QOD

This blog purely for my own amusement. I like to start the day with a quote, be it amusing, inspiration, or simply something that caught my fancy.

On occasion, I might also include some commentary on the day's crossword puzzle that is published in the Los Angeles Times.

Showing posts with label Gail Grabowski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gail Grabowski. Show all posts

Tuesday, 24 March 2020

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

QOD:  If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.  ~  Cicero (né Marcus Tillius Cicero; Jan. 3, 106 BCE ~ Dec. 7, 43 BCE), Roman statesmen and philosopher

We're in the Money!  Slang words for money are "split" in today's theme answers



16-Across. Huff and puff: BREATHE HARD.  Bread.

38-Across. Lawn area where rainwater collects: LOW SPOT.  Loot.

10-Down. Bags for potatoes, say: BURLAP SACKS.  Bucks.

23-Down. Subject to, as the proverbial mud: DRAG THROUGH.  Dough.

And the Unifier:

59-Across. Divvy up poker hand winnings, and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters: SPLIT THE POT.


Across:
1. Gives up the single life: WEDS.

5. Christina of "Sleepy Hollow": RICCI.  The 1999 movie Sleepy Hollow was loosely based on Washington Irving's short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  Christina Ricci (b. Feb. 12, 1980) played Katrina Van Tassel.


10. Physique, briefly: BOD.

13. Holliday pal: EARP.  Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (Mar. 19, 1848 ~ Jan. 13, 1929) has been making a lot of guest appearances in the puzzles recently.  He was a close friend and associate of Doc Holliday (né John Henry Holliday; Aug. 14, 1851 ~ Nov. 8, 1887).  Both are best known for their participation in the Gunfight at the OK Corral.


14. Headgear for shading one's face: SUN HAT.


15. Luau strings: UKE.

18. Narrow inlet: RIA.

19. Gland near the larynx: THYROID.


20. Snow glider: SLED.  

21. Bollywood's country: INDIA.

24. "Jeopardy!" material: TRIVIA.

26. Seed in some sauerkraut: CARAWAY.  Everything you wanted to know about Caraway, but were afraid to ask.

29. Brass band sound: OOM-PAH.



32. List-ending abbr.: ET AL.  A crossword staple.

33. Ellipsis trio: DOTS.


36. Cotton thread: LISLE.  More than you ever wanted to know about Cotton Lisle.

37. Programming glitch: BUG.

40. Jurisprudence org.: ABA.  As in the American Bar Association.  The current President of the ABA is Judy Perry Martinez, an attorney from New Orleans.  I had brunch with her shortly before the  self-imposed quarantine began.

41. "Mad TV" alum Lange: ARTIE.  I am familiar with neither Mad TV nor Artie Lange (b. Oct. 11, 1967).

43. Installed, as carpet: LAID.

44. Taiwanese laptop giant: ACER.  I learned of this compter company from doing the crossword puzzles.

45. Lou portrayed in "The Pride of the Yankees": GEHRIG.  Lou Gehrig (né Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig; June 19, 1903 ~ June 2, 1941) played 17 years for the New York Yankees.  He died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, often referred to as Lou Gehrig disease, at age 37.


47. Do-it-yourself diagnostic tool: TEST KIT.

49. Rolled in the aisles: ROARED.


52. Spur-of-the-moment: HASTY.

53. Animator's output: 'TOON.  As in a cartoon.

55. Egyptian or Ethiopian: AFRICAN.  Ethiopia and Egypt are currently fighting over water from the Nile.
Egypt in Green; Ethiopia in Orange.

58. Letters in an academic address: EDU.  As in the Internet address.

63. Fix, as a fight: RIG.

64. Norelco product: SHAVER.

65. New Balance rival: NIKE.

66. Slangy word of indifference: MEH.  Meh!

67. Fall bloomer: ASTER.

68. Cubicle fixture: DESK.

Anatomy of a Cubicle.

Down:
1. Organic flytrap: WEB.  Cute clue.


2. Piece of corn: EAR.

3. Dr. with Grammys: DRE.

Dr. Dre (né Andre Romelle Young; b. Feb. 18, 1965)

4. Like some relations: SPATIAL. Not Sisters.


5. One with regrets: RUER.

6. __ water: facing trouble: IN HOT.


7. Waiting room seat: CHAIR.  Some of the Most Uncomfortable Chairs.

8. Aerobic regimen, casually: CARDIO.  Some cardio exercises we can do in quarantine.


9. "__ be an honor": IT'D.

11. "The Grapes of Wrath" figure: OKIE.  A reference to John Steinbeck's 1939 novel.

12. Like a useless battery: DEAD.

14. Not prone to mingling: SHY.

17. Defrost: THAW.

20. __ Valley: Reagan Library site: SIMI.

21. Sprain soother: ICE BAG.


22. The great outdoors: NATURE.


25. Chevy needing recharging: VOLT.  Does anyone have one of these vehicles?


27. Commotion: ADO.

28. Cry of distress: YOWL.

30. Even if: ALBEIT.  Fun word.

31. Robust: HEARTY.

34. PreCheck org.: TSA.

35. Hot rod?: SPIT.


38. "Star Wars" twin sister: LEIA.  Princess Leia was played by Carrie Fisher (Oct. 21, 1956 ~ Dec. 27, 2016).  She suffered a heart attack while flying from London to Los Angeles.  Tragically, her mother, Debbie Reynolds (Apr. 1, 1932 ~ Dec. 28, 2016), died the following day.


39. Thomas Gray's "The Bard," e.g.: ODE.  Here is the Poem.

42. Resolve, with "out": IRON.

44. Finally finished: AT AN END.

46. Sales reports diagrams: GRAPHS.

48. Ousted Iranian ruler: SHAH.  The last Shah if Iran was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Oct. 26, 1919 ~ July 27, 1980).  He was ousted in February 1979.  He makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

50. D-sharp equivalent: E FLAT.

51. Take the wheel: DRIVE.

53. Political stretch: TERM.

54. Yellow comics dog: ODIE.  A reference to the Garfield comic strip.

56. Road in old Rome: ITER.  Today's Latin lesson.

57. NFL snapper: CTR.  Center.  

59. Org. funded by FICA: SSA.  As in the Social Security Administration.

60. Traditional March 14 dessert: PIE.

61. Thumbs-ups: OKS.

62. Shatner's "__War": TEK.

Here's the Grid:

QOD:  If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.  ~  Cicero (né Marcus Tillius Cicero; Jan. 3, 106 BCE ~ Dec. 7, 43 BCE), Roman statesmen and philosopher

Tuesday, 3 March 2020

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

QODHappiness is a reward that comes to those that have not looked for it.  ~  Émile-Auguste Cartier (Mar. 3, 1868 ~ June 2, 1951), French philosopher and journalist

I'm Ok, You're Ok!



16-Across. Steinway parts: PIANO KEYS.

29-Across. Hobbyist's blade: X-ACTO KNIFE.

35-Across. "Are you serious?": NO KIDDING.


46-Across. Cartoon character who is five apples tall: HELLO KITTY.


And the Unifier:
60-Across. Receives a go-ahead ... and a hint to what's hidden in 16-, 29-, 35- and 46-Across: GETS THE OK.

Across:
1. Not very spicy: MILD.

5. Time and again, to a bard: OFT.

8. Stage surprise: AD LIB.  Today's Latin lesson.  Ad libitum (Ad lib., for short) is Latin for "at one's pleasure."

13. More reasonable: SANER.

14. Give in to jet lag: NAP.

15. Far from posh: SEEDY.

18. Whack, biblically: SMITE.

19. Space-saving abbr.: ETC.  More of today's Latin lesson.  Et cetera (abbreviated as Etc.) roughly translates in English as "and other similar things".  Literally, it means "and the rest".

20. Mayberry kid: OPIE.  Played by Ron Howard (b. Mar. 1, 1954).  Be sure to wish him a belated Happy Birthday.   He just turned 66.

 Ron Howard then.
Ron Howard today-ish.

21. Bk. before Philippians: EPH.  A reference to books of the New Testament.  The letter from Paul to the Ephesians is before the letter to the Philippians.

22. Cajun crustacean: CRAWDAD.  NOOOOO!  This is so wrong!!!!!  It is CRAWFISH!!!

24. Lowlifes: SLEAZES.

28. Bell-shaped lily: SEGO.  The Sego Lily is the state flower of Utah.


31. Laura of "Marriage Story": DERN.  Laura Dern (née Laura Elizabeth Dern; b. Feb. 10, 1967) is from an acting family.  Her parents are Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd.  I have heard of Marriage Story, but haven't seen this Netflix movie.

33. BMW competitor: AUDI.


34. Merged comm. giant: GTE.

39. Awareness-raising TV ad: PSA.  As in a Public Service Announcement.  We see these often in the crossword puzzles.

42. Lose stamina: TIRE.

43. A whole lot: GOBS.

50. Chase scene maneuvers, slangily: UEYS.  Awkward!

52. Some bottled waters: DASANIs.  Dasani is a brand of bottled water created by the Coca-Cola company.  It's basically filterered and bottled tap water.


53. Most tidy: NEATEST.

55. Arcing shot: LOB.

56. Fleshy facial feature: JOWL.

57. Student advocacy org.: PTA.  As in the Parent Teacher Association.

58. Off-the-cushion pool shot: CAROM.



62. Render weaponless: UNARM.


63. Maiden name lead-in: NÉE.  Today's French lesson.

64. Country rocker Steve: EARLE.  I am not familiar with the work of Steve Earle (né Stephen Fain Earle; b. Jan. 17, 1955).


65. Jam-packed: DENSE.

66. FedEx rival: UPS.


67. React to yeast: RISE.



Down:
1. Restaurant host: MAÎTRE D'.  More of today's French lesson.  The Maître d' (short for maître d’hôtel), is the head supervisor of wait staff and welcome guests in a formal restaurant.


2. Like most pet birds: IN A CAGE.


3. Writer Deighton: LEN.  Len Deighton (né Leonard Cyril Deighton; b. Feb. 18, 1929), is best known for his  spy and espionage novels.  He just celebrated his 91st birthday.


4. Dickens' "The Mystery of Edwin __": DROOD.  Charles Dickens died before he finished writing The Mystery of Edwin Drood.  It was to have been published in 12 installments, but only 6 had been written when Dickens' died, thus, the true ending is the real mystery.

5. Upstate New York lake: ONEIDA.  My flatware is made by Oneida.


6. Actress Dunaway: FAYE.  Faye Dunaway (née Dorothy Faye Dunaway; b. Jan. 14, 1941) is probably best known for her role as Bonnie Parker in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde.


7. Playfully pranks, for short: TPs.  Toilet Papering someone's house and yard is a big prank for some high school kids.


8. Stubborn equine: ASS.

9. Cut down to size: DEMEAN.

10. German city where Wagner was born: LEIPZIG.


11. Crime after a data breach, perhaps: ID THEFT.

12. "See ya": BYE.

13. Architectural details: SPECS.


17. Title planet in a 2001 sci-fi film: K-PAX.  I never saw this movie, which starred Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges.

23. In need of patching: WORN.

24. __ finder: carpenter's tool: STUD.


25. Wine city near Sacramento: LODI.  I learned of this California city from doing the crossword puzzles.

26. Just managing, with "out": EKING.

27. Witness: SEE.

30. Coast Guard Academy student: CADET.


32. "__ your life!": NOT ON.

36. Dee who sang with Elton: KIKI.



37. Spring flower: IRIS.

38. Joint ailment: GOUT.

39. Prof.'s degree: Ph.D.  As in the Doctor of Philosophy.

40. Maritime route: SEA LANE.  Check out this this interactive map of sea lanes.

41. Concession speech deliverer: ALSO RAN.

44. Paging gadgets: BEEPERS.  These were high tech 20 years ago.


45. Ventricular contraction: SYSTOLE.  The heart beat has two phases: the systole and the diastole.  The Systole occurs when the heart contracts and the blood is pumped out.  The diastole occurs when the heart muscle relaxes after the contraction and the blood pours into the heart chambers.

47. Hercules' 12 challenges: LABORS.

48. Low-risk govt. securities: T-NOTES.  As in Treasury Notes.  These appear often in the crossword puzzles.

49. Evergreens used for archery bows: YEWS.  The tree also has red berries.


51. Buffy's weapon of choice: STAKE.


54. Make changes to: ALTER.

56. Wrangler maker: JEEP.


58. Bovine chew: CUD.  Everything you wanted to know about Cattle Chewing and more.

59. French Mrs.: MME.  More of today's French lesson.

60. Oxlike antelope: GNU.  What's Gnu with You?


61. Yokohama yes: HAI.  Today's Japanese lesson.


Here's the Grid: