QOD

This blog purely for my own amusement. I like to start the day with a quote, be it amusing, inspiration, or simply something that caught my fancy.

On occasion, I might also include some commentary on the day's crossword puzzle that is published in the Los Angeles Times.

Tuesday, 3 February 2026

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

QOD:  We are always the same age inside.  ~  Gertrude Stein (Feb. 3, 1874 ~ July 29, 1946), American novelist

Land Sharks!  The circles spell out a type of shark.

17-Across. Amphibians with sticky toes: TREE FROGS.  Reef Sharks.  Reef shark can be found in the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Brazil.

Tree Frogs will also stick to windows.

27-Across. "Moonlight" and "Hidden Figures" actress: JANELLE MONÁE.  Lemon Shark.  Lemon sharks got their name due to their yellowish skin.

Janelle Monáe Robinson (b. Dec. 1, 1985)


44-Across. Fishy breakfast combo: BAGELS AND LOX.  Sand Shark.  Sand Sharks aren't as mean as they look.


And the unifier:

60-Acriss. Reality show with entrepreneurs and investors, or what each set of circled letters make 17-, 27-, or 44-Across?: SHARK TANK.


Here's the grid so you can see the sharks.


Across:
1. Practical jokes: GAGS.


5. Bit of a cloud: WISP.

9. Type of hair extension: SEW IN.  Ouch!  Sounds painful.

14. Shrek or Fiona: OGRE.  In fairy tales, ogres are generally villainous, but Shrek and Fiona are good ogres.


15. Falco of "The Sopranos": EDIE.  Not to be confused with 32-Down. Water current: EDDY.

Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963)

16. "True Colors" singer Lauper: CYNDI.  Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (b. June 22, 1953) was big in the 1980s, but she's still going strong in here 70s.


19. Flout convention: REBEL.

20. Person-shaped piece in a board game: MEEPLE.  Hand up if you knew this.  According to the OED, the word was coined in 2000 and was first used in reference to the game Carcassonne.  Not familiar with that game, either.


21. Center of operations: HOME BASE.


23. "I saw a mouse!": EEK!

24. Lip balm brand whose name is short for "evolution of smooth": EOS.  I have seen EOS products in stores, but did not know that it is an abbreviation for Evolution Of Smooth.  The company also make other body products, such as lotions, and body wash.

26. Unit of corn: EAR.

33. Soft drinks: SODAS.

36. Sans ice, in a bar: NEAT.


37. __ one's way: meander: WEND.

38. Standard: NORM.


39. Corrodes: WEARS.

40. Material that's dated using dendrochronology: WOOD.


41. Responsibility: ONUS.

42. Land division: ACRE.  Are the acres green?


43. Child care provider: NANNY.


47. Took a load off: SAT.

48. Energy bite morsel: OAT.

49. "Gross": UGH!

52. Thrives: PROSPERS.

57. Sarcastic response to whining: BOO-HOO.


59. Column style: IONIC.  Column styles, originated from classical Greek and Roman architecture, are classified.  There are five basic classical styles: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite.


62. Brownie ingredient: COCOA.  Everything you wanted to know about Cocoa, but didn't know to ask.

She's not wrong!

63. Aloe __ gel: VERA.


64. Ditty: TUNE.

65. Arterial tube: STENT.

66. Formal diplomatic agreement: PACT.

67. Brand of facial cleanser: OLAY.  A brief history of Olay, which was originally known as Oil of Olay.



Down:
1. "Understand?": GOT ME?

2. Match, as a subject and verb: AGREE.

3. "But for mine own part, it was __ to me": Shakespeare: GREEK.  In last week's Shakespeare lesson, we learned about the death scene of Julius Caesar.  This week, we are staying with Julius Caesar.  This phrase can be found in Act I, Scene II.  Casca was speaking to Cassius, and referenced a speech delivered by Cicero in Greek.  Casca did not understand the speech, hence, "It's Greek to me."

4. Ooze: SEEP.

5. "It's our turn!": WE'RE ON.

6. Wedding words: I DO.


7. "Alas ... ": SIGH.

8. Philippine money: PESO.  Eight countries use the peso as their unit of currency.  Can you name them all?


9. Absolute riot: SCREAM.


10. Product needed for some hair removal: EYEBROW WAX.

11. Dream home?: WNBA.  Atlanta, Georgia is the home of the Women's National Basketball Association team, The Atlanta Dream.



12. March day to be wary of: IDES.  Beware ...  Willie the Shakes continues.  Beware the Ides of March can also be found in Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene II.  It comes before the Greek idiom, referenced in 3-Down.

13. River with Blue and White tributaries: NILE.  The Blue Nile and White Nile converge in Khartoum, Sudan.



18. Performers in a tiny circus: FLEAS.


22. Runs into: MEETS.

25. Iroquois nation: SENECA.  One of the Five Nations.

27. Impromptu jazz gathering: JAM SESSION.  We had a Jam Session last Wednesday.

28. Discover: LEARN.

29. Capital of the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande: LAREDO.  I think a cowboy died there.




30. Highlighter yellow, e.g.: NEON.

Obviously, he's colorblind.


31. Unknown author attribution, briefly: ANON.

33. Stuck-up sort: SNOB.

34. Actress Chaplin: OONA.  Oona Chaplin (née Oona Castilla Chaplin; b. June 4, 1986) is the granddaughter of actor Charlie Chaplin (né Charles Spencer Chaplin; Apr. 16, 1889 ~ Dec. 25, 1977).  She was named after her grandmother, Oona O'Neill Chaplin (May 14, 1925 ~ Sept. 27, 1991), Charlie's 4th wife.


35. Medication: DRUG.


39. "Haste makes __": WASTE.  This is Not from Julius Caesar, nor is it from Willie the Shakes.

43. "Unacceptable": NOT OK.

45. Friendly feline: LAP CAT.


46. Maze-running rodent: LAB RAT.  or, parsed differently, it becomes La Brat.


49. Moving day rental: U-HAUL.

50. "Never __ Give You Up": Rickrolling song: GONNA.  Rickrolling is an internet meme where, when you click on a link, you are sent, not to what you are looking for, but to the song Never Gonna Give You Up.

51. Contrived: HOKEY.

52. Insta content: PICS.

53. Cheer (for): ROOT.

54. Fairy tale start: ONCE.  What children's story begins with "There was once upon a time a piece of wood ..." 

55. Evite request: RSVP.  Today's French lesson.  RSVP is the abbreviation for Répondez s'il vous plaît, which in English translates to Please Respond.


56. __ butter: SHEA.  Shea Butter is a nutrient-rich fat extracted from the nuts of the African shea tree.

58. Director Preminger: OTTO.  Otto Ludwig Preminger (b. Dec. 5, 1905 ~ Apr. 23, 1986) was born in Austria-Hungary.  He is known for directing many films that addressed controversial and taboo subjects, such as premarital sex, homosexuality, and drug addiction.

61. Path of a fly ball: ARC.





The eight countries that use the peso are:  Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Philippines, and Uruguay.  Although they all call their currency the peso, they are not interchangeable.

חתולה



Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

QOD:  If you limit your actions in life to things that nobody can possibly find fault with you will not do much.  ~  Lewis Carroll (né Charles Lutwidge Dodgson; Jan. 27, 1832 ~ Jan. 14, 1898), British author and mathematician

Two For the Price of One.

20-Across. *  Special report: NEWS BULLETIN.  //  News Room and Bulletin Board

27-Across. *  Document for some immigrants: GREEN CARD.  //  Green Room and CardBoard

38-Across. *  The sun, for one: DAY STAR.  //  Day Room and StarBoard.

46-Across. *  Panic button for computer users: ESCAPE KEY.  //  Escape Room and KeyBoard.

And the unifier:

51-Across. Part of an au pair's compensation, or what can respectively follow the two parts of the answers to the starred clues: ROOM AND BOARD.

Here's the Grid.


Across:
1. Expect: AWAIT.

6. Honduras house: CASA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

10. Portion (out): METE.

14. Seventh sign of the zodiac: LIBRA.


15. "Small world!": OH, HI!


16. Canceled abruptly: AXED.

17. "No worries": IT'S OK.

18. Volkswagen crossover SUV: TAOS.


19. Do-or-die, situationwise: DIRE.



23. When Caesar asks, "Et tu, Brute?": ACT III.  Julius Caesar is the historical tragedy by Willie the Shakes.  Spoiler Alert:  Caesar dies in Act III, having been betrayed by his friend Brutus.


26. "Scientology: Fair Game" podcast co-host Remini: LEAH.  Leah Marie Remini (b. June 15, 1970) is an American actress.  When she was a child, her mother joined the Church of Scientology and she and her sister were subsequently raised in that ideology.  She left the cult in 2013 and has been an outspoken advocate against the practice since.


30. Disallows: BANS.

33. Goals: AIMS.

34. Nashville-based awards org.: CMA.  As in the Country Music Awards.


35. Jackal kin: COYOTE.


37. Little terror: IMP.  Imps make frequent appearances in the puzzles.

40. Pickle: JAM.

41. Nobel Peace Prize winner Mandela: NELSON.  Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (July 18, 1918 ~ Dec. 5, 2013) South African anti-apartheid activist.  In 1962, he was arrested for his political activities and was sentenced to life in prison.  He was ultimately released in 1990 and went on to become the first president of South Africa.  He served as President from 1994 to 1999.  He was also the country's first Black head of state.  In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in dismantling South Africa's apartheid  system.  What is not so well known, is that he shared the Peace Prize with South African President F.W. de Klerk (Mar. 18, 1936 ~ Nov. 11, 2021).


43. Bowler's target: PIN.


44. Knighted actor Ian: HOLM.  I thought I knew who Sir Ian Holm (né Ian Holm Cuthbert; Sept. 12, 1931 ~ June 19, 2020) was, but when I saw his photo, I realized I must have been thinking of someone else.


45. Stitched together: SEWN.


48. Many an attribution: ANON.  A possible source of its origin.

50. Greasy spoons: DINERS.  We had a dinner a Tuesday or so ago.

Edward Hooper's Nighthawks.


56. Per person, informally: A POP.

57. Musician son of Yoko and John: SEAN.  Sean Taro Ono (b. Oct. 9, 1975) looks just like his father.  He, too went into the music business.


58. Knight guard: ARMOR.


62. Pencil puzzle with false paths: MAZE.

63. "Slow down!": EASY.

64. Pageant crown: TIARA.


65. Responded to a charge: PLED.

66. Dino with disproportionate limbs: T REX.


67. American living abroad, familiarly: EX-PAT.

Down:
1. "__ Baba and the Forty Thieves": ALI.  You can read all about Ali Baba here.

2. Clever humor: WIT.

3. Core muscles worked by crunches: ABs.  As in Abdominal Muscles.


4. Life's little twists: IRONIES.


5. See, as a show: TAKE IN.

6. Rollaways for guests: COTS.


7. Melville captain: AHAB.  Call me Ishmael.



8. "__ you change your mind ... ": SHOULD.

9. Bridal path: AISLE.


10. Took advantage of a situation: MADE HAY.


11. Leave: EXIT.

12. Actress Polo: TERI.

13. Garden of Genesis: EDEN.



21. Modern pagan: WICCAN.

22. Parts partner: LABOR.


23. "From the top": AGAIN.

24. Fashion faux pas, humorously: CRIMES.


25. Pennsylvania university: TEMPLE.  A brief history of Temple University.


28. Meg, Beth, and Jo's sister: AMY.  A reverence to Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott (Nov. 29, 1832 ~ Mar. 6, 1888).


29. Speaks with a harsh voice: RASPS.

31. "Dead serious": NO JOKE.

32. Not as fresh: STALER.


35. Home of seven NHL teams: CANADA.  There are 32 teams in the National Hockey League: 25 in United States and 7 in Canada.  The NHL was formed in Canada in 1917 and the initial four teams were all Canadian.  The Boston Bruins joined the league in 1924.  The current Canadian teams are the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and the Winnipeg Jets.




36. TV awards: EMMYS.

38. Prima __: DONNA.  Today's Italian lesson.  A literal translation is First Lady.  It originally referred to the lead female soprano in an opera.  Today, it generally refers to a temperamental and spoiled person, male or female.

39. Muscle twitch: TIC.

42. Burdened with too many tasks: SWAMPED.


44. Guitar great Jimi: HENDRIX.  Sadly, Jimi Hendrix (né James Marshall Hendrix; Nov. 28, 1942 ~ Sept. 18, 1970) is a member of the 27 club.  His song, Purple Haze, is a great example of a mondegreen (misheard lyric).  The phrase in the song, Excuse me while I kiss then sky, is often mistaken for Excuse me while I kiss this guy.


46. Make lovable: ENDEAR.

47. Halloween costume that might involve a fake parrot: PIRATE.


49. First wave: ONSET.

51. Inclined walkway: RAMP.

52. White gem: OPAL.  An opal shimmers with colors.  //  And 55-Down. Black gem: ONYX.


Opal
Onyx

53. Seep: OOZE.

54. Reliable bloc of voters: BASE.

59. Flight tracker display: MAP.  I usually follow the flight tracker when I fly.


60. "The Masked Singer" judge Rita: ORA.  Rita Ora (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora; b. Nov. 26, 1990) makes frequent guests appearances in the puzzles.  She is a British actress but was born in Yugoslavia, now known as Kosovo.


61. __ race: RAT.



That's all for today.  

חתולה