Tuesday, November 18, 2025

QOD:  Don’t ask what the world needs.  Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.  .  ~  Howard Thurman (né Howard Washington Thurman; Nov. 18, 1899 ~ Apr. 10, 1981), African-American civil rights activist and theologian

The Doors.  The last word of each theme answer is a device that protects a door.

16-Across. Linked-together homemade decoration: PAPER CHAIN.

24-Across. Noisy flash of lightning: THUNDER BOLT.

49-Across. Tool needed for some needlecraft: CROCHET HOOK.

58-Across. Arm-twisting wrestling hold: HAMMER LOCK.

And the Unifier:

35-Across. Quaint warning of impending danger, and a hint to the implements at the ends of 16-, 24-, 49-, and 58-Across: KATIE BAR THE DOOR.  What does really mean?

Here's the Grid so you can see the door safety mechanisms:

Across:

1. Short-term office workers: TEMPS.

6. __ and weave: BOB.

9. Installs turf: SODS.

13. Brownstone porch: STOOP.

14. Not false: TRUE.

15. Slip-on shoe: CROC.

18. The Chicago Marathon, for one: RACE.  The Chicago Marathon takes place in October.  It is one of the seven World Marathon Majors.  Can you name the other 6 cities?

19. Native of New Zealand: MĀORI.  A history of the Māori.  Street signs in New Zealand are written in both English and the Māori language.

20. Add to the mix: PUT IN.  Not to be confused with Vladimir.

21. Black's opponent in checkers: RED.

27. Hypercorrect "Yes, indeedy!": IT IS SO.

29. From __ Z: A TO.

30. Hi or low follower, in graphics: RES.  As in Resolution.

31. Staircase part: STEP.

32. Geometric figure with no sides or corners: CIRCLE.

41. Sparkling toppers: TIARAS.

42. Division word: INTO.  Today's Math lesson.

43. Weep loudly: SOB.

46. Test for Ph.D. hopefuls: GRE.  As in the Graduate Records Examinations.

47. Sharp-witted: ASTUTE.

53. Name on a box by the sink: SOS.  //  And 9-Down. Clean with effort: SCRUB.

54. Grown-up: ADULT.

55. Belly button type: INNIE.

57. List of dishes: MENU.

63. Walk off one's anxiety, perhaps: PACE.

64. __ vera gel: ALOE.

65. Consume fully: USE UP.

66. Snow glider: SLED.

67. Beaver creation: DAM.

68. Uncool sorts: NERDS.

Down:

1. Recipe amt.: TSP.  As in a TeaSPoon.

2. GPS prediction: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.

3. Cleaning tool that may be dry or wet: MOP.

4. Bard's creation: POEM.

5. Nursery rhyme couple with restricted 23-Downs: SPRATS.  //  And 23-Down:  23. Food regimen: DIET.

Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean; And so between the two of them, they licked the platter clean.

6. Cranium organ: BRAIN.

7. French "yes": OUI.  Today's French lesson.

8. Filmmaker Affleck: BEN.  Benjamin Géza Affleck (b. Aug. 15, 1972) first gained recognition for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting, which he co-wrote with his friend Matt Damon (b. Oct. 8, 1970).

10. Grand speaker: ORATOR.

11. Like animals in a petting zoo, ideally: DOCILE.

12. Aromatherapy choices: SCENTS.

14. Drive-__ car wash: THRU.

17. Pacific salmon: COHO.  Coho salmon are a species of Pacific salmon that live in both fresh and saltwater.  

20. Member of the working class: PROLE.  The word comes from the Latin proletarius, "citizen of the lowest class," used in ancient Rome to describe the group of people who didn't own property and whose only contribution to society was having children.

21. Investment consideration: RISK.

22. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.  Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

25. Pub game with sharp projectiles: DARTS.  Seems like a safe game to play while consuming vast quantities of alcohol.

26. Inscribe with acid: ETCH.

28. Barbecue rod: SPIT.

32. Proofreader's insertion mark: CARET.

33. 401(k) kin: IRA.

34. Prepare to publish: EDIT.

36. Number of legs on some arthropods: EIGHT.

37. Naked: BARE.

38. Burden: ONUS.

39. Miranda of "Homeland": OTTO.  Miranda Otto (b. Dec. 16, 1967) didn't appear in Homeland until season 5.  She portrayed Allison Carr, the Berlin chief of station.

40. Some sushi toppers: ROEs.  Yummers!

43. Little rascals: SCAMPS.

44. Trying experience: ORDEAL.

45. Name on a box by the dryer: BOUNCE.

47. Top-notch: A-ONE.

48. Aspen trail: SKI RUN.

50. Like some word puzzles: CLUED.

51. Greeting to a parent: HI, MOM!

52. "Looks like the joke's __": ON ME.

56. "If all __ fails ... ": ELSE.

58. Consumed: HAD.

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

60. Above, in odes: O'ER.

61. Cattle chew: CUD.

62. Mil. mess duties: KPs.  As in Kitchen Patrol.  Probably not as fun as it sounds.

*  Berlin, Boston, London, New York, Sydney and Tokyo.

חתולה

Friday, November 18, 2022

QOD:  I’ve never understood why people consider youth a time of freedom and joy.  It’s probably because they’ve forgotten their own.  ~  Margaret Atwood (née Margaret Eleanor Atwood; b. Nov. 18, 1939), Canadian novelist

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

QOD:  Love blurs your vision; but after it recedes, you can see more clearly than ever.  ~  Margaret Atwood (née Margaret Eleanor Atwood; b. Nov. 18, 1939), Canadian novelist

Monday, November 18, 2019

QOD:  I hate to spread rumors, but what else can I do with them?  ~  Amanda Lear (b. Nov. 18, 1939), French singer and painter.

All IN.  The last word of each theme answer rhymes with IN, but each has a unique spelling.

17-Across. Swashbuckling leading man of Hollywood's Golden Age: ERROL FLYNN.  Errol Flynn (né Erroll Leslie Thomson Flynn; June 20, 1909 ~ Oct. 14, 1959) was born in Tasmania.  Shortly after moving to Hollywood, he landed the plumb role as Peter Blood in the movie Captain Blood.  He was a relatively unknown actor at the time, but with the role, he shot up to stardom.  A few years later, he was charged with and tried for statutory rape, but was acquitted.

27-Across. German Shepherd of '50s-'60s TV: RIN TIN TIN.  Rin Tin Tin (Sept. 1918 ~ Aug. 10, 1932) was an actual German Shepard and movie star.  Tin Tin Tin was a rescue dog found on the battlefield during World War I.  His owner trained him to act in silent movies.  After his death, several other dogs were acquired the name to appear in additional Rin Tin Tin movies.

41-Across. North Vietnamese leader with a trail named for him: HO CHI MINH.  Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890 ~ Sept. 2, 1969) was the President of North Vietnam from 1945 until his death in September 1969.

55-Across. Hotel chain since 1952: HOLIDAY INN.  Holiday Inn is a British-owned American chain hotel.  It is a subsidiary of InterContinental Hotels Group.

Hahtoolah here.  Fear not, my friends, Boomer will be making a surprise appearance later this week.

Across:

1. Aquarium: TANK.

5. Yeshiva teacher: REBBE.  The word  rebbe comes from a Hebrew word meaning teacher.  The word is used primarily by the Hasidic movement of Judaism.

10. Dance in a pit: MOSH.  Mosh is a form of dancing where the dances jumps up and down, often violently bumping into other dancers.

14. Iranian money: RIAL.  As of last week, the 1 Rial was worth 0.000030 US Dollars.

15. For all to hear: ALOUD.

16. Baja's opposite: ALTA.  Today's Spanish Lesson.

19. Precious: DEAR.

A Precious Deer.

20. Delivers, as a convention-opening speech: KEYNOTES.  Generally referred to as a Keynote Speaker.

21. Donny or Marie: OSMOND.  Back in the late 1970s, Donny (né Donald Clark Osmond; b. Dec. 9, 1957) and Marie Osmond (née Olive Marie Osmond; b. Oct. 13, 1959 ) were a brother and sister singing duo who also hosted a variety show called Donny and Marie.

23. Hairstyles: DOs.  //  And 50-Down. Bee home: HIVE.  Also a hair style.

24. Art Deco designer: ERTÉ.  Erté (né Roman Tyrtov; Nov. 23, 1892 ~ Apr. 21, 1990) was a Russian-born French artist.  He went by Erté, which is the French pronunciation of his initials.  His drawings are very stylized.

25. Barbara of "Mission: Impossible": BAIN.  Barbara Bain (née Mildred Fogel; b. Sept. 13, 1931), was known as Cinnamon Carter on Mission: Impossible.  Can you find Barbara?

32. Beach head-turners: HUNKS.

33. Forest moon that's home to the Ewoks: ENDOR.  A reference to the Star Wars movies.  Ewoks are creepy looking little critters.

34. Dedicated poem: ODE.

35. First chip in the pot: ANTE.

36. Tokyo's country: JAPAN.

37. Pinot __: white wine grape: GRIS.  What's the difference between Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio?

38. Geol. or chem., e.g.: SCI.  Geology and Chemistry are fields of Science.

39. Nattily dressed fellows: DUDES.

40. Fortune-teller's card: TAROT.  Everything you wanted to know about Tarot Cards, but were afraid to ask.

43. City near Provo: OREM.

44. "SportsCenter" channel: ESPN.  Originally known as the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.

45. Gear tooth: COG.

46. "Peanuts" newspaper section: COMICS.  Charles Schulz really didn't like the name Peanuts for his comic strip.

49. Jeep model named for a tribe: CHEROKEE.

54. "I get it now!" cries: AHAs!

57. Trap fluff: LINT.

58. __ Oyl: OLIVE.  Olive Oyl was created in 1919, thus she is celebrating her 100 birthday this year.  She appeared in the comic strips for 10 years before she became Popeye's girlfriend.

59. Advance, as money: LEND.

60. Enemies: FOES.

61. Package sealers: TAPES.

62. Pre-revelry nights: EVES.

Down:

1. Long haul: TREK.

2. Suffix with billion: -AIRE.  Who wants to be a Billionaire?

3. __ a soul: no one: NARY.

4. Ice cream bar named for a Yukon river: KLONDIKE.

5. Rapids transports: RAFTS.

6. Fashion monthly: ELLE.  This fashion magazine first began publication 71 years ago this month.

7. Pop music's Backstreet __: BOYS.  A boy band from the 1990s.

The band 20 years later.

8. Pastry that might be sticky: BUN.

9. Ralph Kramden's pal: ED NORTON.

10. Drama set at an advertising agency: MAD MEN.  This show, starring Jon Hamm, was a fascinating look into the advertising business in the 1960s.  The show ran from July 2007 to May 2015.

11. Bread spread: OLEO.

12. Laurel seen with Hardy: STAN.  Stan Laurel (né Arthur Stanley Jefferson; June 16, 1890 ~ Feb. 23, 1965) and Oliver Hardy (né Norvell Hardy; Jan. 18, 1892 ~ Aug. 7, 1957) were a comedy duo best known for their slapstick comedy.

13. Difficult: HARD.

18. Diving birds: LOONS.  Hi, Canadian Eh!

22. Swizzle: STIR.  Hence the Swizzle Stick.

24. Hyphen-like mark: EN DASH.  Who knew there were so many sizes?

25. Con game: BUNCO.

26. Bit of high jinks: ANTIC.

27. Transfer to memory, as data: READ IN.

28. Best way to sign: IN PEN.  Also the way some of us do the crossword puzzles.

29. MLB exec Joe: TORRÉ.  Joseph Paul Torré (b. July 18, 1940) was the manager of the New York Yankees from 1996 to 2007.  He is currently serving in the capacity as Major League Baseball's chief baseball officer.  He began his baseball career with Milwaukee Brewers in 1960.

30. "Take the cake" or "cream of the crop": IDIOM.

31. Home on a branch: NEST.

32. Diner fare: HASH.  My grandmother used to make beet hash.  As I recall, it was pretty tasty.

36. Basketball scoring technique: JUMP SHOT.

37. Grotesque architectural figure: GARGOYLE.  Some of the most famous gargoyles are found on Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  Sadly, the Cathedral burned earlier this year.  I am not sure of the status of its Gargoyles.  This is my favorite gargoyle that was found on the roof.

39. Part of DVD: DISC.

40. Irish lullaby start: TOORA.

42. Thieves' bank jobs: HEISTS.

45. Hands over: CEDES.

46. Cow kid: CALF.

47. State east of Indiana: OHIO.  It's the State that's Round on the Ends and Hi in the Middle.

48. Horse hair: MANE.

49. Paper holder: CLIP.  Remember Clippy?

51. Ukraine's capital: KIEV.  Both the city, sometimes spelled as Kyiv, and the country have been in the news recently.

52. Feminine suffix: -ENNE.

53. Breaks off: ENDS.  Think of breaking off, or ending, a relationship.

56. Suffix with pay or Cray-: -OLA.  As in Payola or Crayola.  One is a crayon, the other is a crime.  Getting a box of 64 colors was really special.

Here's the Grid: