Tuesday, July 4, 2023 // Fourth of July

QOD:  I feel that it is healthier to look out at the world through a window than through a mirror.  Otherwise, all you see is yourself and whatever is behind you.  ~  Bill Withers (né William Harrison Withers, Jr.; July 4, 1938 ~ Mar. 30, 2020), American musician

Bye, Bye, Blackbird.  The first word of each them answer are homophones:  Buy / Bye / Bi / By / and Bai.

17-Across. Purposely cause a delay: BUY SOME TIME.

24-Across. Dismissive send-off that originated in an Ice Cube film: BYE, FELICIA.

38-Across. Annual celebration involving a pink, purple, and blue flag: BI VISIBILITY DAY.  September 23 is Bi Visibility Day.  It is a day to recognize and celebrate the bisexual community.

48-Across. Generally speaking: BY AND LARGE.

60-Across. Drink with São Paulo Strawberry and Burundi Blueberry flavors: BAI LEMONADE.  And a shout-out to our dear friend, Lemonade who used to provide commentary on Fridays.

What else do we have on this Fourth of July?

Across:

1. Many a maid of honor: SISTER.

7. Engrave: ETCH.

11. "Saving Lives, Protecting People" govt. org.: CDC.  The official name is Center for Disease Control and Prevention, but the "P" is dropped in its abbreviation.  We all heard a lot about the CDC in the past couple of years.  It is the national public health agency and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

14. Taco kit brand: ORTEGA.

15. "Beat it!": SHOO!

16. Small inlet: RIA.

19. Seer's claim: ESP.  As in ExtraSensory Perception.

20. Portion out: ALLOT.

21. Not superficial: DEEP.

22. Tingling feeling caused by whispery videos: Abbr.: ASMR.  Short for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.  Hand up if you knew what this meant.

23. "Do-Re-Mi" critter: DEER.  You know I had to include this song.

26. 401(k) kin: IRA.

28. Valleys: DALES.  Hi, Lucina!

29. Tankard beer: ALE.

32. Flee to wed: ELOPE.

36. On edge: TENSE.

41. Mold-to-be: SPORE.

42. Food flavoring: SPICE.

43. Fútbol fan's cry: ¡OLÉ!  Today's Spanish lesson.

44. High tea snack: SCONE.  Yummers!  They are tasty and easy to make.

46. Indoor rower, familiarly: ERG.  Hand up if you knew this.

52. Bike storage aid: RACK.

56. Tunneling insects: ANTS.

57. Ballet bend: PLIÉ.

58. Indian lute: SITAR.  Ravi Shankar (April 7, 1920 ~ Dec. 11, 2012) is probably the most well-known sitar player to many Westerners.

59. Bill Nye's subj.: SCI.  William Sanford Nye (b. Nov. 27, 1955) bills himself as Bill Nye the Science Guy.  [Name # 1.]

62. Minister's title: Abbr.: REV.  As in Reverend.

63. "Understood": I SEE.  //  Not to be confused with 40-Down. Cold drink brand: ICEE.

64. Spider-Man player Garfield: ANDREW.  Andrew Russell Garfield (b. Aug. 20, 1983) has portrayed Spider-Man in several of the movies. [Name # 2.]

65. "__ we good?": ARE.

66. Name said twice in an introduction: BOND.  [Name # 3.]

67. Fool's gold: PYRITE.

Down:

1. "The worst!": SO BAD.

2. Triumphant cry: I RULE!

3. Fashionista's focus: STYLE.

4. "Fun Home" composer Jeanine: TESORI.  Jeanine Tesori (b. Nov. 10, 1961) is best known for her work in theater.  She has written several Tony-nominated scores for Broadway, which in addition to Fun Home, include,  Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center; Caroline, or Change; and Shrek the Musical.  Hand up if you knew this composer.  [Name # 4.]

5. "Grand slam" awards acronym: EGOT.  As in the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

6. Aries animal: RAM.

7. First name in the perfume aisle: ESTÉE.  Estée Lauder (née Josephine Esther Mentzer) co-founded the eponymous cosmetics company with her husband.  Although the company does have a perfume line, the company is probably best known for its make-up.  In the 1980's, actor Ted Danson was the spokesperson for Aramis, a men's cologne by Estée Lauder.  [Name # 5.]

8. Many an "Ocean's Eleven" character: THIEF.  Ocean's Eleven was a 1960 movie about a series of heists in Las Vegas.  It was remade in 2001, which starred George Clooney as Danny Ocean.

9. Provided for free: COMPED.

10. Weeder's tool: HOE.  It has been so hot in Louisiana, that portions of I-10 have been closed due to buckling of the road.

11. Orchestral climax: CRESCENDO.

12. "Please pack your knives and go," for one: DISMISSAL.

13. "It's a Wonderful Life" director Frank: CAPRA.  Frank Capra (né Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 ~ 1991) was an Italian-born American film director.  His primary work was in the 1930s and 1940s. [Name # 6.]

18. Ice cream maker Joseph: EDY.  Everything you wanted to know about Edy's ice cream, but didn't know to ask.  [Name # 7.]

22. Dance company founder Alvin: AILEY.  Alvin Ailey (b. Jan. 5, 1931 ~ Dec. 1, 1989) was an African-American dancer and choreographer.  He created the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) as havens for nurturing Black artists.  [Name # 8.]

24. Indonesian island in the Coral Triangle: BALI.  The Coral Triangle is a rich ecoregion that contains over 500 species of reef-building corals.

25. Former's counterpart: LATTER.

27. Email again: RESEND.

29. Core muscles: ABs.  As in the Abdominal muscles.

30. Performer who pretends to sing: LIP-SYNCER.

31. Stirring strong emotions: EVOCATIVE.

33. Delivery room docs: OBs.  As in Obstetrician.  Obstetrics is the field of medicine that involves care during pregnancy, childbirth and immediately after delivery.  It differs from gynecology in that the latter (25-Down) focuses on all women's health care issues.

34. Small fruit seed: PIP.

35. Yale alum: ELI.

37. Pupil locale: EYE.

39. Flat __: hair tools: IRONS.  I don't think women use this method anymore to straighten their hair.

45. Texas city on Mountain Time: EL PASO.  A brief history of El Paso.

47. Gay dating app: GRINDR.

48. Iraqi port: BASRA.  The city has a long and rich history.

49. Otherworldly: ALIEN.

50. Agitated: RILED.

51. "__ whiz!": GEE.

53. Game company with a "Fuji" logo: ATARI.  A brief history of the logo.  Pong was one of Atari's first games.  Can you believe that it was released more than 50 years ago!!!

54. Coast Guard Academy student: CADET.

55. Mardi Gras parade-organizing group: KREWE.  A brief history of the origin Mardi Gras traditions in New Orleans.  Apparently, the word Krewe first appeared in 1857.

58. Walkman maker: SONY.  I had a walkman.  It was state-of-the-art for music listening at the time.

60. Marathoner's wear: BIB.

61. AllTrails download: MAP.  AllTrails is a fitness and travel mobile app.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

QOD:  Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.  ~  Marjorie Barstow (1899 ~ 1995), author

I'd Put a SPELL on You if only I could find my BOOK.

16-Across. *   "Please don't get hurt!": BE CAREFUL!

22-Across. *   Have to pay back extra: OWE INTEREST.

34-Across. *   "Seriously!?": OH, BROTHER!

51-Across. *   Mall store with engagement rings: KAY JEWELERS.

And the unifier:

59-Across. Wizard's reference, and what the first words of the answers to the starred clues do: SPELL BOOK.  BeOweOhKay.

Across:

1. Tappable screen symbols: ICONS.

6. Spanish "Bravo!": ¡OLÉ!  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!

9. Canine cries: ARFs.  //  And 45-Down. Sharp barks: YIPs.

13. "Water Lilies" painter Claude: MONET.  Once when we were in France, we went to Giverny where Monet painted the Water Lilies.  We checked into this little hotel where we had to pay upfront.  The hotel manager said to us: Giff me the Monet!  So we paid him.

14. Nemesis: FOE.

15. Chicken structure: COOP.

18. Banks of fashion: TYRA.  Tyra Lynne Banks (b. Dec. 4, 1973) was also the host of America's Next Top Model.

19. Listening device: WIRE TAP.

20. "Wake Up With Al" weather anchor: ROKER.  It seems like Al Roker (né Albert Lincoln Roker; b. Aug. 20, 1954) has been doing the weather forever!

21. "The Bachelorette" TV network: ABC.

26. Movie roll: REEL.  Are these still used?

28. Transitioned: SEGUED.

29. Cultural funding org.: NEA.  As in the National Endowment for the Arts.

30. Early PC platform: MS-DOS.  As in MicroSoft-Disk Operating System.

32. "Well played": NICE!

33. Countdown start: TEN.

38. Quick blow: JAB.

41. Many a Middle Easterner: ARAB.

42. Like a post-rain hike: MUDDY.

46. Poetic tribute: ODE.

47. To a greater extent: MORE SO.

50. Garr of "Tootsie": TERI.  Tootsie was a rom-com that came out in 1982!

54. Skybox guest: VIP.

55. Discontinued Apple music devices: iPODS.  I am so sorry to see the discontinuation of the iPod.  I use mine nearly every day.

56. Preambles: LEAD INS.

58. Italian volcano: ETNA.  Here's the live cam on the volcano.  No volcanic action today, but you can see some birds fly by.

62. Faction: SECT.

63. Bowler's asset: AIM.  Hi, Boomer!

64. Anti-frizz hair product: SERUM.

65. Christmas __: TREE.

66. Zodiac sign between Cancer and Virgo: LEO.  Hi, LeoIII!

67. Remove: ERASE.

Down:

1. Knocks back a few: IMBIBES.

2. Strong-armed: COERCED.

3. __ in a blue moon: ONCE.

4. "How cool": NEAT-O.

5. Juice box inserts: STRAWS.

6. Like sour milk: OFF.

7. Baseball Hall of Famer Brock: LOU.  //  Not to be confused with 27-Down. WC: LOO.  Louis Clark Brock (June 18, 1939 ~ Sept. 6, 2020) played for 19 years in the major league.  He is best known for stealing bases.

8. Long wriggly fish: EEL.  Where do EELS come from?

9. Audition hopeful: ACTOR.

10. Gruff footballer played by Brett Goldstein on "Ted Lasso": ROY KENT.  I have not seen Ted Lasso, but it has gotten great reviews.  Brett Goldstein (b. July 17, 1980) is a British comedian and actor.

11. Know in advance: FORESEE.

12. Like a no-frills hotel room: SPARTAN.

17. Fencing sword: EPÉE.  //  Not to be confused with 53-Down. Curved sword: SABER.

19. Like shorts weather: WARM.  Hi again, Lucina!

20. Turn in for cash: REDEEM.

23. Satiric science prize for "research that makes people laugh, then think": IG-NOBEL.  While not as prestigious as the Nobel Prize, the Ig Nobel Prize has been awarded since 1991 to celebrate unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research.  The Ig Nobel Prizes this year will be awarded in September.  Here is a list and explanation of last year's prizes.

24. Night in Paris: NUIT.  Today's French lesson.  Do you know the difference between Nuit and Soir?

25. Virginia __: TECH.  I first tried Virginia Dare, then Virginia Reel, before letting the perps have their way.

31. Disgraces: SHAMES.

35. Tweezing target: BROW.

36. Hard to find: RARE.

37. Boring routine: RUT.

38. Least serious: JOKIEST.  Seems a bit awkward.

39. Travel kit plug: ADAPTER.

40. Most nominated woman in Grammy history: BEYONCÉ.  Beyoncé (née Beyoncé Giselle Knowles; b. Sept. 4, 1981) has been nominated almost 80 times, and has been awarded nearly 30 Grammys.

43. Conniving: DEVIOUS.  Did anyone watch Devious Maids?  It ran on Lifetime for about 4 years.

44. Message on a Wonderland potion: DRINK ME.  Did Alice IMBIBE?

48. List on Facebook Marketplace, say: SELL.

49. Warning words: OR ELSE.

52. Matchmaking site available in Hebrew: JDATE.

57. Cartoon explorer with a talking backpack: DORA.  I knew that Dora was an Explorer, but I didn't know her backpack talked.

59. "Blueberries for __": Caldecott Honor Book by Robert McCloskey: SAL.  Blueberries for Sal was first published in 1948.  It takes place in Maine and is about a little girl named Sal who is out picking blue berries at the same time a bear cub is searching for berries.

60. Diner slice: PIE.

61. Moody genre: EMO.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Keep cool, folks!