Wednesday, January 31, 2024

QOD:  If I insist on giving you my truth, and never stop to receive your truth in return, there can be no truth between us.  ~  Thomas Merton (Jan. 31, 1915 ~ Dec. 10, 1968), American writer and Trappist monk

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

QOD:   If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.  ~  Tallulah Bankhead (née Tallulah Brockman Bankhead; Jan. 31, 1902 ~ Dec. 12, 1968), American actress

POP Goes the Weasel:

Speaking of Weasels (oh, we weren't?), when we were in Vietnam we sampled some Weasel Coffee.  I brought some home and served it to my friends.  I told them after it had been consumed how it had been produced.  It's actually quite good.

20-Across. Rebate redeemer's requirement, usually: PROOF OF PURCHASE.

39-Across. Motto for a socially responsible corporation: PEOPLE OVER PROFIT.

56-Across. Academic ultimatum: PUBLISH OR PERISH.

And the Unifiers:

70. With 71-Across, Destiny's Child or the Supremes, and an apt description of this puzzle's longest answers: POP.

71. See 70-Across: TRIO.

Together these two answers give us a POP TRIO.  Both Destiny's Child and The Supremes are female pop trios.  Beyoncé (née Beyoncé Giselle Knowles; b. Sept. 4, 1981) is the best known member of Destiny's Child and Diana Ross (b. Mar. 26, 1944) is the best known member of The Supremes.  There is also a TRIO of P-O-P theme answers.

Across:

1. Shapeless mass: BLOB.  //  And 2-Down. Shapeless mass: LUMP.

5. Syst. with hand gestures: ASL.  As in American Sign Language.

8. Zac of "High School Musical": EFRON.  His role in High School Musical is probably the role that is most identified with Zachary David Alexander Efron (b. Oct. 18, 1987).  [Name # 1.]

13. German automaker: AUDI.   Everything you wanted to known about Audi, but didn't know to ask.

14. Ill-mannered sort: BOOR.

16. Like some dips: ONIONY.

17. Metropolitan haze: SMOG.

18. Skin care balm: ALOE.  This has become a crossword staple.

19. Argon and oxygen: GASSES.

23. Acct. earnings: INT.  As in Interest.

24. "Arrested Development" actor Will: ARNETT.  Will Arnett (né William Emerson Arnett; b. May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Gob Bluth on Arrested Development.  He was also  married to Amy Poehler (b. Sept. 16, 1971) for over a decade.   [Name # 2.]

25. Patterned fabric: TOILE.  This is not the first time this fabric has appeared in the crossword puzzles.

28. Manolo Blahnik creation: SHOE.  Manolo Blahnik (né Manuel Blahnik Rodríguez; b. Nov. 27, 1942) is a Spanish fashion designer best known for his very expensive shoes.  He was the subject of 2017 documentary entitled Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards.  [Name # 3.]

29. Long story: SAGA.  I love a good saga.  Ken Follett (né Kenneth Martin Follett; b. June 5, 1949) is known for writing fabulous historical sagas.  He wrote three sagas that make up his Century Trilogy: Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, and Edge of Eternity.  The series follows 5 inter-related families throughout the 1900s, beginning with World War I in the first novel, followed by World War II in the second novel, and concluding with the  Cold War and the civil rights movements.

32. Branch: ARM.

33. __ deco: ART.  Our old friend Erté (né Romain Petrovich de Tirtoff; Nov. 23, 1892 ~ Apr. 21, 1990), who used to make frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles, was an expert in Art Deco.

35. Moving vehicle: VAN.  My favorite clue of today's puzzle.

37. Golf course rental: CART.

43. Motown genre: SOUL.

44. Reddit tell-all sesh: AMA.  As in Ask Me Anything.

45. Attempt: TRY.

46. "Mean Girls" screenwriter Tina: FEY.  Tina Fey (née Elizabeth Stamatina Fey; b. May 18, 1970) was also the star of 30 Rock. [Name # 4.]

47. "Halt!": STOP.

49. Curved foot part: ARCH.

51. Live (in): DWELL.

53. "Lucifer" actress Helfer: TRICIA.  I am not familiar with the Canadian-born Tricia Helfer (née Tricia Janine Helfer; b. Apr. 11, 1974), nor am I familiar with television series Lucifer.   [Name # 5.]

55. __ Lingus: AER.  Aer Lingus is the airline of Ireland.

62. Egypt's continent: AFRICA.

63. Colorado Plateau natives: UTES.  The Utes make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

64. Well-behaved: GOOD.

66. "Carol" Oscar nominee Mara: ROONEY.  Rooney Mara (née Patricia Rooney Mara; b. Apr. 17, 1985) is probably best known for her role as Lisbeth Salander in the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  [Name # 6.]

67. Meh-worthy: SO-SO.

68. "Reservation Dogs" streaming service: HULU.

69. Donkeys: ASSES.

Down:

1. __-relief: BAS.  I saw a lot of Bas-Relief on the wall of Angkor Wat.

