QOD: Katie Hale

Showing posts with label Katie Hale. Show all posts

Tuesday, 10 September 2024

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

QOD: The more I practice, the luckier I get. ~ Arnold Palmer (né Arnold Daniel Palmer; Sept. 10, 1929 ~ Sept. 25, 2016), American professional golfer

Get Off the Phone! Fun things to do with your phone when you could be interacting in person with family and friends.

19-Across. * Shortened version of a book: ABRIDGED TEXT.

39-Across. * Light, friendly punch: LOVE TAP.

13-Down. * Hunter's lure for a game bird: TURKEY CALL.

24-Down. * Narrative art form that's often read right to left: HAND SCROLL.

And the unifier:

57-Across. Mouthed words that can also be said while doing the ends of the answers to the starred clues?: I'M ON THE PHONE.

Across:

1. Mac: BUB. Male nicknames.

4. Borrower's accumulation: DEBT.

8. Spending limit: CAP. See the cartoon above.

11. Like an angle between 90^oand 180^o: OBTUSE. Today's Math lesson.

14. Laundry pile emanation: ODOR.

15. Like antiques: OLD.

16. Working cat: MOUSER.

17. Removes, as whiteboard marks: WIPES OFF. // And 42-Across. Remove, as whiteboard marks: ERASE.

21. Zen garden tool: RAKE.

22. Nasdaq rival: NYSE. Nasdaq = National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations and NYSE = New York Stock Exchange. Both are is a global electronic marketplace for buying and selling securities.

23. Cries of realization: AHAs!

27. Goofed: ERRED.

30. Malleable: PLIANT.

32. "Gangnam Style" rapper: PSY. Gangnam Style was big when it came out about a decade ago. How Park Jae-Sang (b. Dec. 31, 1977) became Psy. [Name # 1.]

34. Mideast leaders: EMIRs. A crossword staple.

37. Photographer Leibovitz: ANNIE. Annie Leibovitz (née Anna-Lou Leibovitz; b. Oct. 2, 1949) is best known for her iconic portraits of the rich and famous. [Name # 2.]

38. Legendary pro wrestler Flair: RIC. Ric Flair (né Richard Morgan Fliehr; b. Feb. 25, 1949) had a wrestling career for over 50 years! I don't think Annie Leibovitz ever took his portrait. [Name # 3.]

41. Issuer of Real ID cards: DMV. The Department of Motor Vehicles issues Real ID on driver's licenses.

44. Dodge: EVADE.

45. Set eyes on: SEE.

46. Frozen Italian desserts: GELATI. Today's Italian lesson. It's the plural of Gelato. What's the difference between Gelato and Ice Cream?

48. Artifact: RELIC.

50. Part of SRO: ONLY. As in Standing Room Only.

51. Hockey puck, e.g.: DISC. How the Hockey puck got its name.

54. Walked: TROD.

61. Business card info: JOB TITLE.

64. Louise's film partner: THELMA. We saw Thelma and Louise in a recent puzzle. [Names 4 and 5, fictional.]

65. Amazement: AWE.

66. Sudsy bar: SOAP.

67. Cultivated, as soil: TILLED.

68. Teensy: WEE.

69. Some AAA rescues: TOWS.

70. Swiss peak: ALP.

Down:
1. More hectic: BUSIER.

2. Pre-owned: USED.

3. Floating chunk of ice: BERG.

Floating chunks of ice in Iceland's Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

4. Wearing frumpy clothes: DOWDY.

5. Prepares for publication: EDITS.

6. Nursery rhyme girl whose sheep go missing: BO PEEP. Did you know that the poem had two verses? [Name # 6, fictional.]

Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep / And can't tell where to find them / Leave them alone and they will come home / Wagging their tails behind them.

Little Bo Peep fell fast asleep / And dreamt she heard them bleating / But when she awoke, she found it a joke / For they were all still fleeting.

7. Fearsome dino: T-REX.

Not so fearsome now, are you T-Rex?

8. Dovecote sound: COO.

9. Furry 1980s sitcom star: ALF. The critter on this sit-com was called ALF because it stood for Alien Life Form. [Name # 7, fictional.]

10. Scanner output, often: PDF. As in Portable Document Format.

11. Actor Sharif: OMAR. Omar Sharif (Apr. 10, 1932 ~ July 10, 2015) was an Egyptian actor. His birth name was Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub. He changed his name to Omar Sharif when he began his film career. [Name # 8.]

Omar Sharif as Doctor Zhivago.

12. Son of Jango Fett, in "Star Wars": BOBA. I didn't see some of the later Star Wars films, so am not familiar with the Fett Family. [Name # 9, fictional.]

18. Deck application: STAIN. According to this video, staining a deck is a great weekend project.

20. Radicchio relative: ENDIVE.

25. Japanese cartoon genre: ANIME.

26. Carell of "Despicable Me": STEVE. Steve Carell (né Steven John Carell; b. Aug. 16, 1962) was also the boss on the American version of The Office. He was the voice of Gru in the Despicable Me movies. [Name # 10.]

28. Rented anew: RELET.

29. Angsty genre: EMO. A crossword staple.

31. Boutonniere spot: LAPEL.

32. Ragú rival: PREGO. Both are bottled pasta sauces.

33. Fire engine noisemaker: SIREN.

35. Crank (up): REV.

36. Carb in rice and potatoes: STARCH.

40. Fruit drink suffix: -ADE. And a shout out to our very own Lemonade.

43. "__ isn't so!": SAY IT.

47. "Samesies!": I DO, TOO!

49. Computer support, for short: IT HELP. As in Information Technology Technician.

52. Relative by marriage: IN-LAW.

53. Instruction manual units: STEPS.

55. Treater's words: ON ME.

56. Out of battery power: DEAD.

58. Very light rain: MIST.

59. "Stormy Weather" singer James: ETTA. Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan 20, 2012) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles. This was a good clue to follow the light rain. [Name # 11.]

60. "The Amazing Race" host Keoghan: PHIL. Although he is a New Zealander, Phil Keoghan (né Philip John Keoghan; b. May 31, 1967) is best known for hosting the American version of The Amazing Race. [Name # 12.]

61. Moose __, Saskatchewan: JAW. Moose Jaw is the 4th largest city in Saskatchewan. Can you name the top 3 cities in that Province? *

62. Have bills to pay: OWE.

63. Spelling contest: BEE.

Here's the Grid:

* Saskatoon, Regina, and Prince Albert.

חתולה

Tuesday, 7 May 2024

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

QOD: It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it. ~ Joseph Joubert (May 7, 1754 ~ May 4, 1824), French essayist

Pandemic Etiquette: Now that it has been a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) downgraded Covid-19 from a health emergency to a health threat and we are not in pandemic mode, do we still have to STAND APART?

17-Across. Generic choice at the supermarket: STORE BRAND. Store brands are made and sold for a specific retailer and meant to compete with brand-name goods. Store brands tend to be cheaper than name brand goods.

Store Brand for Costco.

25-Across. Emotional condition: STATE O FMIND.

40-Across. Cue a jazz ensemble, e.g.: STRIKE UP THE BAND.

50-Across. Inspire wannabes, maybe: START A TREND.

And the unifier:

63-Across. Stick out from the crowd, and what can be found in 17-, 25-, 40-, and 50-Across?: STAND APART. No circles were needed in today's puzzle to see that the word Stand is broken Apart in each theme answer.

Across:

1. All __: medium for shouty emails: CAPS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL!

5. Meteorologist's tool: RADAR.

10. Apple tablet: iPAD.

14. Feel sore: ACHE.

15. Adler played by Lara Pulver on "Sherlock": IRENE. Lara Pulvar (b. Sept. 1, 1980) is an English actress who portrayed Irene Adler on the BBC version of Sherlock Holmes. [Names # 1 and 2, One fictional, one real.]

16. Overhaul: REDO.

19. Bank lobby conveniences: ATMs. A crossword staple.

20. Sum: TOTAL.

21. __ deck: cruise ship level: LIDO.

23. Formal neckwear: TIE.

24. Sign at a packed theater: SRO. Standing Room Only.

29. Become misshapen: WARP.

30. Tortilla chip dip, for short: GUAC. Yummers! I love a good Guacamole.

31. Alan of "M*A*S*H": ALDA. Hawkeye Pierce from M*A*S*H was portrayed by Alan Alda (né Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; b. Jan. 28, 1936). The television sit-com ran for 11 years: from September 1972 through February 1983. [Name # 3.]

34. Deciduous 26-Downs: ELMS. // And 26-Down. Backyard shade provider: TREE. Living on Elm Street can be a real nightmare.

37. Schnoz: SNOUT.

43. Hard to pick up: HEAVY.

44. "Scram!": SHOO.

45. Great Basin people: UTES.

46. Sound from a 57-Across: MEOW. // And 57-Across. Feline: CAT. // And 53-Across. Sounds from big 57-Acrosses: ROARS.

48. Chirpy songbird: WREN.

54. Caspian __: SEA. The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake and sometimes referred to as a full-fledged sea. It is a landlocked body of water in Eurasia. The countries surrounding Caspian Sea are five countries: Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan

58. Layered cookie: OREO. A crossword staple. You can get the cookie in a variety of flavors, but why?

59. Birth-related: NATAL.

61. Within: AMID.

66. Puerto __: RICO. Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island and unincorporated U.S. territory. Its capital is San Juan.

67. Data assortment: ARRAY.

68. Grain tower: SILO.

69. Otherwise: ELSE.

70. Fritter away: WASTE.

71. Big name in ice cream: EDYS.

Down:

1. __ a ballot: votes: CASTS. This is an election year. Enough said.

2. Many an A-lister: ACTOR.

3. Camera output: PHOTO.

4. Some hydrating skin care products: SERA. But do they really work?

5. Tease: RIB.

6. Flight status abbr.: ARR. As in Arrival time.

7. Handed out a hand: DEALT.

8. "It's the Hard Knock Life" musical: ANNIE. [Name # 3, fictional.]

9. Clifford of kid-lit, for one: RED DOG. Clifford The Big Red Dog is a series about the adventures of a girl named Emily Elizabeth and her pet dog, a giant, red-furred dog named Clifford. Norman Bridwell (1928 ~ 2014) was the author of this series. The first book in the series was published in 1963. [Name # 4, fictional.]

10. Gershwin brother: IRA. A nice, refreshing change from the usual Individual Retirement Account. Ira Gershwin (né Israel Gershovitz; Dec. 6, 1896 ~ Aug. 17, 1983) was the older brother of George Gershwin (né Jacob Gershovitz; Sept. 26, 1898 ~ July 11, 1937). The two brothers collaborated on many songs: George composed the music and Ira wrote the lyrics. [Name # 5.]

George and Ira Gershwin

11. Frilly garment in many a costume drama: PETTICOAT.

12. Online moderator, for short: ADMIN. As in Administrator.

13. Gave a couple of Advil, say: DOSED.

18. Olaf's creator in "Frozen": ELSA. The musical Frozen is based on Hans Christian Anderson's story The Snow Queen. [Name # 5, fictional.]

22. Practical: OF USE.

27. Great grade: A-PLUS.

28. Topknot on a dude: MAN BUN.

29. Formal relinquishing of rights: WAIVER.

31. __ Wednesday: ASH.

32. Cell service initials: LTE. As in Long Term Evolution. Everything you wanted to know about LTE but didn't know to ask.

33. Theatrical behavior: DRAMATICS.

35. Dashboard stat: MPH. As in Miles Per Hour.

36. Writer and abolitionist Harriet Beecher __: STOWE. Harriet Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811 ~ July 1, 1896) is best known for her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. [Name # 6.]

38. Arles article: UNE. Today's French lesson. Arles is a city in southern France. It is best known for being the place that inspired Vincent Van Gogh (Mar. 30, 1853 ~ July 29, 1890) to paint many of his works. It was also an ancient Roman outpost.

39. QB goals: TDS. Think football: as in Touch Downs.

41. Japanese city whose name means "capital city": KYOTO. Kyoto, once the capital of Japan, is a city on the island of Honshu. It's famous for its numerous classical Buddhist temples, as well as gardens, imperial palaces, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses.

42. "Beep beep" maker: HORN.

47. Polish capital: WARSAW.

49. Novelist Ferber: EDNA. Edna Ferber (Aug. 15, 1885 ~ Apr. 16, 1968) wrote many novels, including Show Boat, which was later adapted into a musical. [Name # 7.]