QOD: When an artist explains their artwork, the viewer closes their eyes. ~ Robert Rauschenberg (né Milton Ernest Rauschenberg; Oct. 22, 1925 ~ May 12, 2008), American graphic artist
It's Football Season! The first letter of each word in the theme answer gives us the letters QB, for the team's QuarterBack.
16-Across. Social gathering where patchwork bedspreads are made: QUILTING BEE.
27-Across. "Abbott Elementary" creator/star: QUINTA BRUNSON. If you've never seen Abbott Elementary, you should check it out. It's a mockumentary about a fictional elementary school in Philadelphia. It focuses on the teachers in an underfunded and mismanaged school. Quinta Brunson (b. Dec. 21m 1989) portrays an idealistic second-grade teacher. [Name # 1.]
45-Across. Hybrid monster of Arthurian legend: QUESTING BEAST. Everything you wanted to know about the Questing Beast but didn't know to ask.
58-Across. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, familiarly, or an apt title for this puzzle: STARTING QBs. [Names # 2 and 3.] Patrick Lavon Mahomes, II (b. Sept. 17, 1995) plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. Lamar Jackson (b. Jan. 7, 1997) plays for the Baltimore Ravens. Both are the Starting QuarterBacks.
Across:
1. "Milk" director Van Sant: GUS. Milk is a 2008 bio-pic about Harvey Milk (May 22, 1930 ~ Nov. 27, 1978), the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Gus Van Sant, Jr. (b. July 24, 1952) appeared on a Tuesday recently. He has directed many films, including the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, which launched the careers of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. [Name # 4.]
4. List of editorial mistakes: ERRATA.
10. Driver's approx.: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.
13. Palo __, California: ALTO.
14. Potato prep tool: PEELER.
15. Circle segment: ARC.
18. Jewel: GEM.
19. Cooler brand: IGLOO.
20. Comic book legend whose last film cameo is in "Avengers: Endgame": STAN LEE. Stan Lee, whose given name was Stanley Martin Lieber (Dec. 18, 1922 ~ Nov. 12, 2018), was the brains behind Marvel Comics. [Name # 5.]
22. Colgate rival: CREST. Is there a difference?
26. Southernmost Great Lake: ERIE.
31. "Your time __!": IS UP. Parsed differently, it becomes I Sup, which means I am eating.
33. 007's first film foe: DR. NO. Joseph Wiseman (May 15, 1918 ~ Oct. 19, 2009) portrayed the villain Dr. No in the film. [Name # 6, fictional.]
34. Insurance spokeslizard with a British accent: GECKO. Did you know that GEICO stands for Government Employees Insurance Company.
35. Dietary guideline letters: RDA. As in Recommended Daily Allowances.
36. DOD intel arm: NSA. The National Security Agency is an arm of the Department of Defense.
37. "Montero" singer Lil __ X: NAS. His given name is Montero Lamar Hill (b. Apr. 9, 1999). He is probably best known for his 2019 country rap song Old Town Road. [Name # 7.]
39. Bard's above: O'ER.
40. "I'm an open book": ASK ME.
42. Denny's rival: iHOP.
44. A5 and Q5 automaker: AUDI.
48. Letters of support, briefly: RECS. As in Recommendations.
49. First-year law student's course: TORTS. A tort is a civil wrong that causes harm to another person by violating a protected right. A civil wrong is an act or omission that is intentional, accidental, or negligent, other than a breach of contract. The term derives from Latin tortum, meaning “something twisted, wrung, or crooked.”
50. "Nice shot!": GOOD ONE!
53. Layers of tall cakes: TIERS.
57. Director DuVernay: AVA. She makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles. Ava Marie DuVernay (b. Aug. 24, 1971) received of two Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award, and a BAFTA TV Award. In 2011, she founded her independent distribution company ARRAY. [Name # 8.]
62. Skin pic: TAT.
63. Saved to watch later: TI-VO'ED. Is this still a thing?
64. French night: NUIT. Today's French lesson.
65. Overhead trains: ELs. A crossword staple.
66. Knights' horses: STEEDS.
67. "__-boom-bah!": SIS.
Down:
1. Amount of olive oil, informally: GLUG. Not sure I have ever used this informal term to describe a bit of olive oil.
2. Gas co., for one: UTIL. As in a Utility company.
3. Beer pong target: SOLO CUP.
4. Prefix with gram or graph: EPI-. As an Epigram, a brief, clever, or witty statement that is often memorable and sometimes satirical, or an Epigraph, which is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document, monograph or section or chapter. What's the difference, you ask. Well, an epigraph is a reference to someone else's work, while an epigram is an original statement.
5. Kylo of the "Star Wars" sequels: REN. [Name # 9, fictional.]
6. Decaf alternative: Abbr.: REG. Regular vs Decaffeinated coffee. I prefer Regular.
7. Clerical robes: ALBS. According to Webster's, the word Alb comes from the Middle English albe, aube, in part borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Late Latin alba "white garment or vestment, originally one worn by the recently baptized".
8. Threaten to topple: TEETER.
9. Accent pieces on a hardwood floor: AREA RUGS.
10. Rank that requires 21 merit badges: EAGLE SCOUT.
11. Family figure?: TREE. Cute clue.
12. Pinnacle: ACME.
13. Pollution meas.: AQI. As in the Air Quality Index.
17. Actress Spelling: TORI. Tori Spelling (née Victoria Davey Spelling; b. May 16, 1973) is probably best known for being on Beverly Hills 90210. [Name # 10.]
21. Sudoku digit: NINE. Some people really love this game, but I prefer word games.
23. Objectives: ENDS.
24. Use a sieve: STRAIN.
25. Soak up some rays: TAN.
27. Big name in breakfast cereal: QUAKER OATS. The name was apparently selected because it symbolized good quality and honest value.
28. Congo primate: BONOBO. The difference between a Chimpanzee and a Bonobo.
29. Gave the nod: OK'ED.
30. Sushi seaweed: NORI. Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine. It is usually made from a species of red algae genus. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is generally made into flat sheets and used to wrap rolls of sushi.
31. Baghdad's country: IRAQ. Baghdad is the capital and the largest city in Iraq. The name Baghdad is a combination of two Persian words that mean "gift of God" or "founded by God". The word "Bagh" means "god" and "Dad" means "gift". The city was founded in 762 CE.
32. California sch. just north of Tijuana: SDSU. As in San Diego State University.
36. Bottom-line figures: NET COSTS.
38. Imitator: APER. Did you know that a Bonobo is an Ape?
41. Teacher's advanced deg.: MSED. As a Master of Science in Education.
43. Alt.: HGT. As in Height.
44. Gives, as homework: ASSIGNS.
46. "So true, right?": ISN'T IT?
47. Routing abbr.: ATT'N. As in Attention.
50. Yard entrance: GATE.
51. Shaped like an avocado: OVAL.
52. Roof projection: EAVE.
54. Same, in combinations: EQUI. As in Equidistance, which combines Equi and Distance. Not keen on this clue.
55. Slugger's stat: RBIs. As in Runs Batted In, a baseball term.
56. Retired fast jet, for short: SST. As in SuperSonic Transport. This used to be a crossword staple.
59. Fish-to-be: ROE. It can also be found on sushi wrapped in Nori.
60. Journalist Koppel: TED. Ted Koppel (né Edward James Martin Koppel; b. Feb. 8, 1940) is probably best known for being the anchor of Nightline. Ted was the host and anchor of the late night news show from 1980 until 2005. The show began during the Iran Hostage crisis in 1979. [Name # 11.]
61. Cards checked by the TSA: IDs.
Here's the Grid:
חתולה
