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 January 13. Show all posts
Showing posts with label January 13. Show all posts

Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

QOD:  I’ve never put much store by honesty.  I mean, how can you trust a word whose first letter you don’t even pronounce.  ~  Lorrie Moore (née Marie Lorena Moore; b. Jan. 13, 1957), American author

The Hills Are Alive with a Solfège.  


17-Across. Actress who plays Honey Chandler on "Bosch" and "Bosch: Legacy": MIMI ROGERS.  Mi is the Third musical note on the scale.  Mimi Rogers (née Miriam Ann Spickler; b. Jan. 17, 1956) was Tom Cruise's first wife.  I am not familiar with the Bosch television series.


25-Across. Flightless species last seen in the 1660s: DODO BIRD.  Do is the first note of the musical scale.  A shout-out to our dear friend Dodo.  The dodo is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to Mauritius, an island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.



56.-Across Musical film starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling: LA LA LAND.  La is the fourth musical note on the scale.  The movie, La La Land, was the center of a controversy at the 2017 Oscars when the presenters mistakenly announced it was the Best Picture winner, when in fact, the winner was Moonlight.

66-Across. Lukewarm critique: SO-SO REVIEW.  So, sometimes written as Sol, is the fifth note of the musical scale.

And the unifier:

38-Across. Type of exam that allows crib sheets, or a hint to 17-, 25-, 56-, and 66-Across: OPEN NOTES.  A Solfège is a system for teaching sight-singing by assigning syllables, such as Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La Ti, Do, to musical notes.

Here's the Grid:


Today's puzzle had two other sound-alikes:  1-Across (SEW) and 28-Across (SOW).

Across:
1. Attaches patches, say: SEWS.  It also sounds like it should fit in with today's theme.


5. To be, en español: ESTAR.  Today's Spanish lesson.

10. Hop, skip, or jump: VERB.

14. State boldly: AVOW.

15. Two-time Nobel Prize winner Curie: MARIE.  Marie Curie (née Maria Salomea Skłodowska; Nov. 7, 1867 ~ July 4, 1934) has the distinction of being (1) the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize;  (2) the first person to be awarded two Nobel Prizes; (3), along with her husband, was part of the first married couple to be awarded the Prize; and (4) the first person to be awarded two Nobel Prizes in two different fields.  In 1903, she shared a Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband, Pierre Curie () and Henri Becquerel () for their joint work in radioactivity research.  She was awarded the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work in isolating radium and polonium. Interestingly, in 1935, her daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie (Sept. 12, 1897 ~ Mar. 17, 1856), and her husband, Jean Frédéric Joliot (Mar. 19, 1900 ~ Aug. 14, 1958)  ware also awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  They became the second married couple to be awarded the Prize.


16. "Your turn," on a walkie-talkie: OVER.

19. Give in: CAVE.

20. City near Dallas: PLANO.


21. Heritage gp. with roots in China, India, and Samoa: AAPI.  As in Asian American and Pacific Islander.  Who knew?

22. Far from shore: ASEA.

23. Running time: LENGTH.

27. Subj. for some immigrants: ESL.  English as a Second Language has become a crossword staple.

28. Scatter, as seeds: SOW.  Another answer that sounds like it could fit with today's musical theme.

30. Ctrl-Alt-__: PC reboot combo: DEL.


31. Tiebreakers, briefly: OTs.  As in OverTimes.

32. Eyelid malady: STYE.

34. Prefix with day or night: MID-.


36. Family rooms: DENS.

42. Not full-size: MINI.


44. Tailless primate: APE.

45. Buddies: PALS.

49. Ultrasound goop: GEL.


50. Summer zodiac sign: LEO.


53. Smidgen: TAD.

55. Casual shoe, casually: MOC.

59. Like some algebra: LINEAR.
Correct?  You be the judge.

61. X __ xylophone: AS IN.

62. Typical high schooler: TEEN.

64. Science fiction author Jules: VERNE.  Jules Gabriel Verne (Feb, 8, 1828 ~ Mar. 24, 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright.  Some of his work includes: Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea


65. Channel: DUCT.

68. Southernmost Great Lake: ERIE.  And a shout out to our old friend Abejo.


69. Used a pen: INKED.

70. Light brown shade: ECRU.

71. Complete groups: SETS.  Beanie Babies were all the rage 30 years ago.


72. Inventor Nikola: TESLA.  Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 ~ Jan. 7, 1943) was an amazing inventor.  

73. Hoarse voice: RASP.

Down:
1. Grocery store freebies: SAMPLES.  Since Covid, we don't see these freebies as often.

2. Most wicked: EVILEST.  I am currently reading East of Eden, by John Steinbeck.  One of the characters, Cathy Ames, is the most wicket character in the novel.  She has no conscience and enjoys creating the destruction of those around her.


3. Feminine: WOMANLY.

4. Attempt to hit a baseball: SWING.


5. Punk subgenre: EMO.  A crossword staple.

6. Very long story: SAGA.

7. Tire pattern: TREAD.

8. Apple gadget in an ear: AIRPOD.


9. Live (in): RESIDE.

10. Words on flash cards, for short: VOCAB.

11. Tax crime: EVASION.  Tax evasion was the crime that tripped up Al Capone (Jan. 17, 1899 ~ Jan. 25, 1947).

12. Changes back (to): REVERTS.

13. Rye and sourdough: BREADS.


18. Decomposes: ROTS.

24. Base after third base: HOME.


26. Merrie __ England: OLDE.

29. Victory: WIN.

33. Long time: EON.

35. Genetic letters: DNA.

37. Mind reader's gift: ESP.


39. Medication form: PILL.

40. Choose (to): OPT.

41. Blue-green shade: TEAL.

42. Use a ruler: MEASURE.


43. Prohibited: ILLICIT.

46. Song that begins "My country, 'tis of thee": AMERICA.

47. Short-term offerings from an auto shop: LOANERS.

48. Make a mess of: SCREW UP.

49. Grassy forest clearings: GLADES.


51. Fails big-time: EATS IT.

52. Tied in a best-of-three series: ONE-ONE.  The double fits with today's theme, but it fails because it is not a musical note.

54. Go in headfirst: DIVE.


57. Buys into a poker game: ANTES.

58. Classroom array: DESKS.

60. "Not a chance!": NEVER.

63. Christmas: NOEL.  This is a December clue.

67. Vitamin fig.: RDA.  As in Recommended Daily Allowance.

That's all for this Tuesday.

חתולה



Friday, 13 January 2023

Friday, January 13, 2023

QOD:  A culture war is something only the other side fights.  The side you are on is merely talking sense.  ~  Richard Shrimsley, British journalist 

Thursday, 13 January 2022

Thursday, January 13, 2022

QOD:  In the end, you suffer alone.  But at the beginning you suffer with a whole lot of others.  ~  Lorrie Moore (née Marie Lorena Moore; b. Jan. 13, 1957), American author

Wednesday, 13 January 2021

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

QOD:  The Protestant Reformation had a lot to do with the printing press, where Martin Luther’s theses were reproduced 250,000 times, and so you had widespread dissemination of ideas that hadn’t been circulated in the mainstream before.  ~  Nate Silver (né Nathaniel Read Silver; b. Jan. 13, 1978)

Monday, 13 January 2020

Monday, January 13, 2020

QOD:  Eat, drink and remarry is my motto.  ~  Jay McInerney (né John Barrett McInerney, Jr., b. Jan. 13, 1955)

Sunday, 13 January 2019

Sunday, January 13, 2018

QOD:  If at first you don’t succeed, try Botox.  ~  Jay McInerney (né John Barrett McInerney, Jr., b. Jan. 13, 1955), American author

Friday, 13 January 2017

January 13, 2017 / Friday the 13th

QOD:  Living most of the time in a world created mostly in one’s head does not make for an easy passage in the real world.  ~  Sydney Brenner (b. Jan. 13, 1927), recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Wednesday, 13 January 2016

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

QOD:  If you feel rooted in your home and family, if you’re active in your community, there’s nothing more empowering.  The best way to make a difference in the world is to start by making a difference in your own life.  ~  Julia Louis-Dreyfus (b. Jan. 13, 1961), American actress and comedian

Tuesday, 13 January 2015

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

QOD:  The child is pronounced pretty.  I think it quite otherwise.  ~  Salmon P. Chase (né Salmon Portland Chase; Jan. 13, 1808 ~ May 7, 1873), Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court