QOD: Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Tuesday, 31 March 2026

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

QOD: Politics is the art of postponing decisions until they are no longer relevant. ~ Henri Queuille (Mar. 31, 1884 ~ June 15, 1970), French politician and Prime Minister

A Movable Feast. With everything but the kitchen sink. Each theme answer ends with a food course as we begin with Soup and end with Nuts. We have all heard the expression From Soup to Nuts, which means running the gamut from beginning to end, but where did the expression come from? Apparently, formal full-course meals started with soup and ended with nuts.

16-Across. Hot mixture of elementary particles: QUARK SOUP. We will begin our meal with Soup. Apparently, Quark Soup is a thing, but it's not an edible on our meal menu.

31-Across. Colloquial name of the Christian symbol the ichthus: JESUS FISH. The formal name is Ichthys. It is an ancient symbol forming a fish profile. The symbol oiginated in the 2nd century as a secret sign of faith and identification among Christians facing persecution in the Roman Empire. Calling it a Jesus Fish seems a bit irreverent, but then so is the Darwin Fish. Fish will be our main course in this movable feast.

52-Across. Head honcho: BIG CHEESE. After our main meal, we will have some Cheese.

4-Down. Yielded results: BORE FRUIT. Our meal will continue with some Fruit.

59-Across. Fasteners in a tyre change: WHEEL NUTS. The conclusion of the meal will be Nuts.

Here's the grid so you can see the food move through the grid.

Two other consumables in the puzzle are:

41-Across. Large utility pipe: WATER MAIN.

66-Across. Soybean paste: MISO.

A special thanks to my fellow bloggers who helped me suss out today's theme.

Across:

1. Formless mass: BLOB.

5. Vegan-friendly gelatin alternative: AGAR. Technically a consumable. Agar is a jelly-like, vegetarian substance derived from red algae (seaweed), commonly used as a gelling agent in foods. When I worked in a microbiology lab in college, we used agar for growing bacteria.

9. Many emailed docs: PDFs. As in Portable Document Format. This has become a crossword staple.

13. Relaxed aesthetic: BOHO. Boho is short for Bohemian. It is a style characterized by free-spirited and artistic. It's a bit 1960s retro-style.

14. Roman forum robe: TOGA.

15. Coped (with): DEALT.

18. Maker of Playmate coolers: IGLOO. We have one of these. It comes in handy for storing things in the closet.

19. Ambulance wailer: SIREN.

20. Match or Tinder: DATING APP. Could stretch to a food because App is sometimes used as an abbreviation for Appetizer.

22. Two-point football play: SAFETY.

24. "Allow me": MAY I?

25. Outdoor gear giant: REI. As in Recreational Equipment, Inc. This company appears in the puzzles with some frequency, but I can never remember what the initials stand for.

26. Texter's hedge: OTOH. Textspeak for On The Other Hand.

28. Wee boy: LAD.

35. Tiny, in tech: NANO. I really loved my iPod Nano.

36. Not in favor of: ANTI-.

37. __ point: center of attention: FOCAL.

39. Luxury hotel chain: OMNI.

40. Dockworker's workplace: PORT.

43. 27-Down, in Spanish: ESO. // And 27-Down. Yonder thing: THAT.

44. Catch words?: HEAR. Cute clue.

46. Age group, for short: GEN. As in Generation.

47. Hair removal brand: NAIR.

And you thought it was just for women.

49. Vanish into thin air: GO POOF.

56. One making introductions, say: EMCEE. An abbreviation for Master of Ceremonies.

58. Former U.S. president Barack: OBAMA. The 44th American President.

Barak Hussein Obama (b. Aug. 4, 1961)

61. Artist's flat cap: BERET.

62. Sunrise direction: EAST.

63. World Cup cheers: OLÉS. Today's Spanish lesson.

64. Check-in places?: ATMs. You can put a check into your account at an ATM, but most people use the ATM to withdraw funds.

65. Outdoor storage structure: SHED.

Down:

1. Grillin' and chillin' events: BBQs.

2. Western writer L'Amour: LOUIS. Louis Dearborn L'Amour (Mar. 22, 1908 ~ June 10, 1988) was known for his Western novels, which he called his "frontier stories.

3. Catherine of "Home Alone": O'HARA. Sadly, we lost this talented comedian actress earlier this year. Catherine Anne O'Hara (Mar. 4, 1954 ~ Jan. 30, 2026) was in so many films, but my favorite film was Best in Show. She also starred in the television show Schitt's Creek.

5. @ signs: ATs.

6. Treat: GOODY.

7. __ fresca: Mexican beverage: AGUA. More of today's Spanish lesson. Fresh Water.

8. Completely engrossed: RAPT.

9. Elisabeth Moss's "Mad Men" role: PEGGY. Elizabeth Moss (b. July 24, 1982) portrayed Peggy Olsen on Mad Men. She was the Don Draper's secretary.

10. Tibetan spiritual leader: DALAI LAMA.

11. Failed film: FLOP.

12. "That's enough of that": STOP.

15. "Queen of the Blues" Washington: DINAH. Dinah Washington (b. Aug. 29, 1924 ~ Dec. 1963) was an American singer and pianist. She was one of the most popular Black female recording artists of the 1950s. In 1993, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sadly, she died very young, at age 39.