Thursday, January 18, 2024

QOD:  The underlying essence of science is questioning.  Ask an impertinent question and you are on your way to a pertinent answer.  ~  Jacob Bronowski (Jan. 18, 1908 ~ Aug. 22, 1974), Polish-born English mathematician

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

QOD:  To play yourself ~ your true self ~ is the hardest thing in the world.  ~  Cary Grant (né Archibald Alexander Leach; Jan. 18, 1904 ~ Nov. 29, 1986), British-born actor

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

QOD:  Some people talk to animals.  Not many people listen, though.  That’s the problem.  ~  A.A. Milne (né Alan Alexander Milne; Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956), British author

Animal Sounds that Aren't.

16-Across. Antidote fraud that doesn't come from a duck?: QUACK CURE.  What does the duck say?

28-Across. Social media barrage that doesn't come from a bird?: TWEETSTORM.  What does the bird say?

43-Across. Voguish term that doesn't come from a bee?: BUZZ PHRASE.  What does the bee say?  Also known as Buzz Words.

58-Across. Fabric made from tree exteriors that doesn't come from a dog?: BARKCLOTH.  What does the dog say?  Hand up if you knew what Barkcloth is.

Across:
1. Broke off, as talks: ENDED.

6. Retired flier: SST.  We haven't seen the SST Concorde in the sky since its retirement in October 2003.

9. Lola's nightclub, in song: COPA.

13. To a degree, informally: SORTA.  I'm sorta okay with clues and answers like this.

14. Lyndon Johnson girl beagle: HER.  And the boy dog was named Him.

15. Breakfast sizzler: BACON.

18. Northeast express train: ACELA.  This train line appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

19. Swipe: STEAL.  I was thinking of "swipe right" or "swipe left" instead of actually theft.

20. Pub with suds and entertainment: BEER HALL.

22. Jog or racing gait: TROT.

24. Caught in the act: SEEN.

25. Bat's home: CAVE.

33. German river: EDER.

34. Gets really high: SOARS.

35. Asian language: LAO.

36. Director Wertmüller: LINA.  Lina Wertmüller (née Arcangela Felice Assunta Wertmüller von Elgg Spanol von Braueich; Aug. 14, 1928 ~ Dec. 9, 2021) was an Italian film director best known for her art-house films from the 1970s.  She died just over a month ago at age 93.

37. Rock gp. sometimes joined by Young: CSN. With Young, the band is known as CSN&Y.

38. __ stick: bouncing toy: POGO.

39. Wide shoe spec: EEE.

40. "When I Need You" singer Leo: SAYER.

42. Hunchbacked lab assistant: IGO

46. Daly of "Judging Amy": TYNE.  Tyne Daly (née Ellen Tyne Daly; b. Feb. 21, 1946) is the older sister of actor Tim Daly (né James Timothy Daly; b. Mar. 1, 1956).

47. Three-vowel African river: UELE.  Everything you wanted to know about the Uele River, but didn't know to ask

48. Bit of bickering: TIFF.  If the tiff is big enough, it might result in a gift from Tiff's ...

50. Military "pineapples": GRENADES.

54. Wikipedia policy: NO ADs.

57. Archaeological find: RELIC.

Sad, but true.

61. __ worse than death: A FATE.

62. Downed: ATE.

63. Arm bones: ULNAE.  The plural of Ulna.

64. Ho Chi __ City: MINH.  Formerly known as Saigon.

65. "Sure": YEP.

66. Certain NCOs: SSGTs.  As in Staff Sergeants.  This abbreviation appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

Down:

1. Letters on a law office door: ESQ.  Esquire it the title one can use after passing the bar exam.

2. We, to one who says "oui": NOUS.  Today's French lesson.

3. "Dang!": DRAT.

4. And so on: ET CETERA.  Today's Latin lesson.

5. Senegal's capital: DAKAR.  It's also a port city.

6. Moo __ pork: SHU.  You, too, can make this at home.

7. Balkan native: SERB.

8. Certain surgeon's "patient": TREE.  Cute clue!

9. Prestige: CACHET.

10. Cousteau's field: OCEANOLOGY.  Jacques-Yves Cousteau (June 11, 1910 ~ June 25, 1997) was a pioneer in ocean and marine conservation.

11. Gallup specialty: POLL.

12. Fastidious to a fault: ANAL.

15. Exposes: BARES.

17. Thickens, as cream: CLOTS.  You can purchase clotted cream across the pond.

21. Approximate nos.: ESTs.  As in Estimates.

23. Like a good-sized garage: TWO CAR.

25. People focus, for short: CELEB.  

26. "Bye" that's bid: ADIEU.  Another clever clue.  And more of today's French lesson.

27. Caracas native: VENEZUELAN.  Caracas is another port city.

29. Snap course: EASY A.

30. Writer Hemingway: ERNEST.  Ernest Miller Hemingway (July21, 1899 ~ July 2, 1961) wrote many books that are considered classics.  I had to read some when I was in high school.

31. Make fun of: RAG ON.

32. Mandy of "This Is Us": MOORE.  Mandy Moore (née Mandy Leigh Moore; b. Apr. 10, 1984) is also a singer.

38. Traps for the unwary: PITFALLS.  Pitfall was also the name of a relic of a Atari video game.  At the time it seemed really state-of-the-art.

40. Lawn tool storage building: SHED.

41. Sign again: REINK.  Meh!

44. Highest point: ZENITH.  Zenith was also an American company that manufactured televisions.  The company sold its shares to LG in 1995.

45. "Peyton __": PLACE.  Before it was a television show, Peyton Place was the 1956 novel by Grace Metalious (née Mary Grace DeRepentigny; Sept. 8, 1924 ~ Feb. 25, 1964).  The novel was quite scandalous when it was first published as it delved into the dark secrets of adultery, incest, lust, abortion and murder in a small New England town.

49. Concentrate: FOCUS.

50. Fat unit: GRAM.

51. Bank offering, briefly: RE-FI.  As in Refinance.

52. "Buy It Now" site: EBAY.

53. Fill to the max: SATE.

55. Bell sound: DONG.  I tried Ring and Gong before settling on Dong.

56. PDQ, in the ER: STAT.

59. Sales agent: REP.  As in a Representative.

60. Cock and bull: HEs.  Both a Cock and a Bull are male animals.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

And Now I will Bid you Adieu!

January 18, 2021

QOD:  The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority.  The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority.  The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.  ~  A.A. Milne (né Alan Alexander Milne; Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956), British author

Friday, January 18, 2019

QOD:  Everybody wants to be Cary Grant.  Even I want to be Cary Grant.  ~  Cary Grant (né Archibald Alexander Leach; Jan. 18, 1904 ~ Nov. 29, 1986), American actor

Thursday, January 18, 2018

QOD:  Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.  ~  A.A. Milne (né Alan Alexander Milne, Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956)

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

QOD:  Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.  ~  A.A. Milne (né Alan Alexander Milne, Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956)

Sunday, January 18, 2015

QOD:  Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?  ~  A.A. Milne (né Alan Alexander Milne; Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956), British writer

Friday, January 18, 2013

QOD:  If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.  ~  A.A. Milne (né Alan Alexander Milne; Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956), British author

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

QOD: Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. ~ Albert Einstein (Mar. 14, 1879 ~ Apr. 18, 1955), German-born theoretical physicist

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

QOD: When we learn to tolerate boredom, we find out who we really are. ~ Naomi Alderman  (b. 1974), English novelist