QOD: December 10

Showing posts with label December 10. Show all posts

Tuesday, 10 December 2024

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

QOD: Lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, and don’t get so worked up about things. ~ Kenneth Branagh (né Kenneth Charles Branagh; b. Dec. 10, 1960), British actor

Punctuation Marks. One word in each theme answer is another word for the punctuation mark that Stops sentence. In the first theme answer, the POINT is at the beginning of the answer. In the second theme answer, the DOT is found in the middle of the answer. Finally, in the last theme answer, the PERIOD is at the end of the answer.

17-Across. Film scene from a character's perspective: POINT OF VIEW SHOT.

26-Across. Garment with patterned circles: POLKA DOT DRESS.

46-Across. Lasting mere moments: FOR A BRIEF PERIOD.

And the unifier:

62-Across. Break during a road trip, and what can be found in 17-, 26-, and 46-Across: STOP ALONG THE WAY.

We also have a mini-theme of Japanese foods. Can you find your Japanese food dinner?

Across:

1. Insect that builds a paper nest: WASP. Everything you wanted to know about Wasp nests, but didn't know to ask.

5. "Snowy" wading bird: EGRET. They are beautiful birds.

10. Tiniest bit: IOTA.

14. Actress Fanning: ELLE. Elle Fanning (née Mary Elle Fanning; b. Apr. 8, 1998) is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning (née Hannah Dakota Fanning; b. Feb. 23, 1994).

15. Little Haiti's city: MIAMI. The Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami is known for its restaurants, colorful street murals and fruit stands. It also has a flourishing art scene centered on small, indie galleries.

16. Flatbread full of bubbles: NAAN. Yummers! This bread makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

20. Adagio or allegro: TEMPO.

21. Lunar festival in Saigon: TET. Tết short for Tết Nguyên Đán, which means Festival of the First Day. It is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar. It usually falls in January or February in the Gregorian calendar. The festival is celebrated for several days. The next Tet celebration will fall on January 29, 2025.

22. Sorority residence: HOUSE.

23. Pioneering ISP: AOL. As in America On Line.

25. Deep fryer liquid: OIL.

33. Purring pets: CATS.

34. Broth often made with bonito flakes: DASHI. I am not familiar with this Japanese soup. Apparently it is easy to make and is the base for Miso soup and is made with only three ingredients: water, kombu (dried kelp), and bonito fish flakes.

35. Fly like an eagle: SOAR.

37. "Whadja say?": HUH.

38. Defeated, as a dragon: SLAIN.

39. Go green, perhaps?: DYE.

40. Choose by ballot: ELECT.

43. Stat indicated by tree rings: AGE.

44. Pebble's big cousin: STONE. Everything you wanted to know about stones vs pebbles but didn't know to ask.

49. DOD intel arm: NSA. As in the National Security Agency, which is a division of the Department of Defense.

50. One day __ time: AT A. One Day At A Time was a sit-com that ran from 1974 to 1984 that starred Bonnie Franklin (née Bonnie Gail Franklin; Jan. 6, 1944 ~ Mar. 1, 2013) as the mother and Mackenzie Phillips (née Laura Mackenzie Phillips; b. Nov. 10, 1959) and Valerie Bertinelli (née Valerie Anne Bertinelli; Apr. 23, 1960) as the daughters.

51. Temaki fish: TUNA. Yummers! More Japanese food. Temaki is a type of sushi that's rolled into a cone shape and eaten by hand. The name "temaki" is Japanese for "hand roll". // And 53-Down. Temaki cone: NORI.

54. More slippery: ICIER.

58. Like muted colors: PALE.

Bright and muted colors explained.

65. Whittles (down): PARES.

66. Animal that loves mud: PIG.

67. Atmospheric layer with holes: OZONE. The ozone layer sits in the stratosphere between 10 and 25 miles above the earth. It shields living things from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation. Ozone layer depletion could have serious effects on human health and the environment.

68. __ kebab: SHISH. More food.

69. UFO passengers: ETs. As in ExtraTerrestrials.

70. Fuses with heat: WELDS.

Down:

1. Broke down in tears: WEPT.

2. Healing succulent: ALOE.

No, Splynter, it never gets old.

3. Unlikely, as a chance: SLIM.

4. Letter-exchanging friends: PEN PALS.

5. Panic! at the Disco genre: EMO. Apparently, Panic! at the Disco was an American pop rock band. It was active from 2004 until just last year, although the band members changed throughout the year.

