QOD: Leo Tolstoy

Showing posts with label Leo Tolstoy. Show all posts

Tuesday, 9 September 2025

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

QOD: Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it. ~ Count Leo Tolstoy (Sept. 9, 1828 ~ Nov. 20, 1910), Russian novelist

Jump Jive an' Wail. The circles all spell out synonyms for Jump.

17-Across. Sweet apple cultivar from Minnesota: HONEY CRISP. HOP. Everything you wanted to know about Honey Crisp Apples.

25-Across. Enjoy a clothes-free swim: SKINNY DIP. SKIP.

36-Across. Common Banksy technique: SPRAY PAINTING. SPRING. Banksy is a pseudonymous and controversial English street artist identity remains unconfirmed. There was a Banksy in New Orleans.

Banksy in New Orleans.

48-Across. Buttery cookie made with citrus zest: LEMON SNAP. LEAP.

And the Unifier:

59-Across. House of Pain hit that begins "Pack it up, pack it in," and a description of each set of circled letters: JUMP AROUND.

Here's the Grid so you can see the Circles:

Across:

1. Feel sore: ACHE.

5. Caution light color: AMBER.

10. Tuts: TSKS.

King Tuts

14. More than dampen: SOAK.

15. Ballet-inspired fitness class: BARRE. Barre exercise is a low-impact workout that combines elements of ballet, Pilates, and yoga to build strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, and core stability. The exercise uses a ballet barre, for support and features high repetitions of small, pulsing movements and isometric holds.

16. Mimics: APES.

19. "As __ on TV": SEEN.

20. TV series pts.: EPS. Episodes, I presume.

21. Is inquisitive: ASKS.

22. Pedometer unit: STEP.

23. Seattle WNBA team: STORM.

29. Move stealthily: SNEAK.

31. Statler and Waldorf, e.g.: DUO. Characters from The Muppets.

32. Short way to go?: RTE. The abbreviation for Route.

33. "Omg, I just got it!": AHA!

34. Boca Raton's st.: FLA.

35. Chrysalis: PUPA.

40. Landlocked Asian country: LAOS.

41. Key in a keyboard combo: ALT. Control-Alt.-Delete.

42. Laverne of "Orange Is the New Black": COX. I never watched Orange Is the New Black, so was not familiar with Laverne Cox (b. May 29, 1972). Apparently, she portrayed Sophia Burnet on the show.

43. Little trickster: IMP.

44. Letters before an alias: AKA. Also Known As.

45. Really long stories: EPICS.

52. V-sign sentiment: PEACE.

54. Linus's sister: LUCY. From the Peanuts cartoon.

55. Grain in 26-Down: RICE. // And 26-Down. Savory breakfast cake of South India: IDLI. Definitely not a Tuesday word. Idli or idly is a type of savory rice cake, originating from Southern India. It is a popular breakfast food in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented de-husked black lentils and rice.

57. Male offspring: SON.

58. Party thrower: HOST.

62. Pop singer Sands: EVIE. I am not familiar name Evie Sands (b. July 18, 1946). I recognize some of her music, but I think what I remember was another artist singing the songs.

63. Thin woodwinds: OBOES.

64. Go back and forth, in a way: PACE.

65. Religious offshoot: SECT.

66. Curt: TERSE.

67. Vehicle with runners: SLED.

Down:

1. Campfire residue: ASHES.

2. Takes over: COOPTS.

3. "MMMBop" boy band: HANSON. Hanson is a pop rock band made up of three brothers Isaac Hanson (b. 1980), Taylor Hanson (b. 1983), and Zac Hanson (b. 1985). They were big in the 1990 when they were still very young. Hanson is best known for the 1997 hit song MMMBop was one of their big hits from 1997. At the time the video was recorded, the brothers were only 16, 14, and 11 years old.

4. Scrape (by): EKE.

5. Pre-K song subject: ABCs.

6. Stains: MARKS.

7. Rapid: BRISK.

8. Hosp. areas: ERs. As in Emergency Rooms.

9. Sales agt.: REP.

10. Delicious: TASTY.

11. Complete as fast as possible, as a video game: SPEED RUN.

12. "Young ears are listening": KEEP IT PG.

13. Fig. exposed in some data breaches: SSN. As in Social Security Number.

18. World's largest manufacturer of musical instruments: YAMAHA. When I think of Yamaha, my first thought is motorcycles. Yamaha Corporation and Yamaha Motor are related but separate companies.

22. __-Caps candy: SNO. Yummers!

24. Raises, as kids: REARS.

27. Subtle distinction: NUANCE.

28. Chicken pot pie vegetable: PEA.

30. Inuit boats: KAYAKS. A brief history of the Kayak.

34. Avocado's abundance: FAT. Yummers! My favorite restaurant has stuffed avocados.

35. __ cut: cropped style: PIXIE.

36. Marriage equality anthem by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: SAME LOVE.

37. Taylor Swift genre: POP MUSIC. I heard she just got engaged.

38. Make an itinerary, say: PLAN.

39. Tall hat: TOPPER. Meh! I wasn't keen on this clue.

40. Short, for short: L'IL.

44. "__ ideas?": ANY.

46. Like a situationship: CASUAL. Also known as Friends with Benefits.

47. Light fixture on a wall: SCONCE.

49. Group of eight: OCTET.

50. "My knight in shining __!": ARMOR.

51. Singing ability, informally: PIPES.

53. Came to a close: ENDED.

56. Guitar protector: CASE.

58. "__ making a list ... ": HE'S. I saw some Christmas decorations in a store over the weekend! Way too early!! Is it too soon for a Santa cartoon?

59. Scribble (down): JOT.

60. Purple yam: UBE. This tuber appears with some frequency in the puzzles.

61. Photo __: OPs.

I'll Jump away for now.

חתולה

Tuesday, 14 February 2023

Tuesday February 14, 2023 // Valentine's Day

QOD: When you love someone, you love the whole person as he or she is, and not as you would like them to be. ~ Leo Tolstoy (Sept. 9, 1828 ~ Nov. 20, 1910), Russian novelist

I get by with a little Help from my Friends! The first word of each theme answer is the surname of a singer or actor and the second word provides "support" for the celebrity. Note that the first and last theme answers are males and the middle two names are females; and the first two are musicians, and the last two are actors.

For those who don't like seeing names in puzzles, here's your due warning that this puzzle might not be for you, since the theme itself is all 22-Down.

17-Across. Support group for singer-songwriter Neil?: YOUNG PEOPLE. [Name # 1.] In addition to a solo career, Neil YOUNG (né Neil Percival Young; b. Nov. 12, 1945) has been associated with the band Buffalo Springfield and on and off with Crosby, Stills & Nash, making the later to be sometimes known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Sadly, his sometimes bandmate, David Crosby (né David Van Cortlandt Cosby; Aug. 14, 1941 ~ Jan. 18, 2023) died last month.

David Crosby (left) and Neil Young

28-Across. Support group for singer-songwriter Ruthie?: FOSTER FAMILY. Ruthie FOSTER (née Ruthie Cecelia Foster; b. Feb. 10, 1964) is known for her blues, gospel, and folk music. Her birthday is this Friday. [Name # 2.]

49-Across. Support group for actress Glenn?: CLOSE FRIENDS. Glenn CLOSE (née Glenda Veronica Close; b. Mar. 19, 1947) has been in numerous movies, but I mostly associate her with the 1987 movie, Fatal Attraction. [Name # 3.]

65-Across. Support group for actor Jude?: LAW PARTNERS. Jude LAW (né David Jude Heyworth Law; b. Dec. 29, 1972) has also been in numerous movies as well as television series, including The Young Pope and The New Pope. [Name # 4.]

And here is a bonus "hint" to today's puzzle:

22-Down. First entry on many a form: NAME.

Across:

1. So last year: PASSÉ.

6. Home on the "I" page of many ABC books: IGLOO. This clue threw me for a moment, until most of the letters were filled in by the perps.

11. Beer cask: KEG. // And 18-Down. Places with cold drafts: PUBS. The latter is a nice misdirection.

14. Communion site: ALTAR. Also the site of many weddings.

15. __ of salt: GRAIN.

16. Nest egg acronym: IRA. As in an Individual Retirement Account.

19. Pen tip: NIB.

20. Mailed: SENT OUT.

21. Burns a bit: SINGES.

23. Reggae-like genre: SKA. Everything you wanted to know about Ska, but didn't know to ask.

24. One who tweets a lot: BIRD.

27. Beaver creation: DAM.

33. Scatter, as seeds: STREW.

36. Route word: VIA.

37. LGBT rights activist Windsor: EDIE. Edie Windsor (née Edith Schlain; June 20, 1929 ~ Sept. 12, 2017) was the lead plaintiff in the 2019 Supreme Court case of United States v. Windsor, which held that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional and that the federal government could not discriminate against married gay couples for the purpose of determining federal benefits and protections. [Name # 5.]

38. Shepherd's __: PIE. Yummers!

39. Writing tablet: NOTE PAD.

43. Every bit of: ALL.

44. Fashion designer Schiaparelli: ELSA. Elsa Shaiaparelli (née Elsa Luisa Maria Schiaparelli; Sept. 10, 1890 ~ Nov. 13, 1973) was a contemporary of Coco Chanel (née Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel; Aug. 19, 1883 ~ Jan. 10, 1971). Her designs were avant garde and she collaborated with artists such as Salvador Dalí (May 11, 1904 ~ 1989). [Name # 6.]

46. In favor of: FOR.

47. Greek fable writer: ÆSOP. He appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle, too. [Name # 7.]

53. Veto: NIX.

54. Emperor during the Great Fire of Rome: NERO. Nero probably didn't fiddle while Rome burned. [Name # 8.]

55. Slangy "How's things?": 'SUP.

58. Balanced state: STASIS.

61. Revolts: RISES UP.

64. Coif flattener: HAT.

68. Most of a snow cone: ICE.

69. Make official, as a statute: ENACT.

70. Estate units: ACRES.

71. Sci-fi escape vehicle: POD. So that's what that thing is in front of my neighbor's house.

not my actual neighbor.

72. Sealy rival: SERTA. Both are mattress companies.

73. Under attack from all sides: BESET.

Down:

1. Foots the bill: PAYS.

2. Medicinal houseplants: ALOES. This has become a Tuesday staple. Aloe has appeared in the last 3 Tuesday puzzles.

3. Did horribly: STUNK.

4. New Mexico's capital: SANTA FE. Anyone here from New Mexico?

5. "So, logically ... ": ERGO.

6. "No need to elaborate": I GET IT. I first tried I Got It.

7. Miracle-__: gardening brand: GRO.

8. Spot for a napkin: LAP.

9. Cooking liquids that may be herb-infused: OILS.

10. Lake near Syracuse, New York: ONEIDA. // And 12-Down. Lake near Buffalo, New York: ERIE. The latter is one of the Great Lakes. The former is the largest lake that is entirely within the State of New York.