Tuesday, March 31, 2026

QOD:  Politics is the art of postponing decisions until they are no longer relevant.  ~  Henri Queuille (Mar. 31, 1884 ~ June 15, 1970), French politician and Prime Minister

A Movable Feast. With everything but the kitchen sink.  Each theme answer ends with a food course as we begin with Soup and end with Nuts.  We have all heard the expression From Soup to Nuts, which means running the gamut from beginning to end, but where did the expression come from?  Apparently, formal full-course meals started with soup and ended with nuts.

16-Across. Hot mixture of elementary particles: QUARK SOUP.  We will begin our meal with Soup.  Apparently, Quark Soup is a thing, but it's not an edible on our meal menu.

31-Across. Colloquial name of the Christian symbol the ichthus: JESUS FISH.  The formal name is Ichthys.  It is an ancient symbol forming a fish profile.   The symbol oiginated in the 2nd century as a secret sign of faith and identification among Christians facing persecution in the Roman Empire.  Calling it a Jesus Fish seems a bit irreverent, but then so is the Darwin Fish.  Fish will be our main course in this movable feast.

52-Across. Head honcho: BIG CHEESE.  After our main meal, we will have some Cheese.

4-Down. Yielded results: BORE FRUIT.  Our meal will continue with some Fruit.

59-Across. Fasteners in a tyre change: WHEEL NUTS.  The conclusion of the meal will be Nuts.

Here's the grid so you can see the food move through the grid.

Two other consumables in the puzzle are:

41-Across. Large utility pipe: WATER MAIN.

66-Across. Soybean paste: MISO.

A special thanks to my fellow bloggers who helped me suss out today's theme.

Across:

1. Formless mass: BLOB.

5. Vegan-friendly gelatin alternative: AGAR.  Technically a consumable.  Agar is a jelly-like, vegetarian substance derived from red algae (seaweed), commonly used as a gelling agent in foods.  When I worked in a microbiology lab in college, we used agar for growing bacteria.

9. Many emailed docs: PDFs.  As in Portable Document Format.  This has become a crossword staple.

13. Relaxed aesthetic: BOHO.  Boho is short for Bohemian.   It is a style characterized by free-spirited and artistic.  It's a bit 1960s retro-style.

14. Roman forum robe: TOGA.

15. Coped (with): DEALT.

18. Maker of Playmate coolers: IGLOO.  We have one of these.  It comes in handy for storing things in the closet.

19. Ambulance wailer: SIREN.

20. Match or Tinder: DATING APP.  Could stretch to a food because App is sometimes used as an abbreviation for Appetizer.

22. Two-point football play: SAFETY.

24. "Allow me": MAY I?

25. Outdoor gear giant: REI.  As in Recreational Equipment, Inc.  This company appears in the puzzles with some frequency, but I can never remember what the initials stand for.

26. Texter's hedge: OTOH.  Textspeak for On The Other Hand.

28. Wee boy: LAD.

35. Tiny, in tech: NANO.  I really loved my iPod Nano.

36. Not in favor of: ANTI-.

37. __ point: center of attention: FOCAL.

39. Luxury hotel chain: OMNI.

40. Dockworker's workplace: PORT.

43. 27-Down, in Spanish: ESO.  //  And 27-Down. Yonder thing: THAT.

44. Catch words?: HEAR.  Cute clue.

46. Age group, for short: GEN.  As in Generation.

47. Hair removal brand: NAIR.

And you thought it was just for women.

49. Vanish into thin air: GO POOF.

56. One making introductions, say: EMCEE.  An abbreviation for Master of Ceremonies.

58. Former U.S. president Barack: OBAMA.  The 44th American President.

Barak Hussein Obama (b. Aug. 4, 1961)

61. Artist's flat cap: BERET.

62. Sunrise direction: EAST.

63. World Cup cheers: OLÉS.  Today's Spanish lesson.

64. Check-in places?: ATMs.  You can put a check into your account at an ATM, but most people use the ATM to withdraw funds.

65. Outdoor storage structure: SHED.

Down:

1. Grillin' and chillin' events: BBQs.

2. Western writer L'Amour: LOUIS.  Louis Dearborn L'Amour (Mar. 22, 1908 ~ June 10, 1988) was known for his Western novels, which he called his "frontier stories.

3. Catherine of "Home Alone": O'HARA.  Sadly, we lost this talented comedian actress earlier this year.  Catherine Anne O'Hara (Mar. 4, 1954 ~ Jan. 30, 2026) was in so many films, but my favorite film was Best in Show.  She also starred in the television show Schitt's Creek.

5. @ signs: ATs.

6. Treat: GOODY.

7. __ fresca: Mexican beverage: AGUA.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  Fresh Water.

8. Completely engrossed: RAPT.

9. Elisabeth Moss's "Mad Men" role: PEGGY.  Elizabeth Moss (b. July 24, 1982) portrayed Peggy Olsen on Mad Men.  She was the Don Draper's secretary.

10. Tibetan spiritual leader: DALAI LAMA.

11. Failed film: FLOP.

12. "That's enough of that": STOP.

15. "Queen of the Blues" Washington: DINAH.  Dinah Washington (b. Aug. 29, 1924 ~ Dec. 1963) was an American singer and pianist.  She was one of the most popular Black female recording artists of the 1950s.  In 1993, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Sadly, she died very young, at age 39.

17. Joints worked in lunges: KNEES.

21. "If u ask me ... ": IMO.  More textspeak.  This time for In My Opinion.

23. Petty disagreement: TIFF.

26. __ the Grouch: OSCAR.  A reference to Sesame Street.

29. Latin years: ANNI.  Today's Latin lesson.

30. "How you __?": Joey's "Friends" catchphrase: DOIN'.

31. Funny prank: JAPE.

32. Eve's grandson: ENOS.  According to Genesis, Enos was the son of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve,  We don't know who Enos' mother was.

33. Boss around: STRONG ARM.

34. State with more pigs than people: IOWA.  Fun facts about Pigs in Iowa.

35. Cutesy "Delicious!": NOM, NOM, NOM.

38. Toymaker that introduced Smart Bricks in 2026: LEGO.

42. Drive away: REPEL.

44. Cymbals played by foot: HI-HAT.  I learned about Hi-Hats from doing the puzzles.

45. Before, in old odes: ERE.

48. Topmost points: ACMES.

49. Honking birds: GEESE.  Hi, Canadian, Eh!

50. Circular windows: OCULI.

51. Lavish celebrations: FÊTES.

52. Treat consumed with a wide straw: BOBA.  This is becoming a crossword staple.

53. "Yeah, right": I BET.

54. Baaing mamas: EWES.

55. Persian for "king": SHAH.

57. Gas brand in Canada: ESSO.

60. Flight takeoff hr.: ETD.  As in Estimated Time of Departure.

And now it's time for me to Depart.

חתולה

March:  In like a Lion, out like a Lamb.

Sunday, March 31, 2024 // Easter

QOD:  When one flower blooms, spring awakens everywhere.  ~  John O’Donohue (Jan. 1, 1956 ~ Jan. 4, 2008), Irish poet

Friday, March 31, 2023

QOD:  If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him.  The people who give you their food, give you their heart.  ~  César Chávez (né César Estrada Chávez; Mar. 31, 1927 ~ Apr. 23, 1993), American labor activist

Thursday, March 31, 2022

QOD:  The world is born when two people kiss.  ~  Octavio Paz Lozano (Mar. 31, 1914 ~ Apr. 19, 1998), Mexican diplomat, poet and recipient of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

QOD:  Normality is a paved road; it’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.  ~  Vincent Van Gogh (Mar. 30, 1853 ~ July 29, 1890), Dutch artist 

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

QOD:  Gay people have a different role than other minority groups.  Very few black kids have ever had to worry about telling their parents that they were black.  ~  Barney Frank (né Barnett Frank; B. Mar. 31, 1940), United States Senator from Massachusetts 

Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Bruce Haight and Kevin Christian

QOD:  It’s not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.  ~  René Descartes (Mar. 31, 1596 ~ Feb. 11, 1650), French philosopher

What are Little Girls Made of?   Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice.

16-Across. Sweetened, as something harsh to hear: SUGAR-COATED.

24-Across. Variety, idiomatically, with "the": SPICE OF LIFE.

38-Across. Loaded bakery item: EVERYTHING BAGEL.  Yummers!  My favorite kind of Bagel; especially good with cream cheese and lox.

47-Across. "Don't make any sudden moves": NICE AND EASY.

And the Unifier:

59-Across. What the starts of 16-, 24-, 38- and 47-Across make?: LITTLE GIRLS.

And, just so the boys don't feel left out:

Across:

1. Fords and Chevys: AUTOS.  Because Cars was too short.

6. Trick: FOOL.

10. Electric guitarist's need: AMP.  A crossword staple.

13. "When __ we three meet again": "Macbeth" opening line: SHALL.

14. Baseball card transaction: TRADE.

15. "You think I did it?!": MOI?  Here's workout video to do at home, since we can't go to the gym.  My trainer prepared several nice videos for me to do at home until the fitness center opens again.  Her video is a bit more strenous than Miss Piggy's.

18. Had a bite: ATE.

19. Culturally pretentious: ARTY.

20. Coffee container: URN.  John Keats wrote an Ode to a Grecian one.

21. __ nerve: OPTIC.

23. Daisy __: Li'l Abner's wife: MAE.

27. Amazes: AWES.

29. "A," in pilot shorthand: ALFA.

30. Bulova competitor: TIMEX.  Both are watches.  I think of Bulova is being a bit more upscale than the Timex watch, however.

32. Give a hoot: CARE.

34. Credit in a footnote: CITE.

41. Surrender, as land: CEDE.

42. "Star __: The Rise of Skywalker": WARS.  I stopped watching the Star Wars films decades ago.

43. Molecule parts: ATOMS.  Chemistry 101.

44. Recipe instruction: STIR.

46. Aid in crime: ABET.  A crossword staple.

52. "No more sharing," briefly: TMI.  Textspeak for Too Much Information.

55. Island in "Jaws": AMITY.

56. Bethesda research org.: NIH.  As in the National Institutes of Health, where you can get the latest information on Covid-19.

57. Mythical man-goat: FAUN.  Roman mythology.  A Satyr is it's Greek counterpart.

58. Cacophony: DIN.

63. Ltd., across the pond: INC.  Clever!  Going East to West, instead of the usual West to East across the pond.

64. Sooner State natives: OKIES.  An Okie is a resident of Oklahoma, but is also a somewhat derogatory term used to describe migrant workers during the Great Depression during the 1930s.  Here's the reason why Oklahoma is nicknamed the Sooner State.

65. Jump for joy: EXULT.

66. In the past: AGO.

67. Rump: REAR.

68. Brainy bunch: MENSA.

Down:

1. Black tea from India: ASSAM.  Assam is a state in northeastern India and is known for its tea plantations.

2. "Star Trek" lieutenant: UHURA.

3. Worked closely with a partner on a task: TAG TEAMED.

4. Skin care brand: OLAY.  A crossword staple.

5. Camera initials: SLR.  As in Single Lens Reflex camera.  We see this a lot in the puzzles, but what does it really mean?  I'll let the the Britannica explain.

6. Old Paris coin: FRANC.  I lived in France before the Euro.  We went to Switzerland and had to exchange our French Francs for Swiss Francs.  Before returning to France, we went into a Swiss chocolate shop and plopped the remainder of our Swiss Francs on the counter and asked to purchase as much chocolate as our money could buy.

7. Horse morsel: OAT.

8. Shelley's "__ to the West Wind": ODE.

9. Batted first: LED OFF.

10. Stradivari's tutor: AMATI.  Antonio Stradivari (1644 ~ Dec. 18, 1737) was an Italian stringed instrument maker.  He is best known for his violins.  He is believed to have crafted over 950 violins, of which approximately half that number are known to have survived through the centuries.  Nicolò Amati (Dec. 3, 1596 ~ Apr. 12, 1684) came from a family of violin makers.  He is known for adopting the form of the violin to give it a greater power of tone.  He is said to have taught Stradivari, however, this may or may not have been correct.  Stradivari is said to have begun an appreticeship at age 12 under the guidance of the aged Amati.  A Brief History of Amati and Stradivari.

11. Central idea: MOTIF.  I was so sure that Theme was the correct answer.

12. Cake serving: PIECE.  I wanted a Slice of cake.

14. Singer Amos: TORI.  Tori Amos (née Myra Ellen Amos; b. Aug. 22, 1963) won a full scholarship to the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University at age 5.  She was expelled 6 years later, at age 11, for musical insubordination.

17. Pair in a pint: CUPS.

22. Appease: PLACATE.

24. Hot: SEXY.

25. Makes on the job: EARNS.

26. Cassini of fashion: OLEG.  Oleg Cassini (né Oleg Aleksandrovich Cassini Loiewski; Apr. 11, 1913 ~ Mar. 17, 2006) was an American fashion designer with an interesting ancestry.  He was born in Paris, France to an Italian Countess and a Russian diplomat.  He ultimately made his way to the United States and became a naturalized citizen.  He designed costumes for Hollywood, but is probably best known for his White House connection.  In 1961, he became Jackie Kennedy's exclusive couturier.

28. "No more for us": WE'RE SET.

30. Noir sleuth: TEC.

31. "__ been wrong before": I'VE.

32. Zin cousin: CHARD.  Think of the Red and White wines of Zinfandel and Chardonnay.

33. Broadcast: AIR.

35. "Time for me to split": I GOTTA RUN.

36. President pro __: TEM.  Pro tem. is short for Pro Tempore.  Article One, Section Three, Paragraph 5 of the United States Consitution reads:  "The Senate shall chuse (sic) their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States."  The President pro tempore is the second highest ranking officer in the Senate.  The current President pro tem is Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa.  End of civic lesson.

37. Hallelujah trio?: ELs.  As in the letter "L".  I wasn't fooled by this clue.

39. Bed size: TWIN.

40. Life-changing household arrival: BABY.

45. Pop star Swift: TAYLOR.  Taylor Allison Swift (b. Dec. 13, 1989) is only 30 years old, but she seems to have been around forever.

46. Tennis great Arthur: ASHE.  Our good friend Arthur Robert Ashe (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993) makes another guest appearance in the crossword puzzle.

47. First name in 1970s gymnastics: NADIA.  As in Nadia Comăneci (b. Nov. 12, 1961).  In 1976, at just the age of 14, she was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect 10 at Olympic Games.

48. Cyberchatting: IMING.  As in Instant Messaging.

49. __ de Mayo: CINCO.  A brief history of Cinco de Mayo.

50. Oversized keyboard key: ENTER.

51. Feels poorly: AILS.

53. Thinks (over): MULLS.

54. Photo-sharing website, familiarly: INSTA.

57. Prix __ menu: FIXE.  Today's French lesson.  The phrase means Fixed Price.

60. '50s presidential nickname: IKE.

61. Aunt in Acapulco: TIA.  Today's Spanish lesson.

62. Great fielding play, say: GEM.

Here's the Grid:

As Maria from The Sound of Music reminded us to Stay at Home.