reminder: POST-IT NOTE.

31. Genre associated with black eyeliner: EMO.

32. Country duo Brooks & __: DUNN. [Names # 4.]

33. "Two mints in one" mint: CERTS.

34. 2003 Outkast hit: HEY YA!

36. Business maj.: ECON. As in Economics.

40. Milne joey: ROO. A reference to Winnie-the-Pooh's reference.

41. Sacha Baron Cohen persona: ALI G. Ali G is a satirical character played by Sasha Baron Cohen (b. Oct. 13, 1971). [Name # 5.]

44. Artery inserts: STENTS.

45. Fragrant wood: CEDAR. Everything you wanted to know about Cedar wood, but didn't know to ask.

47. "If u ask me ... ": IMO. Textspeak for In My Opinion.

48. Brand that had instant success?: NESCAFÉ. The brand that makes instant coffee.

50. Afternoon nap: SIESTA.

51. Toll-paying convenience: E-ZPASS. I live in a state that doesn't use an electronic pass. We did have to get a toll-tag for Texas, however.

55. "Wow": MAN! Meh?

56. Survivor's struggle, briefly: PTSD. As in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

57. Carafe kin: EWER.

58. No __, no fuss: MUSS.

59. Jazz legend James: ETTA. Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. [Name # 6.]