Tuesday, January 25, 2022 David Poole

QOD:  Excess on occasion is exhilarating.  It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit.  ~  W. Somerset Maugham (né William Somerset Maughan; Jan. 25, 1874 ~ Dec. 16, 1965), British author

All Aboard!

37-Across. Freight train components ... or a hint to each group of circled letters: BOX CARS.

Note that the circles are arranged to make a "box".  Rearrange the letters in the circles and you get a type of car.  Altogether, we get six different cars.  Top row, left to right, we get an Audi, an Opel, and a Jeep.  Bottom row, right to left, we get a Mini, an Alda, and a Ford.

Across:
1. Uber alternatives: CABS.  Not wines, this time.

5. Thyroid, e.g.: GLAND.

10. Managed music for a wedding reception, briefly: DJ'ED.

14. Sword handle: HILT.  //  And 16-Across. Olympic sport with two accents: ÉPÉE.

15. Lasso wielder: ROPER.

17. Biblical birthright seller: ESAU.  The story of Jacob and Esau can be found in Genesis 25:19-34.

18. Tylenol competitor: ALEVE.  Both are pain relievers.  The active ingredient in Tylenol is Acetaminophen; in Aleve, it's Naproxen.

19. Warning from a reckless driver?: FORE.  A golfing reference.

20. Lost traction: SLID.

21. Runs out of steam: TIRES.

22. MP3 player: iPOD.  Sadly, Apple no longer makes iPods.  

23. "__ now!": "Seinfeld" mantra spoken by Frank Costanza: SERENITY.  Episode 159, Season 9.  It was first aired on October 9, 1997.

25. Many an IRS worker: CPA.  A shout out to the Certified Public Accounts who read C.C.'s blog.

27. Artemis program org.: NASA.  A program of the future.

28. Storm warning: THUNDER.

32. Medicare section for ambulance services: PART-B.  There are 4 parts to Medicare.

35. Rossini's "William Tell" has a famous one: OVERTURE.  Sometime mistaken for the theme song to the Lone Ranger.

36. Tavern tipple: ALE.

40. 911 responder, briefly: EMS.  Emergency Medical Services.  There are many types of EMS's.

41. Its trill begins "Rhapsody in Blue": CLARINET.  A musical composition by George Gershwin.

43. D sharp equivalent: E-FLAT.

45. Singing, dancing and acting: TALENTS.  We found some hidden talents last Tuesday.

46. Draped dress: SARI.  Everything you wanted to know about the sari, but didn't know to ask.

48. "Yuck!": UGH.  Nothing Ugh about this puzzle.

49. Really botched: MESSED UP.

53. Sous-chef's job: PREP.  A sous-chef is to the chef as the vice president is to the president.

56. Decree: EDICT.

58. __ song: cheaply: FOR A.

59. Wild West Wyatt: EARP.  Best known for being involved in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

60. Back biter?: MOLAR.  Cute clue.  I just had to have a filling replace in one of my molars.

61. Far from flashy: DRAB.  Hand up if you tried Dull before Drab.

62. Gallic gal pal: AMIE.  Today's French lesson

63. Carne __: taco filling: ASADA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

64. Manet medium: OILS.  Not to be confused with Monet, who also painted in oils.

65. Ilk: KIND.

66. Designed to punish: PENAL.  Franz Kafka wrote a short story about a penal colony.  It was quite gruesome.

67. Pole on the Bounty: MAST.

Down:

1. "The Queen's Gambit" game: CHESS.  The Queen's Gambit is a 1983 novel by Walter Tevis.  It was later made into a Netflix miniseries.

2. Flier's seat option: AISLE.  I prefer an aisle seat when I fly.

3. Major's successor: BLAIR.  Tricky clue for those of us on this side of the pond.  Tony Blair succeeded John Major as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

4. Nero, to Seneca: STUDENT.  Seneca was an ancient Roman philosopher.  I wonder if he taught Nero to play the violin.

5. On the house: GRATIS.  Today's Latin lesson.

6. Nabokov title girl: LOLITA.  A book that has been banned in many countries.

7. Mimic's forte: APERY.

8. Actress Campbell: NEVE.  She is often seen in horror films.

9. Fran of "The Nanny": DRESCHER.  She has a very nasal and annoying voice.

10. Insubordinate: DEFIANT.

11. Genre for some Tokyo-based bands: J-POP.

12. Designer Saarinen: EERO.  He used to make frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

13. Monopoly card: DEED.

24. Apprehending: NABBING.

26. Maritime money handlers: PURSERS.

28. FDR power project: TVA.  The Tennessee Valley Authority was created as a part of Franklin D. Roosevelt programs during the Great Depression.

29. "Hamilton" climax: DUEL.  He wasn't using an épée.

30. Funny Bombeck: ERMA.  She wrote a syndicated column that appeared in many American newspapers.

31. Remainder: REST.

32. Treaty: PACT.

33. Penne __ vodka: ALLA.  Today's Italian lesson.  Can you guess what it is made of?

34. Actual: REAL.

35. Canadian Thanksgiving mo.: OCT.  Hi, CanadianEh!

38. In a position of fame: ON THE MAP.

39. Ballot marks: X'ES.

42. Signed on for another tour: RE-UPPED.

44. Feudal lord's domain: FIEFDOM.

46. Cuban-born Grammy winner Jon: SECADA.  I'm not familiar with this musician.

47. Starlike: ASTRAL.

49. Italian fashion center: MILAN.  How Milan became the Fashion Capital.

50. Ill-fated ship Andrea __: DORIA.  The SS Andrea Doria, which sank off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1956, was named after the Genoese admiral Andrea Doria.

51. Eurasian range: URALS.

52. Blue Ribbon brewer: PABST.  Everything you wanted to know about Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, but didn't know to ask.

53. Pinnacle: PEAK.

54. Malek of "Mr. Robot": RAMI.  He also portrayed Freddie Mercury in the 2018 film,  Bohemian Rhapsody.

55. St. Patrick's home: ERIN.  Also known as Ireland.

57. Medicine amount: DOSE.  A spoonful of sugar will help the medicine go down ...

Tell me what you learned.

חתולה

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

QOD:  Get into your own creativity.  Sketch and paint with different mediums (sic) and follow your heart.  ~  Peter Max (b. Oct. 19, 1937; né Peter Max Finkelstein), German-born American artist

Shining Stars.

4-Down. Movie with Minions: DESPICABLE ME.  Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Vergo.

8-Down. "Spoon-bender" debunked by the Amazing Randi: URI GELLER.  Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation of Orion.

32-Down. Diner list for animal product avoiders: VEGAN MENU.  Vega is the brightest star in the constellation of Lyra.

And the unifier:

23-Down. Meteors, and what three Down answers aptly contain: FALLING STARS.  Note that each of the Stars, which begin with circled letter, is in the Down, or Falling position.  Each of the named stars is also the brightest star in its constellation.  This puzzle really needs a bit of astronomical knowledge in order to truly appreciate the theme.  I don't know that much about the constellations and their stars, so this puzzle was a learning moment for me.

Across:

1. In the thick of: AMID.

5. "Honey, I __ the Kids": 1989 comedy: SHRUNK.  Disney film.

11. Brown bag staple, initially: PBJ.  Apparently there is a proper way to make a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.

14. Waves from the back of a boat: WAKE.

15. Like some sandpaper: COARSE.

16. Sam Adams, e.g.: ALE.  Everything you ever wanted to know about Sam Adams Beers and Ales.

17. Flickered-out flames?: EXES.

18. "24" analyst Chloe __: O'BRIAN.  I never watched 24, so was not familiar with this fictional character.  She was played by Mary Lynn Rajskub (b. June 22, 1971), whom I recognize, but didn't know her name.

19. Operate: RUN.

20. Good thing to have for a change?: DIAPER BAG.  Cute clue.

22. A lot: OFTEN.

24. Judith of "Down Home": IVEY.  Down Home is a rather obscure reference to a sit-com that ran for only 1 year in the early 1990s.  Judith Ivey (b. Sept. 4, 1951) was the only female star in the show.

25. Diplomat's post: EMBASSY.  Does the Diplomat stay at the Embassy Suites?

27. Reacted to a really bad pun, perhaps: WINCED.  I don't trust stairs because they are always up to something.

30. Thrash about: FLAIL.

31. Think tank output: IDEAS.

32. South African grassland: VELD.

Grasslands throughout the World

33. Place to bowl: LANE.  Hi, Boomer!

37. Hunk of bacon, say: SLAB.  Who knew there were so many types of bacon?

38. Flood deterrent: LEVEE.  The Levees held up during Hurricane Ida.

39. Like a Frappuccino: ICED.  You can find one at your local Starbucks.

40. Severe criticism: HELL.

41. Word with teen or golden: AGER.  As in a Teenager or a Golden Ager.

42. Nab in a trap: SNARE.

43. The Ellery Queen Award is one: EDGAR.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the Edgar Awards, but didn't know to ask.

45. Mideast or Midwest: REGION.

46. Motorcyclist's invitation: CLIMB ON.

49. "You're gonna need a bigger boat" movie: JAWS.

50. Biblical prophet: HOSEA.  Hosea was an 8th century BCE prophet.  He is classified as one of the minor prophets.

51. Apple known by its first three letters: MACINTOSH.  Generally referred to as a Mac.  We had one of these a lifetime ago.  It got me through law school.

56. Notable period: ERA.

57. Words to live by: CREDOS.

59. R&B's India.__: ARIE.  India.Arie (née India Arie Simpson; b. Oct. 3, 1975) has won 4 Grammy Awards.

60. Actress de Armas: ANA.  Although her name didn't immediately ring a bell, Cuban-born Ana de Armas (née Ana Celia de Armas Caso; Apr. 30, 1988), has been in a number of movies, including the 2019 movie Knives Out.

61. Light, as a fire: KINDLE.  Also the name of Amazon's e-book.

62. Demolish: RAZE.

63. Bench press muscle, briefly: PEC.

64. Barflies: SOUSES.

65. Winter ride: SLED.

Down:

1. Blown away: AWED.

2. Calf-covering skirt: MAXI.

3. DIY furniture brand: IKEA.  You think I'm going to make an Ikea joke?  Sorry, you'll have to make it yourself.  *

5. Got a run home: SCORED.

6. Avocation: HOBBY.

7. __ avis: RARA.  Today's Latin lesson.  The two word phrase means Rare Bird.  It's also the name of a town in Mississippi.

9. Code-breaking org.: NSA.  As in National Security Agency.

10. Jedi Master Obi-Wan ___: KENOBI.  A reference to the Star Wars movies.

11. Repair bill heading: PARTS.

12. B.B. King genre: BLUES.  Although he went by B.B. King, is actual name was Riley B. King (Sept. 16, 1925 ~ May 14, 2015).

13. Female donkey: JENNY.

21. 12/24 and 12/31: EVEs.  Tricky.  December 24 and December 31 are Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, respectively.

26. Manufactured: MADE.

27. Genie's offering: WISH.

28. Run without moving: IDLE.

29. "Hud" Oscar-winner Patricia: NEAL.  Patricia Neal's (née Patsy Louise Neal; Jan. 20, 1926 ~ Aug. 8, 2010) career was interrupted when she suffered a stroke at age 40.

Patricia Neal and Paul Newman in Hud.

30. Flu symptom: FEVER.

34. Antioxidant berry: AÇAÍ.  This berry has become a crossword staple.

35. Old Roman fiddler: NERO.  Emperor Nero makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

36. Eve's first home: EDEN.

38. Italy's Como, per esempio: LAGO.  Today's Italian Lesson.

42. Fixed with thread: SEWN.

44. Arizona MLBers: DBACKS.  As in the Diamondbacks Major League Baseball team.

45. Workers' rewards: RAISES.

46. Inexpensive: CHEAP.

47. "SNL" producer Michaels: LORNE.

Lorne Michaels (né Lorne David Lipowitz; b. Nov. 17, 1944)

48. Author Asimov: ISAAC.  Isaac Asimov (Jan. 1920 ~ Apr. 6, 1992) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

49. Rapper with the 2013 #1 album "Born Sinner": J COLE.  I am not up on my rap musicians.

J Cole (né Jermaine Lamarr Cole; b. Jan. 28, 1985)

52. Also includes: ADDS.

53. Face-to-face exam: ORAL.

54. XL or L, but not LX: SIZE.

55. Take to heart: HEED.

58. Brazil metropolis: RIO.  Rio de Janeiro is known for its Mardi Gras / Carnaval festival.

חתולה

*

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

QOD:  I believe that all children should be surrounded by books and animals.  ~  Gerald Durrell (Jan. 7. 1925 ~ Jan. 30, 1995), British naturalist

Buckle Up!  Today we have both the dreaded circles and anagrams!  So, buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride on this ROCKY ROAD as we travel around the world in a puzzle that contains lots of foreign language words.

I'll start with the unifier:

And the Unifier:
61-Across. Nutty ice cream parlor order ... and a hint to each set of circled letters: ROCKY ROAD.

17-Across. Not be serious: KID AROUND.

24-Across. "Answer with the first thing that comes to mind" exercise: WORD ASSOCIATION.

36-Across. World's largest lizards: KOMODO DRAGONS.  The Komoda Dragon is found in the Indonesian islands.

52-Across. '70s Chilean president: SALVADOR ALLENDE.  Salvador Allende (June 26, 1908 ~ Sept. 11, 1973) was a physician and President of Chile from 1970 until 1973 when he was killed in a coup.  After the coup, Augusto Pinochet (Nov. 25, 1915 ~ Sept. 10, 2006) became the dictator of Chile.  The latter was my first thought, and both names have the same number of letters.

Salvador Allende.

We've also have a little criminal activity going as well.

15-Across. Thieves' hideout: LAIR.  //  65-Down.  Thieves' hideout: DEN.

16-Across. Thief: CROOK.

Across:

1. Indian music style: RAGA.

5. French "to be": ÊTRE.  The first of several references to the French language in today's puzzle.  The verb Être is an irregular verb.  In the present tense, the verb is conjugates as: Je suis / Nous sommes (I am / We are); Tu es / Vous être (You are You are); Il eat / Elle eat (He is / She is) / Ils sont / Elles sont (They are). 

9. Goldman __: investment banking giant: SACHS.  Goldman Sachs was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman (Dec. 9, 1821 ~ July 20, 1904).  Thirteen years later, his son-in-law, Samuel Sachs (July 28, 1851 ~ Mar. 2, 1935), joined the firm, and the name became as we know it today.

14. Go with the __: FLOW.

19. Like the accent in passé: ACUTE.  The French language uses 5 distinct accents:

the cédille Ç,

the accent aigu é,

the accent circonflexe â, ê, î, ô, û,

the accent grave à, è, ù

and the accent tréma ë, ï, ü.

20. French monarch: ROI.  The French King.

21. Hockey score: GOAL.

23. Cold War mil. program: SDI.  As in the Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as Star Wars.  The program was initiated in 1983 during the Reagan Administration.  The program was designed to develop a space-based missile defense program to protect the country from a nuclear attack.  The program is sometimes considered the straw that broke down the Cold War between the United States and the USSR.

29. Golfer Michelle: WIE.  Michelle Song Wie (b. Oct. 11, 1989) was the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship.  She was 10 years old at the time.

30. "I've seen better": MEH!

31. Playground equipment: SWINGS.

32. Quaint lodging: INN.

33. Passé: OLD HAT.  Note that the clue contains a acute accent.

42. "Peer Gynt Suite" dancer: ANITRA.  Definitely not a Tuesday clue, but I am sure you have heard the music that accompanies the dance.

43. "Mangia!": EAT!  Today's Italian lesson.  Mangia is the imperative verb form of the verb to eat.

45. Wine city north of Lisbon: OPORTO.  Today's Portuguese lesson.  This city, which is the second largest city in Portugal, appears as Porto in maps in English.

48. CEO's degree: MBA.  The Chief Executive Officer would likely have a Master's in Business Administration.

51. Wallet single: ONE.

56. Ed.'s backlog: MSS.  As in a backlog of Manuscripts.

57. Actress Russo: RENE.  Rene Russo (née Rene Marie Russo; b. Feb. 17, 1954) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  She began her career as a fashion model.

58. World Cup cheer: !OLE¡  Today's Spanish lesson.

59. Funny Cheri: OTERI.  Cheri OTERI (née Cheryl Anne Oteri; b. Sept. 19, 1962) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  She was on Saturday Night Live 2 decades ago, where she played a number of roles, including the Spartan cheerleader.

Cheri is on the Right.

66. Seasonal mall temp: SANTA.  Their temporary job is over until next season, which, I think now begins in about July.

67. "Omigosh!": YIPE!.

68. Loitering, say: IDLE.

69. German steel city: ESSEN.

70. Some pipe joints: ELLS.

71. Utopia: EDEN.

Down:

1. D.C. United's former stadium: RFK.

2. "Green Book" Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI.  Mashershala Ali (né Mahershalalhasbaz Gilmore; b. Feb. 16, 1974) also won an Oscar for his performance in Moonlight.  He was also the star of the 3rd season of True Detective, and appeared for a couple of seasons in House of Cards.

3. Neptune or Pluto: GOD.  They are brothers in Roman mythology.

4. Palme d'Or, e.g.: AWARD.  It is the Oscar of the Cannes Film Festival.

5. Kid-lit girl who lives on the "tippy-top floor" of the Plaza Hotel: ELOISE.  The Eloise Books were not actually a part of my childhood.

6. Cross-shaped Greek letter: TAU.

7. Second Beatle on the "Abbey Road" cover: RINGO.

8. Ambulance patient's MD: ER DOC.  As an Emergency Room Doctor.

9. Scoundrel: SCALAWAG.  Fun word.

10. Fly ball's path: ARC.  Think baseball.

11. "My __ Vinny": 1992 comedy: COUSIN.  This movie is a favorite of many of the regulars on this blog.

12. Show-off: HOTDOG.  A CSO to Misty's dogs.

13. Wound yarn units: SKEINS.  A CSO to our resident knitters.

18. Travel aimlessly: ROAM.  May your roam be on a smooth road and not a Rocky Road.

22. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" host Tyler: AISHA.  Aisha Tyler (née Aisha Naomi Tyler; b. Sept. 18, 1970) is a complete unknown to me.  I watched the show when Drew Carey was the host.  I didn't know it was still on.

24. 1914-'18 conflict, briefly: WWI.  Also known as World War I, the War to End All Wars.

25. Farm grunt: OINK.

26. Nevada casino city: RENO.  Not to be confused with 57-Across.  Reno is also the home of the National Judicial College.  I took some courses there about 20 years ago.

27. Photo session: SHOOT.

28. Latin jazz great Puente: TITO.  Tito Puente (né Ernesto Antoino Puente; Apr. 20, 1923 ~ May 31, 2000) is sometimes called the King of Latin Music.

34. Pres. or P.M.: LDR.  Presidents and Prime Ministers are Leaders of their respective countries.

35. Pulitzer category: DRAMA.

37. Sportscaster Albert: MARV.  Marv Albert (né Marvin Philip Aufrichtig; b. June 12, 1941) was involved in a sex scandal in the late 1990s.

38. Toronto native: ONTARIAN.  Hi, Canadian, Eh!

39. LED component: DIODE.

40. Hard-to-miss sign: NEON.

41. Beach pailful: SAND.

44. Summer shirt: TEE.

This shirt is appropriate now.  No need to wait until summer. 

45. Be absorbed gradually: OSMOSE.

46. Farfalle and fusilli: PASTAS.

The Farfalle is on the left.

47. Acting twins Mary-Kate and Ashley: OLSENS.

49. Cambridge chaps: BLOKES.

50. Treaty partner: ALLY.

53. Sandwich shop specification: ON RYE.  We just had some smoked whitefish on rye.  Yummers!

54. Lubricate again: RE-OIL.

55. Like "Stranger Things": EERIE.

60. Numbered hwy.: RTE.

62. Lowest-ranking NCO: CPL.

63. Roulette bet: ODD.  I initially tried Red.  But, instead, we were looking for Even or Odd.

64. Brewpub pour: ALE.

Here's the Grid: