July 30, 2024

QOD:  A luxury, once enjoyed, becomes a necessity.  ~  C. Northcote Parkinson (né Cyril Northcote Parkinson; July 20, 1909 ~Mar. 9, 1993), British naval historian and author

It's A Man's Man's Man's Man's Man's World.

17-Across. Spa combo: MANI-PEDI.  Guy # 1.

24-Across. Technique for closing a seam: LADDER STITCH.  Guy # 2.  A Ladder Stitch is an invisible seam.  It is used to close seams on stuffed items, such as pillows, or stuffed toys, where, after the stuffing is added.

30-Across. Like many consignment store items: GENTLY USED.  Guy # 3.

41-Across. North Carolina college town: CHAPEL HILL.  Guy # 4.

48-Across. Metaphor for a repetitive person: BROKEN RECORD.  Guy # 5.

And the unifier:

60-Across. Hamburger franchise, and what can be found at the starts of 17-, 24-, 30-, 41-, and 48-Across: FIVE GUYS.  The first few letters of each of the FIVE theme answers is a synonym for a GUY.  I have never eaten at a Five Guys burger joint.

Across:

1. Roadie's cargo: AMPS.

5. Barrel wood: OAK.  Why Oak Barrels?

8. A flat equivalent: G SHARP.  Good misdirection.  I was thinking that the "Flat" was an apartment.  Nope, it's a musical reference.  Everything you wanted to know about Sharps and Flats but didn't know to ask.

14. Bus route, often: LOOP.

15. Bid the most, say: WIN.

16. Grows tired: STALES.

19. In an overly curious way: NOSILY.

20. Fix up, as hair: STYLE.

21. Gee preceder: EFF.  A B C D E F G ...

23. Room under the roof: ATTIC.  //  31-Down. Call from the 23-Across, perhaps: UP HERE!

27. Knightley of "Atonement": KEIRA.  Keira Christina Knightley (b. Mar. 26, 1985) is a British actress who also starred in the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films.  [Name # 1.]

29. Painter's prop: EASEL.

33. Not imaginary: REAL.

36. Fur baby: PET.

37. Happy Valley sch.: PSU.  As in Pennsylvania State University.  Louisiana State University has a Death Valley, which sounds so much more fierce.  The former is a region in Pennsylvania and the latter is the football stadium.

38. Author info: BIO.  As in Biography.

39. Schedule opening: SLOT.

45. Hawaii Senator Hirono: MAZIE.  Mazie Keiko Hirono (b. Nov. 3, 1947) has served Hawaii in the United States Senate since 2013.  [Name # 2.]

47. Farm animals with horns: GOATS.

52. Jobs: ROLES.

53. Pipe bend shape: ELL.

54. Ramen soup broth: DASHI.  Not a Tuesday word.  Everything you wanted to know about Dashi but didn't know to ask.

58. Suspects: IS ON TO.

62. NCAA group that will add four new members in 2024: BIG TEN.  The Big Ten Conference is the oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States.

63. "__ been wondering ... ": I'VE.

64. Verdi opera: AIDA.  Aida is a tragic opera by Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813 ~ Jan. 27, 1901).   It is set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt and was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House.  The opera premiered in Cairo in December 1871.  There is a modern rock musical version of Aida that was written by Elton John and Tim Rice that premiered in 1998.  [Name adjacent.]

65. Dolorous donkey: EEYORE.  A reference to a pal of Winnie the Pooh.  [Name # 3, fictional.]

66. Barclays Center baller: NET.  The Barclay Center is home to the NBA team the Brooklyn Nets.

67. Seethe, as over a slight: STEW.

Down:

1. Pillar of Islam known as Zakat: ALMS.  The Five Pillars of Islam.

2. Castle protection: MOAT.

3. Pay (up): PONY.

4. "Tell us!": SPILL IT!

5. Be a tad short with?: OWE.  Cute clue.

6. Assisted: AIDED.

7. Place setting piece: KNIFE.

8. "People Puzzler" airer: GSN.  As in the Game Show Network.

9. Weasel cousins: STOATS.  Everything you wanted to know about the difference between Weasels and Stoats but didn't know to ask.

10. More hurried: HASTIER.

11. Slightly: A LITTLE BIT.

12. Shrine centerpiece: RELIC.  The Right Hand of St. Stephen of Hungary is housed in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Budapest.

13. Course where one might study Jung, familiarly: PSYCH.  Carl Gustav Jung (July 26, 1875 ~ June 6, 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology.  Carl Jung vs. Sigmund Freud.  [Name # 4.]

18. June birthstone: PEARL.

22. Make available: FREE UP.

25. Tomorrow, for one: DAY.

26. Texting :-(, perhaps: SAD.

27. Ship stabilizer: KEEL.

28. Study of bugs: ENTOMOLOGY.

30. Tech that might repeat "Make a U-turn": GPS.  As in Global Positioning System.

32. Org. with a Popular Baby Names page: SSA.  I was not aware that the Social Security Administration had a page with popular baby names.  The top name in 2023 was Liam for boys and Olivia for girls.

34. Comes down with something: AILS.

35. "ur so funny!": LOL.  Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud.

40. Become smitten with: TAKEN TO.

41. Bengals, on scoreboards: CIN.  Joe Burrow (b. Dec. 10, 1996), who played football for the LSU (Bengal) Tigers now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.  

42. Brand of battery-powered lawn equipment: EGO.  I was not aware of this brand of lawn mowers, although it bills itself as being rated #1.  [Name Adjacent.]

43. "Royals" singer: LORDE.  Lorde is from New Zealand.  Her full name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (b. Nov. 1996).  [Name # 5.]

44. Enjoyed oneself immensely: HAD A GAS.

46. Gadget scraped on a peel: ZESTER.

48. Corrupt kickback: BRIBE.

49. Perez of "Do the Right Thing": ROSIE.  Do the Right Thing is a movie that makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.  Rosie Perez (née Rosa Marie Perez; b. Sept. 6, 1964) got her start with this film which is a film about race relations in New York City.  I saw this film when I was living in France.  The theme did not translate well.  [Name # 6.]

50. Petite and playful: ELFIN.

51. "Closer" actor Owen: CLIVE.  Clive Owen (b. Oct. 3, 1964) is a British actor.  Closer was a 2004 romantic comedy that also starred Julia Roberts.  [Name # 7.]

55. Wedding dress, perhaps: SUIT.

56. Jekyll's counterpart: HYDE.  The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a classic Gothic horror story by Robert Louis Stephenson (Nov. 13, 1850 ~ Dec. 3, 1894).  Hand up if you have actually ever read the story.  [Names # 8 and 9, fictional.]

57. "It didn't escape my notice": I SAW.

59. Small square: ONE.  Okay, if you say so.

61. Nov. honoree: VET.   Veteran's Day is celebrated on November 11.

Here's the Grid:

 

חתולה

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

QOD:  Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some.  ~  Eric Hoffer (July 15, 1902 ~ May 21, 1983), American moral and social philosopher

I've Got My I's on You!  In today's puzzle, each theme word is a two-word phrase where the first word ends in the letter "i" and the next word begins with the letter "i", giving the phrase "i" [eye] contact.

16-Across. Denomination of most of the world's Muslims: SUNNI ISLAM.

25-Across. Spiced cold drink made with sweetened condensed milk: THAI ICED TEA.  How to make Thai Tea: Thai Tea is a strongly black tea that is spiced with star anise, cloves, crushed tamarind, cardamom, or a combination of any of those spices.  It is sweetened with sweetened condensed milk.

37-Across. Pro on the slopes: SKI INSTRUCTOR.

49-Across. Coastal resort town southeast of Naples: AMALFI ITALY.

And the unifier:

60. Nonverbal communication concern, and a phonetic hint to a feature of 16-, 25-, 37-, and 49-Across: EYE CONTACT.

Across:

1. Spelman or Morehouse, for short: HBCU.  HBCU = Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  Historically Black Colleges and Universities are those institutions of higher education that were established before Civil Rights Act of 1964 that were designed to serve African-American students.

5. Fluffy scarves: BOAS.

9. "Surely, you __!": JEST.

13. List-ending abbr.: ET AL.  Today's Latin lesson and crossword staple.  Et al. is an abbreviation of the Latin term et alia, which translates as and others.  Note that in the term, Et is a word in and of itself, thus there is no period after this word, only Al, which is the abbreviated word.

14. Texter's "What's up?": HOW R U.

15. Black-and-white cookie: OREO.  A crossword staple.

These are the REAL Black and White cookies.

18. Genesis twin: ESAU.  Jacob and Esau make frequent appearances in the puzzles.  They were the sons of Isaac and Rebecca.  [Name # 1.]

19. Zesty flavor: TANG.  Also the drink of astronauts.

20. Saloon: BAR.  //  And 58-Across. Brewpub options: ALES.

22. "GMA" TV network: ABC.  GMA = Good Morning America.

23. Teacup pig, e.g.: PET.  Everything you wanted to know about a Teacup Pig but didn't know to ask.

29. "Dracula" novelist Stoker: BRAM.  Bram Stoker (né Abraham Stoker; Nov. 8, 1847 ~ Apr. 20, 1912) was an Irish writer who never even set foot in Transylvania, the home of Dracula.  [Name # 2.]

Dracula's Castle in Romania.

31. Doc intended to protect confidentiality: NDA.  NDA = Non-Disclosure Agreement.

32. Eggs purchase: DOZEN.  Eggs were rather expensive earlier this year.

33. Spicy pizza topping: JALAPENO.  Not my first choice as a topping.

36. Clumsy oaf: LUG.

41. __-mo replay: SLO.

42. Host, as guests: HAVE OVER.

44. Divided Asian peninsula: KOREA.

47. Nape tickler: TAG.  Cute clue.  Lots of shirts now print their label on the cloth instead of attaching a tag.

48. Sharp cry: YELP.

53. __ de plume: NOM.  Today's French lesson.  Also known as a pen name.

54. TiVo button: REC.  TiVo is (was?) a video recorder with a Record button.

55. Normal: Abbr.: STD.  As in Standard.

56. "Silly me!": OOPS!

65. U. of Maryland athlete: TERP.

Looks mean.

66. Disney warrior played by Liu Yifei: MULAN.  The movie Mulan is about a young girl who disguises herself as a man who takes the place of her elderly and ailing father who had been conscripted into the army.  Liu Yifei (née An Feng; b. Aug. 25, 1987) portrayed Mulan in the 2020 film version.   [Name # 3.]

67. Some: A FEW.

68. Online artisan marketplace: ETSY.  Etsy is an e-commerce company that specializes in handmade or vintage items.

69. Dalmatian mark: SPOT.

70. Actress Ward: SELA.  Sela Ward (née Sela Ann Ward; b. July 11, 1956) is probably best known for her role as Theodora "Teddy" Reed on the television drama Sisters.  The show ran in the 1990s.  [Name # 4.]

Sela Ward is in the lower right corner.

Down:

1. "__ So Shy": HE'S.  And now for a musical interlude.

2. AC meas.: BTU.  BTU = British Thermal Unit.  From the US Energy Information Administration webpage: "A British Thermal Unit is a measure of the heat content of fuels or energy sources. One Btu is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of liquid water by 1° Fahrenheit (F) at the temperature that water has its greatest density (approximately 39° F)."  Perfectly clear, right?

3. "No time to chat!": CAN'T TALK.

4. Forearm bone: ULNA.

5. Fenway team: Abbr.: BOS.  As in the Boston Red Sox.  Years ago, I lived just a few blocks from Fenway.  That was back in the day when bleacher seats were only $3.

6. Duo, the Duolingo mascot, for one: OWL.  I wasn't familiar with Duolingo, but the perps helped finding the Owl.  Apparently, Doulingo is an app designed to help you learn another language.  Cute little owl.

7. Saudi __: ARABIA.  Another country on a peninsula.

8. Poison shrub: SUMAC.  Everything you wanted to know about the poison sumac bush but didn't know to ask.

9. Actor Pesci: JOE.  Although Joe Pesci (né Joseph Frank Pesci; b. Feb. 9, 1943) has been in many films, he is often cited in the puzzles for his role as Vinny Gambini in My Cousin Vinny.  [Name # 5.]

10. Not genuine: ERSATZ.  Derived from old German meaning replacement.

11. "We build, we fight" military member: SEABEE.

12. Big-billed bird: TOUCAN.  Toucan Sam is the mascot for Froot Loops.

14. Low's opposite: HIGH.

17. Loan payment pt.: INT.  As in Interest.

21. Decrease: REDUCE.

23. Kid-friendly sandwich, informally: PBJ.  As in A Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.  Yummers!  I still like a PB&J sandwich every now and then.

24. History chapters: ERAs.

26. Actresses Sothern and Jillian: ANNS.  Only one of the Ann's was always an Ann.  Ann Sothern (née Harriette Arlene Lake; Jan. 22, 1909 ~ Mar. 15, 2001) starred in numerous films in the 1930s.  Ann Jillian (née Ann Jura Nausea; b. Jan. 29, 1950) was a television star in the 1980s.  [Names # 6 and 7.]

Ann Sothern

Ann Jillian

27. "Very relatable": I DO THAT.

28. Nylabone, e.g.: DOG TOY.  I don't have dogs, so am not familiar with the manufacturer of these toys.  But are they safe for dogs?

30. "The Marvelous Mrs. __": MAISEL.  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a comedy-drama television series set in the 1950s.  It got rave reviews.  [Name # 8]

34. Rice dishes: PILAFs.  Yummers!

35. Experimental musician Brian: ENO.  Brian Eno (né Brian Peter George Eno; b. May 15, 1948) makes so many guest appearances in the puzzles that he must have a permanent home here.   [Name # 9.]  //  Not to be confused with 61-Down. Jeff Lynne's band, informally: ELO.  Jeffrey Lynn (b. Dec. 30, 1947) is also an English musician who co-founded the band Electric Light Orchestra, affectionally known as ELO.  [Name # 10]

Brian Eno, then and now.

36. Hon: LUV.

38. Music featuring sitars: RAGA.

39. Like Pyrex: OVEN SAFE.  Everything you wanted to know about Pyrex but didn't know to ask.

40. Work-related move, for short: RE-LO.  As in Re-Locate.

43. LP's 33 1/3: RPM.  RPM = Revolutions Per Minute.

44. Discipline taught by a sensei: KARATE.

45. Filled and folded brunch order: OMELET.  Yummers!

46. Indy 500 entrants: RACERS.

47. Prepare for company, in a way: TIDY UP.

50. Things: ITEMS.

51. Minnesota's state bird: LOON.  Hi, C.C.!  Other Minnesota State Symbols.  Louisiana and Minnesota share the same state beverage.

52. Hither and __: YON.

57. School support orgs.: PTAs.  PTA = Parent Teacher Association.

59. Undercover agent: SPY.

62. Feline: CAT.

63. Cartoon frame: CEL.  A crossword staple.

64. Defunct airline: TWA.  My first plane trip was on a TransWorld Airline flight.  The company was founded in July 1930 and ceased to exist in December 2001.  You can visit the TWA Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה