QOD: Kevin Christian

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Tuesday, 6 September 2022

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

QOD: I don’t know why my brain has kept all the words to the Gilligan’s Island theme song and deleted everything about triangles. ~ Jeff Foxworthy (b. Sept. 6, 1958), American comedian

Yoga Class: The last word of each theme answer is also a yoga pose.

17-Across. * George Plimpton football memoir set in Detroit: PAPER LION.

25-Across. * Courtroom hotshot: LEGAL EAGLE.

35-Across. * Informer: STOOL PIGEON. This is my favorite pose.

48-Across. * Cowardly type: SCAREDY CAT.

And the unifier:

57-Across. Asanas found at the ends of the answers to the starred clues: YOGA POSES. Everything you wanted to know about Asana Yoga, but didn't know to ask.

Across:

1. "Sorry, rules __ rules": ARE.

4. Dizzying designs: OP ART. Short for Optical Art.

9. __ up on: unites against: GANGS.

14. Villain Luthor: LEX. [Name # 1.] // Change the vowel, and you get 29-Across. Bagel topper: LOX.

15. Prefix with -lithic: PALEO-. Paleolithic. Also known as the Old Stone Age.

16. Love to pieces: ADORE.

19. One awarding stars, perhaps: RATER.

20. "... the __ of defeat": "Wide World of Sports" phrase: AGONY.

21. "Black Panther" director Coogler: RYAN. [Name # 2.] Ryan Kyle Coogler (b. May 23, 1986) has directed a number of films.

23. Excite, with "up": AMP.

24. King or queen, but not prince or princess: CARD.

28. House pest: ANT. Remove a consonant and the ANT becomes a house Pet.

30. Manage to achieve: ATTAIN.

31. Reciprocal of cosine: SECANT. // And 39-Down. Inverse trig function: ARCSINE. We all remember our high school math class, right?

34. Trace: HINT.

38. Water-to-wine town: CANA. A Biblical reference where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding.

40. Hiking sites: TRAILS.

41. Maker of Zesty Curly frozen French fries: ORE-IDA. Yummers! Actually, I have never tried these, but I do like Ore-Ida's Tater Tots.

44. D.C. stadium: RFK. Formally known as the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. It is currently being demolished.

45. D.C. fundraising org.: PAC.

51. Love, in tennis: ZERO. Why does Love mean nothing in Tennis?

52. Chiding syllable: TSK.

53. Milne bear: POOH. Winnie the Pooh is a fictional teddy bear created by A.A. Milne (né Alan Alexander Milne; Jan. 18, 1882 ~ Jan. 31, 1956) in the 1920s.

54. Puts in order: SORTS.

55. Sibling's daughter: NIECE. Word origin.

60. Scandal-plagued energy company: ENRON. This company disintegrated almost overnight back in 2001.

61. Nebraska city: OMAHA. Hi, Husker Gary! Years ago, when I was first looking for a job, I was offered a job in Omaha. My potential boss told me, however, that moving from the Northeast, I would experience "extreme cultural shock" living in Nebraska. So instead, I moved to the South. No cultural shock there, eh?

62. Mined resource: ORE. Not to be confused with the 41-Across and the Ore-Ida potato products.

63. Patch, as a lawn: RE-SOD.

64. Fruit-hitting-the-floor sound: SPLAT.

65. Big Apple paper, for short: NYT. As in the New York Times.

Down:

1. Llama kin: ALPACA.

2. 1980s president Ronald: REAGAN. Ronald Wilson Reagan (Feb. 6, 1911 ~ June 5, 2004) was the 40th President. Can it really be over 40 years since he began his term as President? [Name # 3.]

3. Commodity sold abroad: EXPORT.

4. The Grand Ole __: OPRY. The home of country music.

5. Chum: PAL.

6. Boxer who said, "It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am": ALI. Muhammad Ali (né Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; Jan. 17, 1942 ~ June 3, 2016) would "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." [Name # 4.]

7. Corp. shake-up: RE-ORG. As in Reorganize. It seems like the banking industry is always undergoing re-orgs.

8. Skater Harding: TONYA. Tonya Maxene Harding (b. Nov. 12, 1970) is best known for her troubles past. In 1994, her ex-husband attacked her rival, Nancy Kerrigan. Tonya was banned from competitive skating and turned to boxing. [Name # 5.]

9. January birthstone: GARNET. I have 3 options for my birthstone.

10. Oral health org.: ADA. As in the American Dental Association.

11. "Why does this keep happening!?": NOT AGAIN. Yup. I'll be out next week again.

12. Unseen troublemaker: GREMLIN. Also the model of a vehicle that was manufactured in the 1970s.

13. Garden of Eden creature: SERPENT.

18. Terminate: END.

22. Mobile's st.: ALA. Mobile, Alabama is on the Gulf of Mexico. The George Washington Tunnel on I-10 runs under the Mobile River, then emerges to join the bridge that spans the Bay of Mobile. The tunnel is a bottleneck on the interstate and there is always a long line of traffic of cars waiting to go through the tunnel. Interesting fact about Mobile: the first Mardi Gras in the Americas was held in Mobile.

25. El Pollo __: southwestern restaurant chain: LOCO. El Pollo Loco is a California-based chain. I was about to say I had never heard of this restaurant, but our local paper recently announced the company is expanding in south Louisiana.

26. Glorify: EXALT.

27. One of the Musketeers: ATHOS. The Three Musketeers is a French historical adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. It was written in 1844 and is on my TBR list. The novel, which is set in the 1620s, recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan who befriends Athos, Porthos and Aramis, who are the musketeers. [Name # 6.]

29. Summer sign: LEO. Hi, Leo III!

31. Flight part: STAIR.

32. "Fresh Air" airer: NPR. Fresh Air is a radio talk show hosted by Terry Gross. She has been hosting the show since 1975.

33. Small crown: TIARA. Apparently in the British royal family there are strict rules about wearing Tiaras.

35. Tennis shoes: SNEAKERS.

36. Birthday present: GIFT.

37. Caribou cousin: ELK. What's the difference between an Elk and a Caribou?

38. Kevin of "Yellowstone": COSTNER. Kevin Costner (né Kevin Michael Costner; b. Jan. 18, 1955) plays the patriarch in the television show Yellowstone. [Name # 7.]

42. Rely (on): DEPEND.

43. Commotion: ADO.

45. Human being: PERSON.

46. Major thoroughfare: ARTERY.

47. Pamper: COSSET. Not a Tuesday word.

49. Toys on strings: YOYOs.

50. Bite hard: CHOMP.

51. Opening setting of "Madagascar": ZOO.

54. Squabble: SPAT.

56. Dove's sound: COO.

58. "Death on the Nile" actress Gadot: GAL. Gal Gadot (b. Apr. 30, 1985) is an Israeli actress. [Name # 8.]

59. "I understand now!": AHA!

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, 19 January 2021

January 19, 2021

QOD: Never buy anything that you can’t illustrate on the back of a napkin. ~ Peter Lynch (b. Jan. 19, 1944), American investor

Vowel Progress with the letter "B".

17-Across. Where Alcatraz sits: SAN FRANCISCO BAY.

23-Across. Disc sport popular on college campuses: ULTIMATE FRISBEE.

38-Across. Give-it-a-test-run advice: TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. "I" sound with a "U" vowel.

48-Across. Storied pot-of-gold spot: END OF THE RAINBOW.

59-Across. Hiding-your-eyes parent-baby game: PLAYING PEEK-A-BOO. "U" sound with an "O" vowel

Across:

1. Prepared, as a bed: MADE.

5. Scuttlebutt: RUMOR.

10. Col. Sanders's chain: KFC. Formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken. KFC seems to be very popular in Egypt. We saw many KFC restaurants in Egypt, but chose not to eat there, opting for local fare instead.

13. Soft palate feature that translates to "little grape": UVULA. Today's Latin lesson. This "little grape" has become a crossword staple. It's function is to seal off the nasal cavity from the throat during swallowing. It works well, except when you are barfing.

15. Battery terminal: ANODE.

16. Right-angle shape: ELL.

20. Towel embroidery word: HIS.

21. Like many meds: ORAL.

22. "A __ Day's Night": Beatles song: HARD.

28. Shakespearean fairy queen: MAB. Queen Mab is referenced in Mercutio's speech in Act I, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliette.

29. Jay of late-night TV: LENO. Jay Leno (né James Douglas Muir Leno; b. Apr. 28, 1950) was the host of the Late Show with Jay Leno in the '90s and aughts. I though his humor had a mean streak.

