Tuesday, May 6, 2025 Janice Luttrell

QOD:  Ask not what you can do for your country.  Ask what’s for lunch.  ~  Orson Welles (né George Orson Welles; May 6, 1915 ~ Oct. 10, 1985), American actor and movie director

Redecorating.  The first word of each theme answer is a type of window dressing.

 17-Across. Driver's concern when merging: BLIND SPOT.

24-Across. Hairstyle that frames the face: CURTAIN BANGS.  I wasn't familiar with the term Curtain Bangs, but apparently it's a thing.  Curtain bangs are a type of bang that's parted in the center and styled to sweep outwards, framing the face like a curtain.

51-Across. Exposure-determining setting, in photography: SHUTTER SPEED.

63-Across. Mature growth in a backyard: SHADE TREE.

And the unifier:

38-Across. Storefront merchandise displays, or what the starts of 17-, 24-, 51-, and 63-Across are: WINDOW DRESSINGS.

Across:

1. Bandmate of Crosby and Stills: NASH.  The band was known as Crosby, Stills and Nash until Neil Young, joined, then they became known as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

5. On a cruise: ASEA.

9. Lunch and dinner: MEALS.

14. Eight, in combinations: OCTO-.

15. Brief moments: SECs.  As in Seconds.

16. God of Islam: ALLAH.

19. Nary a soul: NO ONE.

20. "So are we!": US, TOO!

21. Fibber's confession: I LIED.

23. Actor Beatty: NED.  Ned Beatty (né Ned Thomas Beatty; July 6, 1937 ~ June 13, 2021) was primarily a character actor and appeared in more than 160 films.  He is probably best remembered for his role in Deliverance.

27. Full of school spirit: RAH!  RAH!

29. Rain-__ gum: BLO.

30. Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI.  Ali Mahershala (né Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore; b. Feb. 16, 1974) is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films.  He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as a drug dealer in Moonlight and as Don Shirley in Green Book (2018).

Ali Mahershala on the left; Don Shirley on the right.

31. Prayer ending: AMEN.

35. Diva's piece: ARIA.  You knew I was going to include this piece from Carmen.

43. Brief "Almost done with this week!": TGIF.  As in Thank Goodness It's Friday.

44. Pants, briefly: TROU.  Do college boys still Drop Trou?

45. Pop singer Rita: ORA.  Rita Ora (née Rita Sahatçiu Ora; b. Nov. 26, 1990) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

46. Pilot's approx.: ETA.  As in Estimated Time of Arrival.

48. Country singer Tim whose father pitched in the MLB for 19 seasons: McGRAW.  Tim McGraw (né Samuel Timothy McGraw; b. May 1, 1967), just celebrated his 58th birthday.  He is married to singer Faith Hill (née Audrey Faith Perry; b. Sept. 21, 1957).  Tim didn't know his father was baseball star, Tug McGraw (1944 ~ 2004) until he was about 11 years old.

56. IRS form expert: CPA.  As in a Certified Public Accountant.

57. Spur to action: IMPEL.

58. Filmmakers Ethan and Joel: COENS.  The Coen brothers, Joel (b. Nov. 29, 1954) and Ethan (b. Sept. 21, 1957) have made numerous off-beat indie films, including cult classic, The Big Lebowski.

61. Vinyl collectible: ALBUM.

65. Salary increase: RAISE.

66. __ of office: OATH.

67. Gillette razor: ATRA.

68. Memory units: BYTES.

69. U.K. awards: MBEs.  //  And 4-Down. Pay homage to, to a Brit: HONOUR.  Becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire is an Honour.

70. "Tell me more!": GO ON.  Parsed differently, the answer becomes a Goon.

Down:

1. Fusion restaurant chain co-owned by Robert De Niro: NOBU.  This restaurant has appeared often on Tuesdays in the past year.  Technically, De Niro is a co-owner of Nobu Hospitality, LLC, the company behind the restaurant chain.  The restaurant is named after Nobu Matshuisha (né Nobuyuki Matsuhisa; b. Mar. 10, 1949).  A Nobu restaurant just opened in New Orleans.

2. Knee parts, for short: ACLs.  As in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament.  It is commonly injured by a tear.

3. Red lines on a baseball, e.g.: STITCHING.

5. Donkey: ASS.

6. Retro photo effect: SEPIA.  Everything you wanted to know about Sepia but didn't know to ask.

7. Gut bacteria: E. COLI.  E. coli is short for Escherichia coli, a gram-negative bacterium.  It is commonly found in the lower intestine.  Most E. coli are harmless and aid in the digestion of food and protect us from harmful germs, but some can make you sick.  This bacterium appears often in the puzzles.

9. Geometric designs used as meditative aids: MANDALAs.  The meaning behind the mandala.

10. "Evil Woman" gp.: ELO.  The formal name of the band is Electric Light Orchestra.

11. "Moving right __ ... ": ALONG.

12. Bowling alley divisions: LANES.  Shout out to Boomer!

Chumbawamba anyone?

13. Backyard building: SHED.

18. Young explorer in "The Lost City of Gold": DORA.  Dora the Explorer.

22. __ and flow: EBB.

25. Spring melt: THAW.

26. Sushi seaweed: NORI.  Another crossword staple.  Yummers!

27. Uncooked: RAW.

28. Disembarked: ALIT.

32. Utah summer hrs.: MDT.  As in Mountain Daylight Time.

33. __ on the side of caution: ERR.

34. Paleo- opposite: NEO-.

36. So that one may: IN ORDER TO.

37. Taj Mahal city: AGRA.  The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592 ~ 1666) in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal (1593 ~ 1631). She died at age 38 giving birth to her 14th child.  The Taj Mahal is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Construction began in 1632 and took 22 years to complete, employing around 20,000 laborers and artisans.  The Taj Mahal is known for its intricate designs and, because it is embedded with precious gems and stones, its color changes throughout the day as the sun moves across the building. 

39. God, in Paris: DIEU.  Today's French lesson.

40. Frequently: OFT TIMES.

41. __ pump: drainage aid in a basement: SUMP.

42. Witnessed: SAW.

47. Cash dispenser: ATM.

49. Gospel singer Winans: CECE.  CeCe Winans (née Priscilla Marie Winans; b. Oct. 8, 1964) has won 17 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer.

50. Digital photo's location stamp: GEOTAG.

51. Spread out, as fingers: SPLAY.

52. Nun's attire: HABIT.

53. __ salts: foot-soaking stuff: EPSOM.

54. Post-injury regimen: REHAB.

55. Roofing stone: SLATE.

56. Keto no-no: CARB.  If you are on a Keto diet, you shouldn't drink carbonated water because it's full of of Carbs.

59. Fictional sleuth Wolfe: NERO.  Nero Wolfe was the creation of Rex Stout (né Rex Todhunter Stout; Dec. 1, 1886 ~ Oct. 27, 1975), who wrote a series of detective fiction staring Wolfe.  Nero Wolfe was also a television series adopted from Stout's books.  The television series starred William Conrad (né John Willian Cann, Jr.; Sept. 27, 1920 ~ Feb. 11, 1994).

60. With 8-Down, Samwise Gamgee player in "The Lord of the Rings": SEAN.  //  8-Down. See 60-Down: ASTIN.  Sean Patrick Astin (b. Feb. 25, 1971) is the son of Patty Duke (Dec. 14, 1946 ~ Mar. 29, 2016).

62. Put to work: USE.

64. Players who only bat, briefly: DHs.  Think baseball and the Designated Hitters.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I will be taking a brief hiatus for the next few weeks.  I know you will be in good/better hands during my absence.

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

QOD:  Diversity of thought and culture and religion and ideas has been the strength of America.  ~  Gary Locke (né Gary Faye Locke), American attorney, politician, and 36th United States Secretary of Commerce

Haute Couture, or the creation of exclusive high-end fashion.  The letters in the circles spell out sewing terms.  Seams and Hems can be found in just about all clothing, high fashion or not.  Darts are found in women's dresses, blouses, and many styles of pants.

20-Across. Studio co-founded by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and others: UNITED ARTISTS. DARTs are folds (tucks coming to a point) sewn into fabric to take in ease and provide shape to a garment, especially for a woman's bust.  United Artists was founded in February 1919.

24-Across.  Like Vera Wang and I.M. Pei:  CHINESE AMERICAN.  A SEAM is the joining of two or more layers of fabric held together with stitches.  Vera Wang (née Vera Ellen Wang; b. June 27, 1949) is an American fashion designer, so she is quite familiar with the sewing terms in this puzzle.  I. M. Pei (né Ioeh Ming Pei; Apr. 26, 1917 ~ May 16, 2019) was an especially creative architect. Two of his iconic designs are the Kennedy Library in Boston, Massachusetts and the Dallas City Hall.  was born in Guangzhou, China.  He moved to the United States when he was 17 to attend college.  He became a naturalized citizen in 1954.  He was 

43-Across. Completely unplanned: SPUR OF THE MOMENT.  In sewing, a HEM is the finished edge of a piece of cloth.  It often refers to the bottom of a skirt or the legs of pants.

And the unifier:

49-Across. Social groups that work on embroidery projects, or what can be found three times in this puzzle?: SEWING CIRCLES.  The circles in the puzzle are necessary for this clue and answer to fully make sense.  Additionally, an embroidery CIRCLE is a necessity for embroidery projects.

Across:

1. Taken __: surprised: ABACK.

6. Oscar winner Guinness: ALEC.  That's Sir Alec to you.  Alec Guinness (né Alec Guinness de Cuffe; Apr. 2, 1914 ~ Aug. 5, 2000) was an English actor.  He began his stage career in 1934, then made the transition to a film career.  He is best known to me as portraying Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars movies.

10. Think (over): MULL.

14. Heartless: CRUEL.

15. Showroom sample: DEMO.

16. Length x width: AREA.

17. Soup scoop: LADLE.

18. "Sunflowers" and "Water Lilies": PAINTINGS.  Vincent Van Gogh (né Vincent Willem van Gogh; Mar. 30, 1853 ~ July 29, 1890) made numerous paintings of sunflowers.  Claude Monet (né Oscar-Claude Monet; Nov. 14, 1840 ~ Dec. 5, 1926) was fond of painting the water lilies in his garden in Givenry, France.

Some of Van Gogh's Sunflowers

Monet's Water Lilies

22. Eggy holiday drink: NOG.

23. Air traffic org.: FAA.  As in the Federal Aviation Administration.

33. Luxury watch brand: ROLEX.

34. The red planet: MARS.  Did you know that Mars named after the Roman god of war because its red color reminded them of blood?

35. The "A" of IPA: ALE.  As in India Pale Ale.  The backstory of India Pale Ale.

36. Numbered musical composition: OPUS.

37. Manicure targets: NAILS.

39. Fencer's handful: HILT.

40. Telluride or Escalade: SUV.  Both are Sports Utility Vehicles.  The Telluride is made by Kia and the Escalade is made by Cadillac.

41. Fireplace stack: LOGS.

42. Muscular strength: SINEW.

47. Always, poetically: EER.

48. Soak (up), as gravy: SOP.

56. Careful examination: CLOSE LOOK.

58. __ and kicking: ALIVE.

59. Assistant: AIDE.

60. Folk tales: LORE.

61. Gymnast Comaneci: NADIA.  Nadia Elena Comăneci (b. Nov. 12, 1961) is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events.  In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Olympic Games.  In 1996, she married fellow gymnast Bart Conner (b. Mar. 28, 1958).

62. Paella vegetables: PEAS.  Yummers!

63. Absolut rival: SKYY.  There are lots of brands of vodkas out there.  Here is one man's review of many vodka brands.

64. Beginning stage: ONSET.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

Down:

1. First Amendment advocacy gp.: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union.  The ACLU was founded on Jan. 19, 1920.