3. Smell: ODOR.

4. Bloc in the fossil fuels lobby, collectively: BIG OIL.

5. To the back, on a boat: ABAFT.  We need our friend Spitzboov to explain this answer.

Spitzboov and his wife, Betty

6. Song for one: SOLO.  He sang solo we couldn't hear him.

7. Shower scrubber: LOOFAH.

8. Passes into law: ENACTS.

9. Seafood snack in a shell: FISH TACO.  Yummers!

10. "Undone" voice actress Salazar: ROSA.  Rosa Salazar (née Rosa Bianca Salazar; b. July 16, 1985) is our second Canadian actress in today's puzzle.  [Name # 7.]

11. Dollar bills: ONES.

12. Org. with opening and closing bells: NYSE.  As in the New York Stock Exchange.

15. Admonish: REPROVE.

16. Fantasy brute: OGRE.

21. Former NBA great Shaquille: O'NEAL.  Shaquille O'Neal (né Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal) played basketball for Louisiana State University for 3 years before leaving for the NBA.  He later returned to LSU and earned his B.A.  [Name # 8.]

22. Dig up: UNEARTH.

25. Lights-out music: TAPS.

26. Double Stuf cookies: OREOS.  A crossword staple.

27. "See ya": I'M OUT.

28. Tolerate: STOMACH.

30. Social blunder: GAFFE.

31. Disney mermaid: ARIEL. She is actually fictional because mermaids aren't real.  [Name # 9.]

34. Stephen of "The Crying Game": REA.  The Crying Game is a 1992 film that starred Stephen Rea (b. Oct. 31, 1946).  [Name # 10.]

36. "All Things Considered" airer: NPR.  As in National Public Radio.

38. "bye 4 now": TTYL.  Textspeak for Talk To You Later.

40. Story's framework: PLOT LINE.  The Plot Line is very important to 29-Across.

41. Assorted: VARIOUS.

42. Actress Winona: RYDER.  Winona Ryder (née Winona Laura Horowitz; b. Oct. 29, 1971) has appeared in numerous films.  In 2000, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  [Name # 11.]

48. Does some comparison shopping: PRICES.

50. Like some cargo carriers: CAR TOP.  Oh, as in something to put on top of your car to carry extra luggage, not a cargo ship.

52. "Native Son" novelist Richard: WRIGHT.  Richard Wright (né Richard Nathaniel Wright; Sept. 4, 1908 ~ Nov. 28, 1960) was an African American writer.  Much of his literature concerned racial themes.  His work was instrumental in helping to change race relations in the United States.  Sadly he died young ~ at age 52.  [Name # 12.]

54. "My stars!": I SAY!

55. Greek storyteller: AESOP.  You can read his fables here.  [Name # 13.]

56. Prefix with sail: PARA-.  It looks like fun, but I don't think I would really like to try parasailing.

57. Some fuzzy tabloid pics: UFOs.  As in Unidentified Flying Objects.

58. Dudes: BROS.

59. Mexican money: PESO.  One US Dollar is currently about 18.85 Mexican Pesos.

60. Like unripe grapes: SOUR.

61. Hindu spring festival: HOLI.  Everything you wanted to know about Holi, but didn't know to ask.  This year, the Holi falls on March 8, 2023.

65. Couple: DUO.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Sunday, January 29, 2023

QOD:  May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing views.  ~  Edward Abbey (né Edward Paul Abbey; Jan. 29, 1927 ~ Mar. 14, 1989), American writer, essayist and naturalist

Monday, January 31, 2022

QOD:  Curiosity is the one thing invincible in Nature.  ~  Dame Freya Stark (née Freya Madeline Stark; Jan 31, 1892 ~ May 9, 1993), British-Italian explorer and travel writer

Sunday, January 31, 2021

QOD:  The more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer, because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torment you, in proportion to your fear of being hurt. ~ Thomas Merton (Jan. 31, 1915 ~ Dec. 10, 1968), American writer and monk

Friday, January 31, 2020

QOD:  The most luxurious possession, the richest treasure anybody has, is his personal dignity.  ~  Jackie Robinson (né Jack Roosevelt Robinson; Jan. 31, 1919 – Oct 24, 1972), American professional baseball player

Thursday, January 31, 2019

QOD:  Laughter is much more important than applause.  Applause is almost a duty.  Laughter is a reward.  ~  Carol Channing (née Carol Elaine Channing; Jan. 31, 1923 ~ Jan. 15, 2019)

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

QOD:  Here’s a rule I recommend: Never practice two vices at once.  ~  Tallulah Bankhead (Jan. 31, 1902 ~ Dec. 12, 1968)

Sunday, January 31, 2016

QOD:  If I had to live my life again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner.  ~  Tallulah Bankhead (Jan. 31, 1902 ~ Dec. 12, 1968), American actress

Friday, January 31, 2014

QOD:  Only good girls keep diaries.  Bad girls don’t have time.   ~  Tallulah Bankhead (née Tallulah Brockman Bankhead; Jan 31, 1902 ~ Dec. 12, 1968), American actress