30. Lady's man: LORD.

33. "A Room of One's Own" author: WOOLF. Virginia Woolf (née Adeline Virginia Steven; Jan. 25, 1882 ~ Mar. 28, 1941) is considered one of the most important modernist 20th century authors. Sadly, she also suffered from depression and died by suicide at age 59.

35. Admirer: FAN.

42. Kiki, Sandra or Ruby: DEE. Kiki Dee (née Pauline Matthews; b. Mar. 6, 1947) is a British singer; Sandra Dee (née Alexandra Zuck; Apr. 23, 1942 ~ Feb. 20, 2005) and Ruby Dee (née Ruby Ann Wallace; Oct. 27, 1922 ~ June 11, 2014) were both American actresses.

43. Brainiacs, maybe: NERDS. Also the name of a candy.

44. Mass __: an I-90 nickname: PIKE. The Massachusetts Turnpike is a toll road.

45. Fair: JUST.

46. "Dude!": BRO.

56. Achy: SORE.

57. What a slob makes: MESS.

58. Nitrogen-based dye: AZO.

64. Veer off course: YAW.

65. Vegan and Paleo regimens: DIETS.

66. Roadside hot dog seller: STAND. The famous Lucky Dogs.

67. NBC staple for 45 years: SNL. Saturday Night Live is also a crossword staple.

68. Daisy variety: OX-EYE.

69. Three in a deck: TREY.

Down:

1. __ pork: Chinese menu item: MU SHU. Food! as our friend Steve would say.

2. To no __: in vain: AVAIL.

3. Kirsten of Spider-Man films: DUNST. Kirsten Caroline Dunst (b. Apr. 30, 1982) also stars in On Becoming a God in Central Florida.

4. Toymaker for Santa: ELF. Fortunately, they wore their masks this past year.

5. Charged: RAN AT.

6. Mom's brother: UNCLE. My mom had no brothers.

7. "Surely you don't mean me?!": MOI.

8. Has too much, briefly: ODs. As in Over Doses.

9. __ center: REC. As in a Recreation Center.

10. Skewered dish: KEBAB. Yummers!

11. Bell-bottom bottom: FLARE.

12. Only non-rhyming Pac-Man ghost: CLYDE.

14. Roastery draw: AROMA.

18. Many a Mideast native: ARAB.

19. Very, very: OH, SO.

24. Website for film buffs: IMDb. As in the Internet Movie Database.

25. Polar bear hangouts: FLOES.

26. Bank (on): RELY.

27. Inside scoop: INFO.

30. Inc., in England: LTD.

31. Underground find: ORE. A crossword staple.

32. Pastrami holder: RYE.

33. Value: WORTH.

34. Chicago airport code: ORD. The airport code is ORD because it was originally known as Orchard Depot Airport. The airport was renamed to O'Hare in 1949 in honor of Edward O'Hare (Mar. 13, 1914 ~ Nov. 26, 1943), a navy aviator who was shot down in World War II.

35. "The X-Files" org.: FBI. The X-Files ran from September 1993 until May 2002.

36. Arctic seabird: AUK. It's name is derived from the Islandic word álka. They look a little like penguins, except they can fly and are found in the Northern hemisphere.

37. TV's "Science Guy": NYE. Bill Nye (né Willima Sanford Nye; b. Nov. 27, 1955) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

39. Plenty, in texts: ENUF.

40. Gala: FEST.

41. "Once __ ... ": UPON. Once Upon a time there was ... a piece of wood. Do you know which children's story that is the opening line to?

45. Kangaroo kid: JOEY.

46. Diamond bag: BASE.

47. Daredevil dangers: RISKS.

48. TV sports awards: ESPYS.

49. Hall of Fame pitcher Ryan: NOLAN. Nolan Ryan (né Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr.; b. Jan. 31, 1947), pitched for the New York Mets, the California Angels, the Houston ~~Rockets~~ Astros, and the Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball of Fame in 1999.

50. Southern twang: DRAWL.

51. E, on a gauge: EMPTY.

52. Peanut Butter Cup creator: REESE. Yummers!

53. Storybook elephant: BABAR. Babar the Elephant first appeared to entertain children in 1931. The books recount the story of a baby elephant orphaned by a hunter, who finds his way into the city.