2. High-fiber cereal ingredient: BRAN.

3. German auto: AUDI.  A history of the Audi.  This car manufacturer also makes SUVs.

4. Gael, for one: CELT.

5. Facial tissue brand: KLEENEX.  Kleenex is a registered trademark of Kimberly-Clark Corporation. The generic term for Kleenex is facial tissue.  "Kleenex" has become so commonly used that it's now considered interchangeable with the generic term "tissue".

6. Newspaper income source: AD PAGE.

7. Shakespearean king with three daughters: LEAR.  King Lear is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.  It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain.  As King Lear approached his old age, he divides his power and land between his daughters Goneril and Regan, who pay homage to gain favor, feigning love.  Our friend, Old Man Keith could have told us a lot about this Shakespearian play.

8. Give off: EMIT.

9. Many Christmas trees: CONIFERS.  Conifers produce cones instead of flowers or fruit.  The name "conifer" comes from the cones that produce seeds.

10. Rum and Curaçao cocktail: MAI TAI.  Yummers!  One version of how the drink came into being.

11. Large coffee dispensers: URNS.

12. Table support: LEG.

13. __ Vegas: LAS.  Las Vegas, Nevada was founded in 1905 as a railroad stop in the desert between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles.  It wasn't until the 1940s that it became the gambling mecca that it is known for today.

19. Former Russian rulers: TSARs.  The term tsar, a form of the ancient Roman imperial title caesar.  The title was first used by Ivan IV, (b. Aug. 25, 1530 ~ Mar. 1584) when he proclaimed himself as Tsar.  He was also known as Ivan the Terrible.

Tsar Ivan IV

21. Spanish two: DOS.  Today's Spanish lesson.

24. Symbol of Christianity: CROSS.  Apparently there are various versions of the cross and its history pre-dates Christianity.

25. Invitation to a dog while patting the bed, perhaps: HOP UP.

26. Candy heart words: I LUV U.

27. Super Mario Bros. console: NES.

28. Barn-raising sect: AMISH.

29. "Bad" prefix: MAL-.

30. "Alfie" star Michael: CAINE.  That's Sir Michael to you.  His given name is actually Maurice Joseph Micklewhite (b. Mar. 14, 1933).

31. "The Bear" Emmy winner Jeremy __ White: ALLEN.  Jeremy Allen White (b. Feb. 17, 1991) portrays Carmy Berzatto, a chef inherits his family's Italian beef sandwich shop after the death of his older brother.  He is left to deal with his brother's unresolved debts, a rundown kitchen, and an unruly staff, while dealing with his own pain and family trauma.   The Bear is considered a "psychological comedy-drama."

32. Food package abbr.: NET WT.  As in Net Weight.

37. Without any extras: NO FRILLS.

38. Simon Cowell's competition show, briefly: AGT.  As in America's Got Talent.

39. He/__ pronouns: HIM.

41. "My Fair Lady" composer Frederick: LOEWE.  Frederick Loewe (né Friedrich "Fritz" Löwe; June 10, 1901 ~ Feb. 14, 1988) was an American composer.  He collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner (Aug. 311, 1918 ~ June 14, 1986) on many of Broadway musicals, including Brigadoon and Camelot, as well as My Fair Lady.

42. Opera heroine, often: SOPRANO.

44. Big name in peanut butter candy: REESES.  Yummers!

45. "Get me outta here" button: ESC KEY.

46. "Pretentious? __?": MOI.

49. Fountain drink: SODA.

50. Alcove: NOOK.

51. Unpleasant, as details: GORY.  Cartoonist Edward Gorey (Feb. 22, 1925 ~ Apr. 15, 2000) often created gory cartoons.  His name was very appropriate.

52. Family: CLAN.

53. Tupperware toppers: LIDS.  Tupperware containers were invented in the 1940s by Earl Tupper (né Earl Silas Supper; July 28, 1907 ~ Oct. 5, 1983).

54. Pop singer Sands: EVIE.  Evie Sands (b. July 18, 1946) is probably best known for her 1967 song, Angel of the Morning.

55. Airplane assignment: SEAT.

56. Ballplayer's hat: CAP.

57. Fib: LIE.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Many thanks to Anon-T and Naomi Z for filling in on Tuesdays while I was away down under.