QOD

Tuesday, 4 August 2026

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

QOD: What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly. ~ Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher

I Double Dare You: The word Check can follow the first and second word of each theme answer.

16-Across. * Video game boost that may repair damage: HEALTH SPELL. Health Check / Spell Check. I am not familiar with the term Health Spell as it refers to video games.

23-Across. * Waterproof garment: RAIN COAT. Rain Check / Coat Check

34-Across. * Internal setting controlled by thermoregulation: BODY TEMPERATURE. Body Check / Temperature Check

49-Across. * High-intensity workout program: CROSSFIT. Cross Check / Fit Check

And the unifier:

59-Across. Go over twice, or what can be found in the answer to each starred clue: DOUBLE CHECK.

Here's the Grid, so you can Double Check my responses.

Across:

1. Corn cores: COBS.

5. Pet rehoming org.: ASPCA. As in the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The ASPCA has been around for over 150 years.

10. Sandwich letters: BLT. As in the Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich.

13. Opera solo: ARIA. A crossword staple.

14. Replacements for flat tires: SPARES. Here's to you, Desper-Otto!

15. "__ la la!": OOH.

18. __ Lanka: SRI.

19. "Absolutely out of the question!": NO SIREE.

20. Wall surface: PLASTER.

22. Quick snooze: NAP.

24. Unleashed: FREED.

27. Cry for attention?: HEY.

28. "You're __ human": ONLY.

29. Charged particle: ION.

30. Barely gets (by): EKES.

32. Vietnamese soup: PHO. Pho is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and some sort of meat.

40. Span of epoch proportions?: EON.

41. Frozen dessert brand: EDY'S.

42. NBC show that inspired "30 Rock," for short: SNL. The Saturday Night Live abbreviation is a crossword staple.

43. Dull pain: ACHE.

46. Superhero franchise initials: MCU. As in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

47. Steel girder: I-BEAM.

52. Kissing in the open, for short: PDA. As in Public Display of Affection.

53. Beeper on the road: CAR HORN.

54. Promo in a magazine: PRINT AD.

58. Sci-fi visitors: ETs. As in ExtraTerrestrials.

61. Alumna bio word: NÉE. Today's French lesson.

62. Add to a kitty: ANTE UP.

63. Lo __: noodle dish: MEIN. Lo Mein was part of the theme of last week's puzzle.

64. Take a crack at: TRY.

65. Cook in a basket: STEAM.

66. Annual May auto race, informally: INDY.

Down:

1. "High Hopes" lyricist Sammy: CAHN. Sammy Cahn (né Samuel Cohen; June 18, 1913 ~ Jan. 15, 1993), was a lyricist and songwriter. He is also known for the song, Let it Snow!

2. "Milk's Favorite Cookie" brand: OREO. A crossword staple.

3. Skewed view: BIAS.

4. __ solution: contacts wearer's need: SALINE.

5. Cathedral recess: APSE. Another crossword staple.

6. Sticky tree juice: SAP.

7. Purchase in advance: PRE-PAY.

8. String section instruments: CELLI. Today's Italian lesson. Celli is the Italian plural for Cello.

9. Lion of Narnia: ASLAN. A reference to C.S. Lewis's novels The Chronicles of Narnia.

10. Paul Revere House city: BOSTON. The Paul Revere House is a historic house museum at 19 North Square in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts.

11. Cosmetics giant: L'ORÉAL.

12. Two points, in tennis: THIRTY. Anyone know why tennis has such a weird scoring system?

14. TV soccer analyst Messing: SHEP. Shep Norman Messing (b. Oct. 9, 1949) is an American retired soccer goalkeeper.

Back in his soccer-playing days.

17. Swap with: TRADE TO.

21. "Amscray!": SCOOT.

23. High regard: RESPECT.

24. Bit of baloney: FIB.

25. Milne youngling: ROO.

26. Infinity sign's lack: END. There is no beginning, either.

27. Stitched border: HEM.

31. "Jeopardy!" host Jennings: KEN. For years, Ken Jennings (né Kenneth Wayne Jennings, III; b. May 23, 1974) co-hosted a podcast called Omnibus.

32. Be nosy: PRY.

33. Like some Orthodox Jews: HASIDIC. They are not equivalent terms. Hasidic Judaism is a specific 18th-century mystical branch focused on joyful spirituality, distinct clothing, and a hereditary leader called a Rebbe.

35. "For crying out loud!": YEESH!

36. School URL suffix: EDU.

37. Draw upon: USE.

38. Molecule in some vaccines: RNA.

39. Shade tree with serrated leaves: ELM.

43. Regional speech pattern: ACCENT.

44. Meteorite's mark: CRATER.

45. Rocking toy, in baby talk: HORSEY.

46. Very hard to see: MINUTE.

48. Vietnamese sandwich: BÁNH MÌ. It looks like a po-boy.

50. Combo meal drinks: SODAS.

51. Moving line on a weather map: FRONT.

52. Work overseen by a sous-chef: PREP. Today's French lesson. The word sous means under. The sous-chef is second-in-command in the kitchen.

54. Deep purple: PLUM.

55. Adolescent: TEEN.

56. Tart: ACID.

57. Big Apple fashion letters: DKNY. DKNY stands for Donna Karan New York. The fashion company was founded by fashion designer Donna Karan (née Donna Ivy Fake; b. Oct. 2, 1948) in the late 1980s.

60. Arthur of "The Golden Girls": BEA. Did you know that Bea Arthur (née Beatrice Arthur; May 13, 1922 ~ April. 25, 2009) served in the military during World War II? She served in the U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve and worked as a typist, truck driver, and dispatcher.

I Dare You to Complete this Puzzle.

חתולה

Tuesday, 28 July 2026

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

QOD: The aim of argument should not be victory, but progress. ~ Sir Karl Popper (né Karl Raimund Popper; July 28, 1902 ~ Sept. 17, 1994), Austrian-born British philosopher

Spy vs. Spy. During the Cold War, the concept of a saboteur changed from traditional physical destruction of factories and bridges to high-stakes espionage, covert operations, and behind-the-lines disruption carried out by elite military units and secret intelligence defectors.

19-Across. "Gravity's Rainbow" novelist: THOMAS PYNCHON. Spy. Gravity's Rainbow is a 1973 novel that takes place at the end of World War II. It's a long and intimidating novel that I have never felt the desire to read.

24-Across. Art technique also known as French embossing: GLASS ETCHING. Asset. An asset is a person who provides secret information or help to an intelligence organization. An asset is not a regular employee of the spy agency, but rather an outsider who is managed or paid to gather secrets.

45-Across. Act with chivalry: BE A GENTLEMAN. Agent.

And the Unifier:

53-Across. Psychological cause of personal failure, or a feature of 19-, 24-, 38-, and 45-Across: INNER SABOTEUR

Here's the Grid:

What other assets are found in today's puzzle?

Across:

1. Ginger cookie: SNAP. Yummers! According to the Museum of the American Revolution, Gingersnaps were named from the German or Middle Dutch word snappen, meaning "to seize quickly."

5. Cyan shade: AQUA. Hand up if you first tried Blue.

9. Oven setting: BAKE.

13. Document with an executor: WILL.

14. Coffee cups: MUGS.

15. Speaks foolishly: JIVES.

16. Drag Defense Fund org.: ACLU. As in the American Civil Liberties Union. It has been around for over 100 years.

17. Frying liquids: OILS.

18. Get down __ knee: ON ONE.

22. Tuned to, as a radio dial: SET AT.

23. Chapel Hill sch.: UNC. As in the University of North Carolina.

32. On the house: FREE.

35. Bert who played the Cowardly Lion: LAHR. Although it was in many movies, Bert Lahr (né Irving Lahrheim; Aug. 13, 1895 ~ Dec. 4, 1967) is best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz.

36. Everglades wading bird: HERON. Herons can be found all along the Gulf coast, not just the Florida Everglades.

37. Chuckle in a DM: LOL. Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud.

38. "That's my intention": I PLAN TO.

40. Egg cells: OVA. A crossword staple.

41. Photo book: ALBUM.

43. Et __: and others: ALIA. Today's Latin lesson. This phrase, which means And Others, is often abbreviated to Et Al. because the addition of the last 2 letters of alia is too much to write.

44. Med school subj.: ANAT. As in Anatomy.

48. Energizer size: AAA. A crossword staple.

49. Stuffed grape leaf: DOLMA. Yummers! Eastern Mediterranean food.

58. Pop icon Lauper: CYNDI. Cyndi Lauper (née Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper; b. June 22, 1953) was big in the 1980s. She is known for her flamboyant style, catchy songs, and four-octave vocal range!

Taylor and Cyndi

60. Irish currency: EURO. The Irish Euro features the Celtic harp.

61. "Don't __ me, but ... ": HATE.

62. Diet food phrase: NO FAT.

63. MC or Visa alternative: AMEX.

64. Like the score at the start of overtime: EVEN.

65. Midday: NOON.

66. Little bouquet: POSY.

67. Take it easy: REST.

Down:

1. Slaps (at): SWATS.

2. Wall recess: NICHE.

3. Portion out: ALLOT.

4. Bird's feathers: PLUMAGE.

5. Singer-songwriter Tori: AMOS. Tori Amos (née Myra Ellen Amos; b. Aug. 22, 1963) is a classically trained musician. She was a child prodigy and entered the the Peabody Institute's preparatory division at five.

6. Witty remark: QUIP.

7. Not easy on the eyes: UGLY. The Jamaican tangelo is probably better known as the Ugli fruit.

8. Org.: ASSN. An Organization may also be an Association.

9. Juliette of "The English Patient": BINOCHE. Juliette Binoche (b. Mar. 9, 1964) is a French actress who has starred in many films. She was awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing a nurse in 1996 film The English Patient.

10. Cosmetics giant that started as the California Perfume Company: AVON. Ding Dong! The Avon Company got its start in 1886.

11. "Jazz" documentarian Burns: KEN. Jazz is a deep-dive documentary look into the origins of this music genre. Ken Burns (né Kenneth Lauren Burns; b. July 29, 1953) has created numerous historical documentaries and television series that generally chronicle US history and culture.

12. WNW's opposite: ESE.

15. Sulu player in recent "Star Trek" films: JOHN CHO. John Cho (né John Yo-han Cho; b. June 16, 1952) was born in Seoul, Korea.

20. Hartsfield-Jackson airport code: ATL. This airport in Atlanta, Georgia is a hub for Delta. It is one of the busiest airports in the world. Whenever I fly, I usually end up going through Atlanta.

21. Use scissors on: CUT.

25. Swiss peak: ALP.

26. Ritual prayer of Islam: SALAT.

27. "We __ Overcome": SHALL.

28. "Ghostbusters" actor Hudson: ERNIE. Although he has been in a number of films, Ernie Hudson (né Earnest Lee Hudson; b. Dec. 17, 1945) is best known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters.