Tuesday, October 21, 2025

QOD:  What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy?  ~  Ursula K. LeGuin (née Ursula Kroeber; Oct. 21, 1929 ~ Jan. 22, 2018), American science fiction author

Baby Animals.

18-Across. Animated Disney film set in an arcade: WRECK IT RALPH.  A KIT is the term used for a baby Fox.  Babies of rabbits, raccoons, minks and groundhogs are also referred to as KITs.

25-Across. Hole in an argument: LOGICAL FALLACY.  Baby animals that can be called a CALF include cattle, elephants, giraffes, whales, bison, moose, and hippopotamuses.

40-Across. Rock group with flashy outfits: GLAM BAND.  A LAMB refers to baby sheep.

53-Across. "Consider this ... ": NOW LET'S SUPPOSE.  An OWLET refers to a baby owl.

And the unifier:

64-Across. Feeling like age is just a number, and an apt description of 18-, 25-, 40-, and 53-Across: YOUNG AT HEART.  The circles spell out the names of a baby animal which is in the "heart" of the answer.

Across:

1. Asian country that dominates badminton in the Olympics: CHINA.

6. Expert who works with both feet and meters?: POET.  Everything you ever wanted to know about poetic feet and meters.

10. Cape __, Massachusetts: COD.  Cape Cod is a hook-shaped peninsula in Massachusetts formed by the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last ice age. Extending 65 miles into the Atlantic Ocean, the Cape's geography includes diverse features like salt marshes, freshwater ponds, sand dunes, and beaches, all subject to constant change from ocean currents and storms.  The Cape has a very interesting cultural history.

13. Clumsy: OAFISH.

15. Sandwich cookies: OREOS.  A crossword staple.  We learned last Wednesday that the Oreo was preserved in a vault as part of a 2020 publicity stunt.

17. São Paulo salutation: OLÁ.  São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil.  The city was founded in 1554 by Jesuit priests.  It is the largest Portuguese-speaking city in the world.

20. Brief "I don't need the details!": TMI.  Textspeak for Too Much Information.

21. "Peter Pan" pirate: SMEE.  This pirate makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

22. In really good condition: FIT.

23. Turkey-roasting aid: BASTER.

29. __ fide: BONA.  Today's Latin lesson.  The term means In Good Faith and is used to describe something as real, sincere and real.

30. Replacement car: LOANER.

31. In really good condition: LIKE NEW.

34. Letter between zeta and theta: ETA.  It's Greek to me.

35. Pass over: SKIP.

39. Notable time: ERA.

43. Boise's st.: IDA.  Boise is the capital of Idaho.

44. Ice cream brand: EDY'S.  This ice cream brand along with the OREO are frequently the desserts of choice in the puzzles.

46. Night before: EVE.

47. Knocked to the ground: LAID LOW.

49. Rise: ASCENT.

52. Boring: DULL.

58. Pencil end: ERASER.

59. "Oh wow!": GEE.

60. "__ bien!": TRÉS.  Very Good!  This is today's French Lesson.

63. With 31-Down, "Life of Pi" director: ANG.  //  31-Down: See 63-Across: LEE.  Lee Ann (b. Oct. 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker and he will celebrate his 71st birthday on Thursday.

68. Rob __ cocktail: ROY.  A Rob Roy is a classic cocktail made with Scotch whisky, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters, garnished with a maraschino cherry or lemon peel. 

69. Writer Proulx: ANNIE.  Annie Proulx (née Edna Ann Proulx; b. Aug. 22, 1935) is an American novelist and journalist.  She has written many books, but the only one I have ever read is The Shipping News, which takes place in Newfoundland, Canada.

70. Belgrade's country: SERBIA.  The Danube River runs through Belgrade.

71. Early Beatle Sutcliffe: STU.  Stu Sutcliffe (né Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe; June 23, 1940 ~ Apr. 10, 1962) was the original bass guitarist with the Beatles.  In addition to playing guitar, he was a painter, which was one reason he left the band.  He began studying art in West Germany.  Sadly, he died at age 21 of a brain hemorrhage.

72. Auction cry: SOLD.

73. County of southeast England: ESSEX.

Down:

1. Ranch ruminants: COWS.  The baby is a CALF.

2. "No __, no foul": HARM.

3. "Doing all right": I FEEL OKAY.  I feel better than just Okay.

4. "Good job!": NICE ONE!

5. Request: ASK.

6. Door: PORTAL.

7. Pop singer Rita: ORA.  Rita Ora (née Rita Sahatçiu; b. Nov. 26, 1990 ) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  She was born in Kosovo.

8. Snakelike fish: EEL.

9. Big enchilada: TOP BANANA.

10. Terra-__ tiles: COTTA.  Today's Italian lesson.  Terra-Cotta is an Italian phrase that means Baked Earth.

Terra-cotta warriors in Xi'an.

11. Native of Veracruz: OLMEC.  Technically the OLMEC were an ancient civilization in Mesoamerica, flourishing from approximately 1500 to 300 BCE along the Gulf Coast of Mexico.

12. No-no for a vegan: DAIRY.

14. Classic LP player: HI-FI.  Short for High Fidelity sound on a record player.

16. Sedimentary rock: SHALE.

19. __-tac-toe: TIC.

24. Some camera shop buys, for short: SLRs.  As in Single Lens Reflex camera.

26. Crew: GANG.

27. "Stay" singer Lisa: LOEB.  Lisa Anne Loeb (b. Mar. 11, 1968) first made the music scene with her hit Stay.

28. Like some programming errors: FATAL.

29. Feathered friend: BIRD.

32. Subatomic particles with a negative charge: ELECTRONS.

33. "... amber __ of grain": WAVES.  America the Beautiful

36. Core muscles to die for: KILLER ABS.

37. Venerated object: IDOL.

38. Furry foot: PAW.

41. Department store section: MEN'S.

42. First queen of Carthage: DIDO.

45. "Do the Right Thing" pizza place: SAL'S.  Do the Right Thing was a 1989 Spike Lee film that addressed racism in Brooklyn.  Sal Fragione was the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. Non-Italinan  neighbors became upset when they saw that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors.

48. Fluffy cleaners: DUSTERS.

51. Yanked: TUGGED.

53. Approaches: NEARS.

54. "... up to you, though": OR NOT.

55. Japanese cattle breed: WAGYU.  Their babies are referred to as 子牛 or Koushi.

56. Word after "chick" or before "hen": PEA.  A Chickpea is a legume, also known as a garbanzo bean.  A Peahen usually refers to a female peacock.

57. Feathered or furry friends: PETS.

61. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.  Whenever I see Erie in the puzzle, I think of our friend Abejo.

62. Lay's chips in a tube: STAX.

65. __, due, tre: UNO.  Today's Spanish math.

66. Soccer zero: NIL.

67. Tee-__: HEE.

50-Down. "Toodles!": SEE YA.  I will be out next week, but I am confident that you will have a fantastic substitute.

חתולה

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

QOD:  Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is a nobler art of leaving things undone.  ~  Lin Yutang (Oct. 10, 1895 ~ Mar. 26, 1976), Chinese novelist and translator

Not Ready for Prime Time.  The first word in each theme answer is an Ordinal, not a Prime number.

16-Across. Junior: THIRD YEAR.

22-Across. Age of Attila's reign: FIFTH CENTURY.  Attila the Hun lived sometime around 400 to 450 CE.  [Name # 1.]

34-Across. Like some Adventist Protestants: SEVENTH DAY.

48-Across. Almost too late: ELEVENTH HOUR.

And the clue and answer that ties the puzzle together:

58-Across. Popular television programming block, and an apt title for this puzzle: PRIME TIME.  Prime Time for television watching is considered to be between 8:00 to 11:00 pm Eastern and Pacific Time / 7:00 to 10:00 Central/Mountain Time.   Note, too, as Inanehiker pointed out, that the second word in each theme answer relates to Time.

A Prime Number is whole number greater than 1 that cannot be exactly divided by any whole number other than itself and 1.  Three, Five, Seven and Eleven are all Prime Numbers.  The numbers in each theme answer are actually Ordinal Numbers, not Prime Numbers. Ordinal numbers indicate the position of something.  Thus, the unifier technically incorrect, although the base of the ordinal number are prime numbers.

Across:

1. Chess piece that's often the first to be played: PAWN.

5. [I'm shocked!]: GASP.

9. "I'm Every Woman" singer Chaka __: KHAN.  Chaka Khan (née Yvette Marie Stevens; b. Mar. 23, 1953) is known as the Queen of Funk.  [Name # 2.]

13. Gobi locale: ASIA.  The Gobi Desert is the Fifth (a prime ordinal number) desert in the world.  It is located in northern China and southern Mongolia. It's known for its dunes, mountains and rare animals such as snow leopards and Bactrian camels.  In the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, the Khongoryn Els sand dunes are said to sing when the wind blows. The park also features the deep ice field of Yolyn Am canyon.  Dinosaur fossils have been found at the red "Flaming Cliffs" of Bayanzag.

14. "__ girl!": ATTA.

15. Sweet sandwich: S'MORE.  Common dessert around Girl Scout campfires.

18. "No kidding!": THAT SO?

19. Black and blue, say: BICOLOR.  Strange clue and answer.

Black and Blue watch face

20. Top: SHIRT.

21. Stomach: GUT.

26. Question that introduces doubt: OR IS IT?

28. Writers McEwan and Fleming: IANs.  Both of the Ians are British novelists.  Ian McEwan (né Ian Russell McEwan; b. June 12, 1948) is probably best known for his 2001 novel Atonement.  I read it, but have no desire to read any of his other books.  Ian Fleming (né Ian Lancaster Fleming; b. May 28, 1908 ~ Aug. 12, 1964) is best known for being the creator of James Bond, but he also wrote the children's book Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.  [Names # 3 and 4.]

29. Pollen gatherer: BEE.

30. Bagless vacuum pioneer: DYSON.  The Dyson vacuum cleaner was invented by, and named after, Sir James Dyson (b. May 2, 1947).  [Name # 5.]

31. Japanese box lunch: BENTO.  Yummers!

33. Warning with a URL: NSFW.  Not Suitable For Work appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.

37. Ticklish Muppet: ELMO.  This puppet is a character on Sesame Street.  [Name # 6, fictional.]

40. Came to light: AROSE.

41. Changes direction: VEERS.

45. Campground inits.: KOA.  KOA = Kampgrounds Of America.

46. Mashed avocado, for short: GUAC.  Yummers!  Hubby makes the best Guacamole.

47. Litter box user: PET CAT.

52. Lucy of "Charlie's Angels": LIU.  Lucy Alexis Liu (b. Dec. 2, 1968) also starred in the television show Elementary.  [Name # 7.]

53. Squander: WASTE.

54. Fingertip-to-fingertip measurement: ARM SPAN.

56. Chooses: ELECTS.

60. Mojave landforms: MESAs.  Do you know the difference between a Plateau and a Mesa?

61. Fencing sword: ÉPÉE.  A crossword staple.

62. North __ Sea: lake fed by the Syr Darya river: ARAL.

63. Like a cereal bar: OATY.

64. Opinion sampling: POLL.

65. Govt.-issued IDs: SSNs.  As in Social Security Numbers.

Down:

1. Gentle touch: PAT.

2. San Francisco street crossing Haight: ASHBURY.  The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco was the home of the 1960s counterculture movement.

3. Arm pain from playing too much Nintendo: WIIITIS.  Wiiitis an actual medical condition and is the subject of several medical journals!

4. DEA agent: NARC.

5. Bookstore section with Jeanette Winterson and Andrew Sean Greer: GAY LIT.  Jeanette Winterson (b. Jan. 21, 1960) is a British novelist and Andrew Sean Greer (b. Nov. 21, 1970) is an American novelist.  [Names # 8 and 9.]

6. Tasted, quaintly: ATE OF.

7. Get-go: START.

8. Average: PAR.

9. Target rival: K-MART.  I hardly thing that K-Mart is a serious rival of Target.  According to an April 2022 article in Forbes, there were only 3 K-Marts in operation.  [Name adjacent.]

10. Jacuzzis: HOT TUBS.

11. Talk Like a Pirate Day sounds: ARs.  Talk Like a Pirate Day was exactly 2 weeks ago, on September 19.

12. New prefix: NEO-.

15. Lower legs: SHINS.

17. Get by: DO FINE.

18. Official approval: THE NOD.

20. Rip into: SCATHE.

21. Mars, for one: GOD.  Roman mythology.

23. Clues: HINTS.

24. One who makes sure fighting between the Sharks and the Jets doesn't get out of hand?: REF.  Not a reference to West Side Story, but a reference to the two professional National Hockey League teams ~ the San Jose Sharks and the Winnipeg Jets.

25. Archery wood: YEW.

27. Average: SO-SO.

31. Rip into: BERATE.

32. Cain's oldest son: ENOCH.  A Biblical reference.  You can read about him in Genesis 4:17-18.  After that, he pretty much disappears.  [Name # 10.]

33. Russian "no": NYET.

35. Crows about: VAUNTS.  Not a Tuesday word.

36. Disinclined (to): AVERSE.

37. __ out a living: EKE.

38. "ur soooo funny!": LOL.  Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud.

39. "I'm No Angel" star: MAE WEST.  Mae West (née Mary Jane West; Aug. 17, 1893 ~ Nov. 22, 1980) was known for her bawdy double entendres.  The video is a little hard to understand, but it has one of Mae's signature lines.  [Name # 11.]

42. Oblong pastries: ECLAIRS.  Yummers!

43. 1988 Best Picture: RAIN MAN.  This movie starred Dustin Hoffman (né Dustin Lee Hoffman; b. Auug. 8, 1937) as Raymond "Rain Man" Babbitt and Tom Cruise (né Thomas Cruise Mapother, IV; b. July 3, 1962) as his younger brother, Charlie Babbitt.

44. "The Simpsons" disco guy: STU.  [Name # 12, fictional.]

46. Knight's tales: GESTS.  Probably the most famous gest is the La Chanson de Roland, or Song of Roland, and epic poem written sometime between 1040 and 1115.

47. Wallop: PUMMEL.

49. Brief holiday?: VACAY.

50. Silent Marx brother: HARPO.  Harpo Marx (né Adolph Marx; Nov. 23, 1888 ~ Sept. 28, 1964) was the second oldest of the five Marx Brothers.  Although his given name was Adolph, he changed it to Arthur around 1911.  [Name # 13.]

51. Bay window: ORIEL.

55. Education advocacy gps.: PTAs.  The Parent Teacher Associations have become a crossword staple.

56. Punk subgenre: EMO.  Everything you wanted to know about EMO music but didn't know to ask.

57. Grassy expanse: LEA.

58. High spirits: PEP.

59. High trains: ELs.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה