Wednesday, May 17, 2023

QOD:  The musician is perhaps the most modest of animals, but he is also the proudest.  It is he who invented the sublime art of ruining poetry.  ~  Érik Satie (né Éric Alfred Leslie Satie; May 17, 1866 ~ July 1, 1925), French pianist and composer

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

QOD:  People can do more than they ever believe they can do.  Physically, mentally, academically.  You have to be pushed.  It hurts, but it’s worth it, and it’s a great thing.  ~  Sugar Ray Leonard (né Ray Charles Leonard, b. May 17, 1956), African-American boxer

Two for the Price of One:  Today's theme answers give us two pairs of pants.

17-Across. *   Saddle attachment for a tall jockey?: LONG STIRRUP.  Long Pants and Stirrup Pants

Long Pants

Stirrup Pants

28-Across. *   Stevedore school instruction?: CARGO TRAINING.  Cargo Pants and Training Pants

Cargo Pants

(Need to) Pull-Up Pants

46-Across. *   Relaxing exercise for skydivers?: PARACHUTE YOGA.  Parachute Pants and Yoga Pants

Parachute Pants

Yoga Pants

And the unifier:

61-Across. Trousers, and what the answer to each starred clue literally is: PAIR OF PANTS.

Across:

1. Item sold with an envelope: CARD.

5. Olive Garden selections: PASTAs.

11. "Dropped" drug: LSD.  Short for Lysergic acid diethylamide.  Tune in and Drop out.

14. Nabisco cookie: OREO.  The company keeps on making variations on a theme.  You can often find Oreos with all sorts of weird fillings.

15. Wool source: ALPACA.  What's the difference between an Alpaca and a Llama?

16. Reverent feeling: AWE.

19. "__ I help you?": CAN.  Grammatically speaking, the question should be "May I help you?"  You probably physically can help me, but do I really want you to?

20. Supplement: ADD TO.

21. Sweet potato kin: YAM.  Do you know the difference between a Yam and a Sweet Potato?

22. Targets: AIMS.

23. Oodles: ALOT.

26. "I Dream of __": JEANNIE.

32. "A Sorta Fairytale" singer Tori: AMOS.

33. Shop __ you drop: 'TIL.

34. Thaw, as a wing: DE-ICE.

37. Familial nickname: SIS.  Last Tuesday, the family nickname was a Sib.

38. Billiards stick: POOL CUE.

41. Org. with seven teams in Canada: NHL.  Hi, CanadianEh!  Can the rest of us name all 7 Canadian teams in the National Hockey League?

42. One-named "Hello" singer: ADELE.  Adele (née Adele Laurie Blue Adkins; b. May 5, 1988), just celebrated her 34th birthday.  Hello is a good song, but my favorite is the one below.

44. Swiss peak: ALP.

45. Air conditioner nos.: BTUs.  As in British Thermal Units.  Everything you wanted to know about BTUs, but didn't know to ask.

50. Beach scavenger: SEAGULL.  Been there, done that.

52. Tusked beast: BOAR.

53. See 69-Across: WARS.  //  And 69. With 53-Across, "The Mandalorian" franchise: STAR.  Together we get Star Wars.

54. "WandaVision" actress Dennings: KAT.  I am not familiar with Kat Dennings (née Katherine Victoria Latwack; b. June 13, 1986).

56. Thesaurus name: ROGET.  Peter Mark Roget (Jan. 18, 1779 ~ Sept. 12, 1869) led a very interesting life / existence / essence / viability.

60. Pretty-picture link: AS A.

64. Albertan's last letter: ZED.  Another CSO to CanadianEh!  What's the difference between Zee and Zed?

65. __ milk: ALMOND.  What's the difference between Cow Milk and Almond Milk?

66. Polling results, say: DATA.

67. Project conclusion?: -ILE.  As in a Projectile.  My first thought, however, was Projection.

68. Title usually abbreviated: MISTER.  That's Mr. Mister to you!

Down:

1. Fast-food beverage: COLA.  It was either going to be Soda or Cola.  Or the generic Coke, if you live in the South.

2. Three-time A.L. MVP: A-ROD.  We haven't seen A-Rod (aka Alex Rodriguez; b. July 27, 1975) in a while.

3. Tear apart: REND.

4. Military IDs: DOGTAGS.  Did you know that the dogtags were used in the American Civil War?

5. Basketball coach Summitt in the Hall of Fame: PAT.  Pat Summitt (née Patricia Susan Summitt; June 14, 1952 ~ June 28, 2016) was the head coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols from 1974 until 2012.

6. "Baby Cobra" comedian Wong: ALI.  Ali Wong (née Alexandra Dawn Wong; b. Apr. 19, 1982) appeared recently in a puzzle.  Her stand-up routines are not suitable for family viewing.

7. Nimble: SPRY.

8. __ P. Henson of "Empire": TARAJI.  I am not familiar with Taraji P. Henson (née Taraji Panda Henson; b. Sept. 11, 1970).

9. Keen insight: ACUMEN.

10. Tree goo: SAP.

11. Giving an earful: LACING INTO.  Lace into synonyms.

12. Hindu teacher: SWAMI.

13. Tightly packed: DENSE.

18. Recital piece: SOLO.

22. Novelist Tyler: ANNE.  Anne Tyler (b. Oct. 25, 1941) is an American novelist from Minnesota.  She has written over 20 novels, most recently French Braid, which was published just this year.

24. Miranda of "Homeland": OTTO.  Miranda Otto (b. Dec. 15, 1967), is an Australian actress who portrayed Alison Carr, the CIA Station Chief in Berlin and was a double agent in the television series Homeland.

25. Rascal Flatts, e.g.: TRIO.  Rascal Flatts was a country music band.  I believe the band disbanded last Fall.

27. Deputy: AIDE.

28. Where to find a cocina: CASA.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!  My מִטְבָּח is in my בַּיִת.

29. In a group of: AMID.

30. Annual floral procession in Pasadena: ROSE PARADE.  The first Rose Parade was held over 130 years ago.

31. God to more than two billion: ALLAH.

35. Guzzle: CHUG.

36. "Frozen" sister: ELSA.  I recently saw a stage production of Frozen.

38. Chile neighbor: PERU.

39. Driver or putter: CLUB.

40. Capable of: UP TO.

43. Drops back: LAGS.

45. Detour routes, often: BY-ROADS.  Also known as Byways.  There are lots of scenic byways in Louisiana.

47. High-pH compound: ALKALI.  Time for a Chemistry Lesson.

48. Insurance filings: CLAIMS.

49. Wyatt of the Old West: EARP.  Wyatt Earp (né Wyatt Berry Strapp Earp; Mar. 18, 1848 ~ Jan. 13, 1929) was a lawman and a bit of an outlaw.  He is probably best associated with the infamous shootout at the OK Corral.

50. Language of Southern Africa: SWAZI.  Everything you wanted to know about Swazi but didn't know to ask.

51. Artist's stand: EASEL.

55. Brisk pace: TROT.

57. Puny pest: GNAT.

58. Blues legend James: ETTA.  We haven't seen Etta James (né Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) in quite a while.  She often makes guest appearances in the puzzles.

59. Russian sovereign: TSAR.  The Russian Tsar visited us last Tuesday.

61. Nonstick spray brand: PAM.  It comes in all sorts of flavors.

62. Common Scrabble tile value: ONE.

63. Pres. on a dime: FDR.  As in Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Jan. 30, 1882 ~ Apr. 12, 1945).

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, May 17, 2021

QOD:  When I was young, I was told: “You’ll see when you’re fifty.”  I am fifty and I haven’t seen a thing.  ~  Érik Satie (né Éric Alfred Leslie Satie; May 17, 1866 ~ July 1, 1925), French pianist and composer

Sunday, May 17, 2020

QOD:  Through the centuries, men of law have been persistently concerned with the resolution of disputes in ways that enable society to achieve its goals with a minimum of force and a maximum or reason.  ~  Archibald Cox, Jr. (May 17, 1912 ~ May 29, 2004), American attorney and Solicitor General of the United States

Friday, May 17, 2019

QOD:  The trouble with words is that you never know whose mouth they’ve been in.  ~  Dennis Potter (né Dennis Christopher George Potter, May 17, 1935 ~ June 7, 1994), British screenwriter and journalist

A Chipper By Another Name Would Still Be a Chipper.  Wait, what?  In this puzzle each time we are given the clue "Chipper" we get an entirely different definition.  Look how the first and last answers span the grid.  The two middle theme answers are symmetrically placed in the grid.  Nice!

17-Across. Chipper: JONES OF BASEBALL.  As in Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones (b. Apr. 24, 1972).  He was a third baseman for the Atlanta Braves.

27-Across. Chipper: GREEN SIDE IRON.  A golfing reference.

46-Across. Chipper: IN A JAUNTY MOOD.

56-Across. Chipper: MULCH MAKING TOOL.  This made me think of the wood-chipping scene from the 1996 movie Fargo.  Not for morning consumption, however.

Across:

1. VMI program: ROTC.  As in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.  Such programs are found on at the Virginia Military Institute as well as many other university campuses.

5. '80s-'90s courtroom drama: LA LAW.  This television drama was on when I was in law school in the other LA.

10. On-call worker: TEMP.  As in a TEMPorary worker.

14. Assert as true: AVER.  A crossword staple.

15. Three-time A.L. batting champ Tony: OLIVA.  As in Tony Oliva (né Antonio Oliva Lopez Hernandes Javique; b. July 20, 1938).  He had a long career with the Minnesota Twins.

16. Pupil's place: UVEA.  As in parts of the eye.

20. Tetra- doubled: OCTA-.  4 doubled is 8.

21. Atonement: AMENDS.

22. Confuse: ADDLE.

25. Wrigley brand: ORBIT.  Gum that comes in all different flavors.

31. Geological time span: EON.

32. Carpenter's joint element: TENON.  It's the projecting piece of wood made for insertion into a mortise of another piece of wood.

33. Hiccup cause: SPASM.

36. Genesis voyager: NOAH.

38. Protector with strings: APRON.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.

40. Mlle., across the Pyrenees: SRTA.  Today's French (Mlle.) and Spanish (Srta.) lesson.  Both are abbreviations for Miss in English.

41. God of Islam: ALLAH.

43. Called from the field: LOWED.  The sounds the cow makes.

45. Bordeaux vineyard: CRU.  More of today's French lesson.  A Cru is a vineyard or group of vineyards of high quality.

49. Rural wagons: DRAYS.

50. Response at the door: IT'S ME!  Sometimes the answer is: It is I, which has the same number of letters.

51. Fair-hiring problem: AGEISM.

54. "I don't like your __": TONE.

62. Tierra en el mar: ISLA.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  The Island (Isla) is a bit of land (tierra) in the sea (el mar).

63. Force to leave: EXILE.

64. Personification of victory: NIKE.  Nike was a Greek goddess.  Here is the winged victory wearing Adidas.

65. Dance basic: STEP.

66. Shemar's longtime "Criminal Minds" role: DEREK.  I have never watched Criminal Minds, however, Shemar Moore (né Shemar Franklin Moore; b. Apr. 20, 1970) played Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless for many years.

67. Plus: ALSO.

Down:

1. One of five characters on "The Big Bang Theory" to appear in every episode: RAJ.  Another show I have never watched.  Raj is played by Kunar Naayar (b. Apr. 30, 1981).

2. Ab __: from the start: OVO.

3. Cube root of 1,000: TEN.  Crossword math:  10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000.

4. Spicy cuisine: CREOLE.  Well, I rather suppose this depends upon one's definition of "spicy."    I don't consider Creole to be an especially spicy cuisine, but then, I am accustomed to this style.  The word "Creole" is derived from the word "criollo", which is Spanish or Portuguese for "born in the colony".  The word "Creole" initially referred to the first settlers of European descent in the French colonies, especially New Orleans.

The term "Creole", when referring to food, is a style of cooking that originated in Louisiana, that blends French, Spanish, Portuguese, West African, Native American, Caribbean, German and Italian influences.  Traditional Creole dishes include red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo and creole sauce dishes.

5. Plunder: LOOT.

6. Italian wheels, briefly: ALFA.  The Alfa Romero Automobile company was actually founded by Alexandre Darracq (1855 ~ 1931), who was French.

7. Ad-__: LIB.  An appreciation for ad libitum, which is a Latin phrase translated as "at one's pleasure"

8. Director DuVernay: AVA.  Ava DuVernay (b. Aug. 24, 1972) is probably best known for her 2018 film A Wrinkle in Time.

9. Horseradish relative: WASABI.  Wasabi is a plant of the family that includes horseradish.  Apparently, however, most of what American's think of as Wasabi really a mixture of horseradish, mustard and food coloring.

10. Casual summer garments: TUBE TOPS.

This tube top doesn't look very comfortable.

11. Former Indiana governor Bayh: EVAN.  Evan Bayh (né Birch Evans Bayh, III; b. Dec. 26, 1955),  is the son of Senator Birch Bayh, Jr.  Both father and son served as United States Senators from Indiana.

12. Amalgamate: MELD.

13. Chums: PALS.

18. Crime scene clue, maybe: SCENT.

19. Arab bigwigs: EMIRS.  This has become a crossword staple.

22. Gemini rocket stage: AGENA.

23. Eagerly anticipate, with "over": DROOL.

This baby is too cool to drool.

24. North America's highest peak: DENALI.  Mt. Denali is in Alaska.

25. Fragrant: ODOROUS.  I think of odorous as being more stinky than fragrant.

26. Fame: RENOWN.

28. Large expanse: SEA.  Yup.  It goes on and on.

29. Part of the picture: IN PLAY.

30. Busters: NARCOS.

34. Four-decades-plus first name in the Senate: STROM.  As in Strom Thurmond (né James Strom Thurmond; Dec. 5, 1902 ~ June 26, 2003).  He served as a United States Senator from South Carolineafor 48 years.  In 1948, he ran for President as the States Rights Democratic Party candidate.

35. Title role for Bea: MAUDE.  As in Bea Arthur (née Beatrice Frankel; May 13, 1922 ~ Apr. 25, 2009).  She would have celebrated her 97th birthday earlier this week.

37. Links equalizer: HANDICAP.

39. Take-home: NET.  The amount of money you have after taxes.

42. Tough to hear, as criticism: HARSH.

44. Like embers: DYING.

47. Stuck: JAMMED.

48. Medit. tourist attraction: MT. ETNA.  Italian volcano.

51. Author Martin: AMIS.  As in the British novelist Martin Louis Amis (b. 1949).  He wrote the novel Money, which I read, but didn't enjoy.  He is the son of novelist Kingsley William Amis (Apr. 16, 1922 ~ Oct. 22, 1995).

52. Unexpected blow: GUST.

53. Couture monthly: ELLE.

54. Roof piece: TILE.

55. Fraction of a meg: ONE K.  One Thousand (one K) is a fraction of a million (meg.).

57. Men's grooming brand: AXE.

58. Aperitif named for a former Dijon mayor: KIR.  The cocktail is made with crème de cassis topped up with white wine or champagne.  It was named after Félix Kir (Jan. 22, 1876 ~ Apr. 26, 1968), a Catholic priest, resistance fighter and politician.  He served as mayor of Dijon from 1945 until his death in 1968.

59. Good thing to strike: OIL.  The first oil well in Louisiana was drilled in late 1901-early 1902.

60. Signs off on: OKs.

61. Sign of summer: LEO.  Sign of the Zodiac.

Here's the grid: