Tuesday, November 3, 2026

QOD:  Governments are the only vessels that leak from the top.  ~  James Reston (né James Barrett Reston; Nov. 3, 1909 ~ Dec. 6, 1995), Scottish-born American journalist

Peat and Repeat and Repeat and Repeat and Repeat.

20-Across. Marshy source of organic fuel: PEAT BOG.  In Europe, archeologist have often found mummified bodies in peat bogs.

22-Across. Attempt to hit: SWIPE AT.

31-Across. Budget-friendly fare: CHEAPE ATS.

41-Across. Slip by unnoticed: ESCAPE ATTENTION.

And the unifier:

52-Across. Rare championship sequences, or what can be found in this puzzle's circles: FOUR PEATS.  One of the four Peats is not like the other Peats.  

Here's the Grid:

This was a very name-heavy puzzle.  It didn't bother me, but I know many people don't like seeing so many names in a puzzle.  The names here covered several generations, so there is probably at least one name for everyone to recognize.

Across:

1. Open-handed hit: SLAP.

5. Saudi neighbor: OMANI.

10. Reasons to cry "April Fools!": GAGS.  //  And 18-Across. "April Fools!": GOT YA!

14. Bull, in Spanish: TORO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

15. Former One Direction member Niall: HORAN.  Niall James Horan (b. Sept. 13, 1993) is an Irish singer and musician.  His band, One Direction, was apparently one of the best-selling boy bands.  [Name # 1.]

16. Actor Morales: ESAI.  We haven't seen Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (b. Oct. 1, 1962) in a while.  He used to appear in the puzzles with alarming frequency.  Maybe he has aged out of the current demographics.  [Name # 2.]

17. Upper limbs: ARMS.

When Octopus arms become Upper Limbs.

19. Epistles: Abbr.: LTRS.  Today's Greek lesson.  Epistles is a Greek word meaning Letters.  Typically, when this word is used, it refers to a number of letters in the New Testament.  

24. Touched down on a runway: LANDED.  It's going to be a bumpy ride.

25. Come out: EMERGE.

26. "Middlemarch" novelist George: ELIOT.  The given name of George Eliot (Nov. 22, 1819 ~ Dec. 22,  1880) was Mary Ann Evans.  She was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. In addition to Middlemarch, she wrote several other novels, including The Mill on the Floss and Silas Marner.  She was well known and led a rather scandalous life.  [Name # 3.]

27. Unfortunate: SAD.

30. Word before beauty or peace: INNER.  As in Inner Beauty or Inner Peace.

34. __ tai: cocktail: MAI.  Yummers!

37. Squeeze water from: WRING.

38. Show hosts, for short: MCs.  As in the Master of Ceremonies.

46. Eighth Greek letter: THETA.  It's all Greek to me.

47. "Science Guy" Bill: NYE.  Bill Nye (né William Sanford Nye; b. Nov. 27, 1955) is a science "communicator." He is best known for being the host of the science education television show Bill Nye the Science Guy.   His life has not been without controversy.  [Name # 4.]

48. "Live at the Acropolis" musician: YANNI.  Yanni (né Yiannis Chryssomallis; b. Sept. 14, 1854), is a Greek composer, hence the "Acropolis" in the clue.  [Name # 5.]

49. Appear that way: SEEM SO.

51. Pass along, as an unwanted present: REGIFT.

56. Acid counterpart: BASE.  Today's Chemistry lesson.

59. Auction warning: GOING.

60. Somewhat open: AJAR.  When is a door not a door ...

64. Run in place: IDLE.

65. Opposite of double: HALVE.  Today's Math lesson.

66. Zero, in tennis: LOVE.  We've discussed the rational for Love meaning Zero in tennis in the past.

67. Planner pages: DAYS.

68. Long shots, in hoops lingo: TREYS.  A reference to the game of basketball.

69. Black-__ Susan: EYED.  How the flower got its name.

Down:

1. Paper clip alternative: STAPLE.

2. "Because you're worth it" cosmetics brand: L'OREAL.  This tagline made its debut in the 1970s, although the company claims's it a mission and not a tagline.  

3. Italian fashion house: ARMANI.  The luxury fashion house was named after Giorgio Armani (July 11, 1934 ~ Sept. 4, 2025).  [Name # 6.]

4. Scholar pursuing an advanced deg.: POST-DOC.  As in Post Doctorate degree.

5. "Good Lord!": OH, G'D.

6. Big name in synthesizers: MOOG.  The Moog Synthesizer was named after Robert Arthur Moog (May 23, 1934 ~ August. 21, 2005), who was an American electronics engineer and electronic music pioneer.  In 1964, he founder the Moog synthesizer.  [Name # 7.]

7. Museum display: ART.  I recently visited the Detroit Institute of the Arts.  It was an amazing museum.

8. Votes against: NAYS.  Today is Election Day.  Please exercise your rights and vote.

9. At a loss for words, perhaps: IN AWE.

10. Felt-tip alternatives: GEL PENS.

11. Toward the back of a boat: ASTERN.

Anatomy of a boat.

12. Parking structure: GARAGE.

13. Sorority member: SISTER.

21. Word in many temple names: BETH.  The word Beth is a transliteration of the Hebrew word בית, which, in Hebrew is pronounced more like Beit, or Bayet.  The word means House.  I used to attend a synagogue called Beth Shalom, which means House of Peace.

23. "You found the one and only": I'M IT.

27. Kitchen wrap brand: SARAN.

28. Unfortunate: A PITY.

29. Al __: pasta specification: DENTE.  Today's Italian lesson.  The phrase al dente means to the tooth.

32. Female sheep: EWE.

33. Mature: AGE.

34. Queens baseball players: METS.

35. Queens tennis stadium namesake: ASHE.  Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player.  He won three Grand Slam singles titles in singles and two in doubles,  [Name # 8.]

36. Slushy drink: ICEE.  They can come on lots of different flavors.

38. Pocket-size: MINI.

39. NCAA div.: CONF.  LSU, which frequently appears in the puzzles, is in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and competes in NCAA Division I.

40. Irritable state: SNIT.

42. Some convenience store inconveniences: ATM FEES.

43. El __, Texas: PASO.

44. Russian denial: NYET.  Today's Russian lesson.  And NO, I won't tell you what it means.

45. Neighborhood event with good deals: TAG SALE.

50. "This __ to be good": OUGHT.

51. Rants and raves: RAGES.

53. Lion's sound: ROAR.

54. Mound that grows until laundry day: PILE.

55. "Inside Out 2" emotion voiced by Ayo Edebiri: ENVY.  [Name # 9.]  //  And 61-Down. "Inside Out 2" emotion voiced by Amy Poehler: JOY.  [Name # 10.]  Both Aye Edebiri (née Funmilayo Edebiri; b. Oct. 3, 1995) and Amy Poehler (née Amy Meredith Poehler; b. Sept. 15, 1971) are American comedians and actresses.

56. Auction action: BID.

57. Tooth care org.: ADA.  As in the American Dental Association.

58. __ as a fox: SLY.

62. "__ Maria": AVE.

63. Like Clifford of kid lit: RED.

חתולה

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

QOD:  All humans are stupid, but the smarter ones at least have a handle on their own ignorance.  ~  John Cleese (b. Oct. 27, 1939), John Cleese (b. Oct. 27, 1939), British actor and co-founder of Monty Python

Up, Up, and Away ...

17-Across. Ecstatic, like a nursery rhyme cow?: OVER THE MOON.

24-Across. Ecstatic, like a tightrope performer?: WALKING ON AIR.

51-Across. Ecstatic, like a songbird?: HAPPY AS A LARK.

62-Across. Ecstatic, like a big pig?: IN HOG HEAVEN

And the unifier:

39-Across. Like exorbitant prices, and like 17-, 24-, 51-, and 62-Across?: SKY HIGH.

Here's the Grid:

Across:
1. Stories and Reels app, familiarly: INSTA.

6. 20s dispensers: ATMs.  A crossword staple.

10. That woman: HER.

13. Tot, to a Scot: WEE'UN.

14. Bath accessory: LOOFA.  A loofa is the fibrous skeleton of a tropical gourd plant.

16. Santa __, California: ANA.

19. North Atlantic fish: COD.  For the definitive word on Cod and the Cod industry, I recommend Mark Kurlansky's book, Cod.

20. Weaken, in gaming slang: NERF.  According to Webster's Dictionary, with respect to gaming, to nerf means to intentionally reduce the power, damage, range, or effectiveness of a character, weapon, ability, or item in a video game.

21. Low card in cribbage: ACE.  *

22. Chicken __ masala: TIKKA.  Yummers!  Chicken tikka masala is a curried dish made with charred, marinated chicken chunks (tikka) simmered in a rich, spiced tomato and cream sauce (masala).

28. Volcanic rock: BASALT.  Basalt is a dark, fine-grained, extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava.  It is rich in iron and magnesium.  Basalt makes up more than 90% of all volcanic rock on Earth and forms the majority of the planet's ocean floors.

31. "... but I may be wrong": OR NOT.

32. Scare: ALARM.

33. Shark called the "cheetah of the ocean": MAKO.  The Mako shark is fastest known species of shark, reaching moving speeds of 31 mph with bursts up to 46 mph.  It looks pretty scary.

35. Larger __ life: THAN.

38. Animated response?: GIF.  As in Graphics Interchange Format.

42. World Cup shout: OLÉ.  A crossword staple.

43. Ladder rung: STEP.

45. Et __: and others: ALIA.  Today's Latin lesson.  Et alia is a Latin phrase that translates to and others.

46. "Li'l" resident of Dogpatch: ABNER.  Li'l Abner was an American newspaper comic strip created by cartoonists Al Capp.  It ran from August 1934, through November 1977.

48. Skin soother: SALVE.

50. Unfairly partisan: BIASED.

55. "Let me repeat ... ": I SAID.

56. Team transport: BUS.

57. Tardy: LATE.

61. Karaoke aid: MIC.

66. Sharon Olds' "__ to My Whiteness": ODE.  I am neither familiar with Sharon Olds (b. 1942) nor her poem.

67. Tolerate: ABIDE.

68. "Worth __ penny!": EVERY.

69. Month, in Mexico: MES.  Today's Spanish lesson.

70. Parroted: APED.

71. Cosmic fate: KARMA.

Down:

1. Victorious cry: I WON!

2. Campbell of "The Lincoln Lawyer": NEVE.  Neve Adrianne Campbell (b. Oct.3, 1973) is a Canadian actress.  She is probably best known for being a scream queen in many horror films.   her star amassed several credits and accolades over three decades, she emerged as a scream queen in the late 1990s for starring in horror films. She portrays Maggie McPherson on the Netflix drama series The Lincoln Lawyer.

3. Prophetic one: SEER.

4. Power struggle within a company, e.g.: TURF WAR.

5. Kitchen pest: ANT.

6. Smart __: ALECK.

7. Oscar winner Marisa: TOMEI.  Marisa Tomei (b. 1964) is a talented actress.  She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mona Lisa Vito in the 1992 comedy film My Cousin Vinny.  I can't believe the movie came out over 30 years ago!

8. "I'm a cow!": MOO.

9. NorCal airport: SFO.  As in the San Francisco/Oakland International Airport.

10. Collaborative coding events: HACKATHONS.  Okay, it's a real thing.

11. Japanese mushroom: ENOKI.

12. Plane-tracking tech: RADAR.

15. Writer Chekhov: ANTON.  Anton Chekhov (Jan. 29, 1860 ~ July 15, 1904) was a Russian playwright and physician.  He wrote a number of plays such as The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya, and The Seagull, that are still produced today.  To aspiring writers, he is known for saying the following:  "If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off.  If it’s not going to be fired, it shouldn’t be hanging there."  This is known as Chekhov's Principle.

18. Sentry's shout: HALT.

23. Playing to break a tie, for short: IN OT.  As in In Over Time.

25. Offerings to Buddhist monks: ALMS.

26. Pioneer in mobile phone technology: NOKIA.

27. Shipboard booze: GROG.

28. Reusable totes, e.g.: BAGS.

29. Came to rest: ALIT.

30. Judgment-free environments: SAFE SPACES.

33. NFLer Garrett who made a record 23 sacks in 2025: MYLES.

34. Poke bowl tuna: AHI.

36. Not aweather: ALEE.

37. Trivia champion, perhaps: NERD.  Not to be confused with 20-Across.

40. Intoxicating Polynesian drink: KAVA.

41. Brush target: HAIR.

44. Daddy, in Spanish: PAPI.

47. Layered pastry with honey and nuts: BAKLAVA.

49. Golfer Ko in the LPGA Hall of Fame: LYDIA.

50. Major shindig: BASH.

51. Classic handmade sign for TV cameras: HI, MOM!

52. Brief digression: ASIDE.

53. "Humble" quarters: ABODE.

54. Raced on a sled: LUGED.

58. Affirm as true: AVER.

59. Time in office: TERM.

60. Irish New Age singer: ENYA.

63. Org. with Hornets and Bulls: NBA.

64. Cool: HIP.

65. Shriek after a squeak: EEK.

*  Einstein and Bohr debate about G'd playing dice.

חתולה