6. Natural talent: GIFT.

7. Party with electronic music: RAVE.

8. Radiate: EMIT.

9. Cause for overtime: TIE.

10. Shoe cushions: INSOLES. Catherine, Princess of Wales wears Alice Bow insoles.

11. Island northwest of Molokai: OAHU. One of the Hawaiian Islands.

12. New Mexico town in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains: TAOS.

13. Poker stake: ANTE.

18. Confiscated: TOOK.

19. Propeller noise: WHIR.

24. Young fellows: LADS.

25. All-father of Norse myth: ODIN. Odin is the Norse god of war and death.

26. São __, Brazil: PAULO. São Paulo, Brazil’s financial center. It is the most populous city in Brazil.

27. "None of the above" choice: OTHER.

28. __ Lama: DALAI.

29. Missouri River tributary: OSAGE. The Osage people appeared in last Thursday's puzzle. They were the subject of David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon, which was later adapted into a film as Waseeley explained.

30. Crook: THIEF.

31. "Same here!": SO DO I. This clue and answer also appeared in 14-Across in last Thursday's puzzle.

32. Pass on an offer: SAY NO.

33. Many a cookbook author: CHEF.

36. Basketry plant: REED.

41. Cocktail hour appetizers: CANAPÉS.

42. "Impractical Jokers" network: TBS.

44. Ready to proceed: SET.

45. Bar for circus acrobats: TRAPEZE. The song, The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze was a tribute to Jules Léotard (Aug. 1, 1838 ~ Aug. 16, 1870). In addition to his daring trapeze performances, he invented a one-piece knitted garment streamlined to suit the safety and agility concerns of trapeze performance, hence, the modern Leotard worn by ballerinas and gymnasts. Although Jules Léotard died young, it was not due to a trapeze stunt, but rather by an infectious disease.

47. Public transit option: RAIL.

48. Hair line?: PART. Cute clue.

51. Fish sauce amts.: TSPS. As in Teaspoons.

52. Arches National Park state: UTAH. The Park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive rock fins, and giant balanced rocks, hence its name.

55. Get by: COPE.

56. Still competing: IN IT.

57. Ingredients that are cracked to make khai jiao: EGGS. Yummer! More food, this time with a Thai theme. Khai Jiao is the name for Thai-style omelet.

59. USAF truant: AWOL. As in Absent WithOut Leave.

60. Hit the runway: LAND.

61. Organs with lids: EYES.

63. Barbecue residue: ASH.

64. "__ did you do that?": HOW.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Sunday, 10 December 2023

Sunday, December 10, 2023

QOD: If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry. ~ Emily Dickinson (née Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, Dec. 10, 1830 ~ May 15, 1886), American poet

Friday, 10 December 2021

Friday, December 10, 2021

QOD: One need not be a chamber to be haunted. One need not be a house. The brain has corridors surpassing material place. ~ Emily Dickinson (née Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, Dec. 10, 1830 ~ May 15, 1886), American poet

Thursday, 10 December 2020

Thursday, December 10, 2020

QOD: It is easy to work when the soul is at play. ~ Emily Dickinson (née Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, Dec. 10, 1830 ~ May 15, 1886), American poet

Tuesday, 10 December 2019

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

QOD: One must learn to be silent just as one must learn to talk. ~ Victoria Wolff (Dec. 10, 1903 ~ Sept. 16, 1992), German-born novelist.

Double Play. I'll start today with the unifier, which is very self-explanatory.

55-Across. Canoeing challenge whose first word can precede the start and whose second word can precede the end of the answers to starred clues: WHITE WATER.

20-Across. * Fruity adult beverage: WINE COOLER. We get White Wine and Water Cooler. A Wine Cooler can be either a special refrigeration unit for storing wine or a carbonated beverage of wine and fruit juice.

White Wine

Wine Cooler

28-Across. * Black-spotted orange flower: TIGER LILY. We get White Tiger and Water Lily.

White Tiger

Tiger Lily

38-Across. * Toy pistols used on stage: CAP GUNS. We get White Cap and Water Gun.

White Caps on the Ocean

Water Gun, also known as a Squirt Gun.

46-Across. * Toy car brand: HOT WHEELS. We get White Hot and Water Wheels.

White HOT!

Water Wheel

Across:

1. Chinese sauce additive: MSG. As in MonoSodium Glutamate.

4. Olympic swimming star Ledecky: KATIE. Katie Ledecky (née Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky; b. Mar. 17, 1997), has won 5 Olympic gold medals and 15 world championship gold metals.

9. L.L.Bean competitor: J.CREW.

14. Listening organ: EAR.

15. Stereotypical Pi Day celebrants: NERDS.

16. "Drab" color: OLIVE.

17. Handel's "Messiah" et al.: ORATORIOS. An Oratorio is similar to an Opera. Oratorios became popular in the 1600s and 1700s because the Church forbid theatrical performances. Thus oratorios were musical compositions with an orchestra, a chorus and generally a soloist, but without the costuming and theater props. Oratorios also tended to focus on religious topics.

19. Creepy film motel: BATES.

22. Put in the mail: SENT.

23. Cowboys QB Prescott: DAK. Dak Prescott (né Rayne Dakota Prescott; b. July 29, 1993), was born in Sulphur, Louisiana. The Cowboys lost to the Bears last week.

24. Well-worn pencils: NUBS.

26. "Keystone" police: KOPS.

33. Prefix with center: EPI-. As in the Epicenter of an earthquake.

34. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI.

35. Strand at a ski lodge, say: ICE IN.

37. Pitcher's stat: ERA. As in Earned Run Average.

41. Prefix with natal: NEO-. As in Neonatal, which refers to newborn babies.

42. Asian food breadcrumbs: PANKO. I use Panko breadcrumbs when I cook fish.

44. Novelist Leon: URIS. Leon Uris (né Leon Marcus Uris; Aug. 3, 1924 ~ June 21, 2003) is probably best known for his 1958 novel Exodus, which is about the creation of the State of Israel.

45. They, to Thierry: ILS. Today's French lesson.

49. Artist Warhol: ANDY. Andy Warhol (né Andrew Warhola; Aug. 6, 1928 ~ Feb. 22, 1987) died at age 58 from complications of gall bladder surgery. In 1968, an assassination attempt was made on his life in which he was seriously wounded.

50. "The Good Earth" mother: OLAN. The Good Earth is a 1931 novel by Pearl S. Buck (née Pearl Sydenstricker; June 26, 1892 ~ Mar. 6, 1973) about family life in China in the early 20th Century. It is well worth reading.

51. Some SAT takers: SRs. As in Seniors in High School.

52. Olympian bigwig: ZEUS. Oh, as in the Greek god of the sky and thunder, not the Olympic games.

61. Safe places?: WALLS.

63. Talus: ANKLE BONE.

64. Orange Muppet: ERNIE.

65. Not tight enough: LOOSE.

66. ER VIPs: MDs. Medical Doctors are the VIPs in the Emergency Room, but don't forget about the ER nurses, who also play an important role.

67. Cockamamie: INANE.

68. Beginning: ONSET.

69. Automated spam creator: BOT.

Down:

1. Cat's cry: MEOW.

2. Indian cover-up: SARI.

3. Concert keyboard: GRAND PIANO.

4. Rap on the door: KNOCK.

5. Sleek, in car talk: AERO.

6. 75% of a quartet: TRIO.

7. Pop star: IDOL.

8. Ancient mystic: ESSENE. The Essenes were a Jewish sect from about 200 to 1 BCE. They are considered to be the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

9. Position at work: JOB.

10. Enduring work: CLASSIC.

11. Baptism or bris: RITE.

12. Like Olympic years, numerically: EVEN.

13. "Wild" 1800s region: WEST.

"Wild" Mae West

18. Oolong and pekoe: TEAs.

21. 1921 play that introduced the word "robot": R.U.R. This play appears with some frequency in the crosswords. It is a 1920 play by Czech writer Karel Čapek (Jan. 9, 1890 ~ Dec. 25, 1938). R.U.R stands for Rossumovi Univerzáiní Robots (Rossum’s Universal Robots). The play takes place in a factory that makes o organic artificial people called as Robots. These Robots, however, were more like human people rather than the current concept of robots.

25. Euphoria: BLISS. Also the name of a chain of Yoga studios.

26. Stay fresh in the fridge: KEEP.

27. Celeb with her "OWN" network: OPRAH.

28. Andalusian aunt: TIA. Today's Spanish lesson. Andalusia is a region of Spain.

29. Little rascal: IMP.

30. Lively baroque dance: GIGUE.

31. Red Square shrine: LENIN'S TOMB.

32. Give in: YIELD.

34. Grouchy look: SCOWL.

36. Prone to prying: NOSY.

39. Often-bookmarked address, briefly: URL. As in the Uniform Resource Locator.

40. Grafton's "__ for Noose": N IS. Sue Grafton (Apr. 24, 1940 ~ Dec. 28, 2017) wrote a series of crime novels, each beginning with a letter of the Alphabet. The first in the series was A is for Alibi. She wrote all the way through the letter Y (Y is for Yesterday). Sadly, she died before she could begin what would have been the final book in the series, Z is for Zero.