Tuesday September 22, 2026

QOD:  I long for a day of judgment when the plotlines of our lives will be neatly tied, and all puzzles explained, and the meaning of events made clear.  We take to fiction, I suppose, because no such thing is going to happen.  ~  Fay Weldon (née Franklin Birkinshaw; Sept. 22, 1931 ~ Jan. 4, 2023), British novelist

Old MacDonald Had a Farm ...  Today provides us with common phrases that contain farm animals.

20-Across. Exhibit A: That awful handwriting: CHICKEN SCRAWL.

26-Across. Exhibit B: That loud guffaw: HORSE LAUGH.

35.-Across Exhibit C: That unruly hair: COWLICK.  A cowlick is a section of hair that grows in a different direction from the rest of the hair.  The hair often stands straight up or sticks out in a stubborn swirl.

44-Across. Exhibit D: That goofy stare: SHEEP'S EYES.  Did you know that sheep have horizontal, rectangular pupils?  The sharpen horizontal contours and give them an incredible field of peripheral vision.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Lacking all refinement, facetiously, or like the person described in 20-, 26-, 35-, and 44-Across?: RAISED IN A BARN.

Here's the Grid so you can see all the farm animals:

Across:

1. Percussion instruments with taut tops: DRUMS.

6. Highest mountain in Japan: FUJI.  Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano.  At 12,389 feet, it is the highest mountain in Japan.  At the top of the mountain there is a vending machine, so hikers can get a cold or hod drink when they reach the top.  The prices of drinks reflect the high altitude, too.  Mt. Fuji was in the news recently when a father left his 7-year-old son part-way up the mountain.  Apparently, the young boy got tired, but the father wanted to continue up the mountain.

10. Use a needle and thread: SEW.

13. Superficial layer: VENEER.

15. Guy known for his first-person perspective?: ADAM.  A Biblical reference.

16. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE.  As in the United Arab Emirates.

17. Composer Shostakovich: DMITRI.  Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (Sept. 25, 1906 ~ Aug. 9, 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist.  He became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926.

18. Harlem Renaissance writer __ Neale Hurston: ZORA.  Zora Neale Hurston (Jan. 7, 1891 ~ Jan. 28, 1960) was an African-American writer and folklorist.  Although she was born in the South, by 1925, she was living in New York City when the Harlem Renaissance was in full swing.  She only lived in NYC for a short time, but quickly became associated with the movement.  She is best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.

19. Bikini top: BRA.

23. "Little Bunny __": FOO FOO.  Apparently, Little Bunny Foo Foo is a children's book about a rabbit who bullies field mice.  It is supposed to teach children about consequences and the importance of being nice to others.

24. Lit __: English major's course: CRIT.  As in Literary Criticism.  It is the reasoned analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of literary works.

25. Arduous: HARD.

31. Belarus capital: MINSK.  Minsk is one of the oldest cities in Europe.

33. Cars: AUTOS. 

34. "__ Doubtfire": MRS.  Mrs. Doubtfire was a 1993 comedy that starred Robin Williams.

38. Position: JOB.

41. Student: PUPIL.

42. "With any luck": I HOPE.

49. Gave approval to: OK'ED.

50. Out-of-pocket amount: COST.

51. Area of influence: DOMAIN.

58. Omelet ingredient: EGG.

59. Dental exam image: X-RAY.

60. Mystery: ENIGMA.

63. Come out on top: WIN.  //  As opposed to 62-Down. "It's __-win situation": A NO.

64. Snub-nosed dogs: PUGS.

65. Catch, as a fish: REEL IN.

66. Triumphant cry: YES!

67. High-pitched wind instrument: OBOE.  This wind instrument is becoming a crossword staple.

68. "Give it a go": TRY TO.

Down:

1. Netflix format, originally: DVD.  As in Digital Versatile Disc.  They can still be checked out at our public library.

2. Sleep cycle letters: REM.  As in Rapid Eye Movement.  REM is one of the phases of sleep.

3. Horned equines of mythology: UNICORNS.  These mythical creatures were probably never raised in a barn.

4. Procedures: METHODS.

5. Typeface line: SERIF.

6. Unnerve: FAZE.

7. Japanese noodle: UDON.  Yummers!  These noodles often find themselves in the crossword puzzles.

8. Jam holders: JARS.

9. Apple all-in-one computer: iMAC.

The Mac Mini.  Monitor is sold separately.

10. Forester carmaker: SUBARU.

11. Pincered insect: EARWIG.

12. Riches: WEALTH.

14. Canon competitor: RICOH.

21. "Kitchy-kitchy-__": KOO.

22. Some old radios: RCAs.

23. County event with lots of fried food: FAIR.

25. "I wonder ... ": HMM ...

27. Tennis sequence after a serve: RALLY.

28. __ generis: unique: SUI.  Today's Latin lesson.  Sui generis is a Latin phrase that means in a class by itself, in others words: something unique.

29. And so on: Abbr.: ETC.  More of today's Latin lesson.  Etc. is short for the Latin phrase et cetera, which means: and so forth.

30. Norse god of mischief: LOKI.  Loki makes frequent appearances in the puzzle.  Loki is a shape-shifting god who likes to cause trouble.

32. Disposable coffee pod: K-CUP.  The K-Cup, or K-Pod, is the trademarked term, originally designed for the Keurig single-serving coffee maker.

36. Word after photo or special: OPS.

37. Golfer Michelle __ West: WIE.  Michelle Sung Wie West (b. October. 11, 1989) is an American professional golfer. When she was only 10-years-old, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship.

38. In a playful manner: JOKINGLY.

39. Like an unlocked door: OPEN.  When is a door not a door ...

40. Place to sleep: BED.

41. Furry companions: PETS.

43. Whiter with age: HOARIER.

44. Off-the-wall: SCREWY.

45. Sandwich also known as a grinder: HOAGIE.  How did this sandwich get its name?  We ate Hoagies in a puzzle last week.

46. Endorses digitally: E-SIGNS.

47. Childcare expert LeShan: EDA.  I learned about Eda LaShan (June 6, 1922 ~ Mar. 3, 2002) from doing the puzzles.  She was an American writer, television host, counselor, educator, and playwright. She hosted How Do Your Children Grow? on PBS in the 1970s

48. Clearheaded: SOBER.

52. Impressionist painter …douard: MANET.  Édouard Manet (Jan. 23, 1832 ~ Apr. 30, 1883) was a French modernist painter.  He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.  Not to be confused with Oscar-Claude Monet (Nov. 114, 1840 ~ Dec. 5, 1926), who was a French painter and founder of Impressionism.  Both were French painters with similar sounding names.

54. Trade show: EXPO.

55. Defeat soundly: DRUB.

56. "Othello" villain: IAGO.  A reverence to the play by Willie the Shakes.

57. Nasdaq rival: NYSE.  As in the New York Stock Exchange.

61. Cambridge sch.: MIT.  As in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

חתולה

Tuesday September 15, 2026

QOD:  Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment.  ~  Robert Benchley (né Robert Charles Benchley; Sept. 15, 1889 ~ Nov. 21, 1945), American columnist and humorist

If the Shoe Fits ...  Today's puzzle is all about shoes.

17-Across. Including every flaw: WARTS AND ALL.  Sandal.  The phrase Warts and All is generally attributed to Oliver Cromwell (Apr. 25, 1599 ~ Sept. 3, 1658).  When he was sitting for his portrait, he told the artist to portray him truthfully, saying: to note all his "roughnesses, pimples, warts, and everything as you see me, otherwise I will never pay a farthing for it."  Three years after he died, Cromwell was exhumed and posthumously executed by hanging.

25-Across. Like serrated knives: SAW-EDGED.  Wedge.

50-Across. In the past few days: AS OF LATE.  Flat.

62-Across. Radio format likely to appeal to baby boomers: CLASSIC ROCK.  Croc.

And the unifier:

39-Across. Safe bets, or a phonetic hint to the circled elements of this puzzle?: SHOO-INS.  Shoo and Shoe are homophones.

Here's the Grid:

Across:

1. Prepare, as avocados for guacamole: MASH.

5. When nothing seems to go right: OFF DAY.

11. Org. now known as Scouting America: BSA.  As in Boy Scouts of America.

14. Director Preminger: OTTO.  Otto Ludwig Preminger (Dec. 5, 1905 ~ Apr. 23, 1986) was an Austrian-American film and theatre director, film producer and actor.  He directed more than 35 feature films in his five-decade career He was one of the most influential directors in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s.   In 1960, he directed the movie Exodus.  He was born in what is now current day Vyzhnytsya, Ukraine.

15. Bubble tea balls: PEARLS.  The "pearls" are actually made of tapioca.

16. Duolingo bird: OWL.  Duolingo is a company that has language courses for English speakers.  The name literally translates to two languages (duo + lingo).

19. Short swim: DIP.

20. Muse of poetry: ERATO.

21. Trial version: DEMO.

22. Old-school cool: HEP.

23. Ceremonial act: RITUAL.

28. Country singer Paisley: BRAD.

Brad Douglas Paisley; b. Oct. 28, 1972

30. Like the African dish bariis iskukaris: SOMALI.  Bariis iskukaris is a traditional rice stew dish from Somali cuisine.  It is generally cooked in a single pan,  The name means "cooked mixed together."

31. Yaps: GABS.

34. Catch a ride to the beach?: SURF.

37. More pleasant: NICER.

38. Green prefix: ECO-.

41. Toward a boat's rudder: AFT.

42. University of __ Dame: NOTRE.  The backstory of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

44. Meh: SO-SO.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

45. Teeny-tiny: ITTY.

46. Consume more than: OUT-EAT.

48. Mia in the Soccer Hall of Fame: HAMM.  Mia Hamm (née Mariel Margaret Hamm; b. Mar. 17, 1972) is an American former professional soccer player.  She played for the United States national team from 1987 to 2004.  She competed in four editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup.

53. Laundry container: HAMPER.  I initially tried Basket.  //  And 27-Down. Like clothes in a 53-Across, probably: DIRTY.

57. "Pls stop sharing!": TMI.  Textspeak for Too Much Information,

58. Second to none: BEST.

60. Ish: SORTA.

61. Opposite of trans: CIS.  Cis is short for cisgender, which means a person whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.

64. Post-OR area: ICU.  As in the Intensive Care Unit.

65. Sentence ender: PERIOD.

66. Arthur in the International Tennis Hall of Fame: ASHE.  Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player.  He won three Grand Slam titles in singles and two in doubles. Ashe was the first African American player selected to the United States Davis Cup team, and the only African American man to win the singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.

67. Egyptian viper: ASP.

68. Evaluate: ASSESS.

69. Starring role: LEAD.

Down:

1. Grass-cutting machine: MOWER.

2. Video game pioneer: ATARI.  A brief history of Atari.

3. Fender guitar, familiarly: STRAT.  The guitar's full name is the Fender Stratocaster.  Clarence Leonidas Fender (Aug. 10, 1909 ~ Mar. 21, 1991) invented the electric guitar despite the fact that he could neither play nor tune the instrument.

4. Jacuzzis: HOT TUBS.

5. Happy Greek cry: OPA.  In Greek, it would be written as όπα.

6. __ for oneself: FEND.

7. Tapered haircuts: FADES.  I was not familiar with this term for haircuts, now that I see it, it makes sense.

8. Serious genre: DRAMA.

9. Green-lights: ALLOWS.

10. Fashion monogram: YSL.  Yves Saint Laurent (né Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent; Aug.1, 1936 ~ June 1, 2008), was a French-Algerian fashion designer.  He founded his eponymous fashion label in 1962.

11. Feline that helps control pests in a store: BODEGA CAT.  I was not familiar with this expression.

12. Express disinterest on a dating app: SWIPE LEFT.  Dating apps didn't exist when I met my hubby.

13. Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP.  Also a high-end writing instrument.

18. Fly like a dragon: SOAR.

22. TV cable letters: HDMI.  As in High-Definition Multimedia Interface, which is a standard digital connection used to send both video and audio signals through a single cable.

24. Eyelid hair: LASH.

26. Years and years: EONS.

29. Couples: DUOS.

31. Italian city known for salami: GENOA.  The city of Genoa, Italy has been around for centuries.  It is on the Italian Riviera.

32. Science of sound: ACOUSTICS.  The word Acoustics is derived from Greek.

33. "Here's mud in your eye!": BOTTOMS UP!  Where did this phrase come from?

35. Hopping pal of Piglet: ROO.  The characters from Winnie the Pooh are making frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

36. Herring, but not a red herring: FISH.  Where did the phrase Red Herring come from?

39. Make airtight: SEAL.

40. "Stranger Things" actor Schnapp: NOAH.  I am not familiar with Noah Schnapp (b. Oct. 3, 2004).

43. Loan adjustment, for short: RE-FI.  As in ReFinance.

45. Sinful: IMMORAL.

47. Pool hall fixtures: TABLES.

49. Like some lesbians, slangily: MASC.  This seems a bit rude.

51. Signs of sorrow or joy: TEARS.

52. Nail salon brand: ESSIE.

54. Ordinary writing: PROSE.

55. __ Sketch: drawing toy: ETCH-A-.

56. Made a leaf pile, perhaps: RAKED.

59. General __ chicken: TSOs.  Yes, Virginia, there really was a General Tso.  And he liked his chicken.

61. Spy-fi org.: CIA.  As in the Central Intelligence Agency.  Did you know that the CIA was formally established in 1947?

62. Tax prep pro: CPA.  As in Certified Public Accountant.

63. Cards with pics: IDs.

חתולה