Wednesday, October 18, 2023

QOD:  Depending on where we go from here, human intelligence may just be the stupidest thing that has ever happened.  ~ Justin Gregg, American biologist  

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

QOD:  Don’t let the same dog bite you twice.  ~  Chuck Berry (né Charles Edward Anderson Berry; Oct. 18, 1926 ~Mar. 18, 2017), African-American guitarist and songwriter

I'd Like To Buy a Vowel.  Sorry, but you can only get a U.  The only vowel in each of the theme answers is a U.

17-Across. *   Busy stretch at a sandwich shop: LUNCH RUSH.

25-Across. *   Crumple, as notepaper filled with bad ideas: SCRUNCH UP.

36-Across. *   Fare that pairs well with beer: PUB GRUB.  Rhyming answer.

38-Across. *   Ticket marketplace with a FanProtect Guarantee: STUB HUB.  Rhyming answer.

52-Across. *   Source of bribe money, perhaps: SLUSH FUND.

And the unifier:

62-Across. "I'm handing this off now," and a phonetic description of the answers to the starred clues: IT'S ALL YOU. (U).  At first I thought the answer might be rhyming, but that fit only 2 of the answers.

Across:

1. "Barbaric" cry in Whitman's "Song of Myself": YAWP.  Not a good start for a Tuesday puzzle.

5. Departed: LEFT.

9. Stockpile: AMASS.

14. Actress Falco: EDIE.  Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) portrayed Carmela Soprano on the HBO series The Sopranos.  We binged on this show during the first weeks of the Covid shut-down.     Edie Falco made a guest appearance in the puzzle just last Sunday.  [Name # 1.]

15. Thin batteries: AAAs.  Tiny rods.

16. "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" host Peter: SAGAL.  Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me is a weekly radio game show where contestants are quizzed about the week's news.  Peter Sagal (né Peter Daniel Sagal; b. Jan. 31, 1965) is a humorist who hosts the show.  [Name # 2.]

19. Dish: PLATE.

20. Snuck a look: PEEKED.

21. Clock readout: TIME.

23. Shoe front: TOE.

24. Verbalize: SAY.

27. Lets off steam: VENTS.

29. Lightbulb unit: WATT.

30. "Fiddlesticks!": RATS.

31. Brief "If you ask me": IMO.  Textspeak for In My Opinion.  This had become a crossword staple.

32. Letter-shaped support: I-BAR.

34. Provençal pal: AMI.  Today's French lesson.

42. Farmyard oinker: PIG.

43. Worrisome grades: DEEs.

44. Actress de Armas: ANA.  Ana de Armas (née Ana Celia de Armas Caso; b. Apr. 30, 1988) is a Cuban actress.  She portrayed the nurse in the movie Knives Out.  She appeared in a previous crossword that I commented on.  [Name # 3.]

45. __ facto: IPSO.  Today's Latin lesson.  This is a phrase a term-of-art in law which translates as "by the fact itself."

48. "__ sesame!": OPEN.  Open Sesame is the magical phrase that opens the cave in the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

50. Otherwise: IF NOT.

54. Scoundrel: CAD.

55. Used to be: WAS.  I have a friend who refers to her ex-husband as her Wasband.

56. Natural hairstyle: AFRO.

57. Infomercial disclaimer: PAID AD.

60. College application part: ESSAY.

64. Revise: AMEND.

65. __ as a pin: NEAT.

66. Watch over, as sheep: TEND.

67. Odorless gas: RADON.  Everything you wanted to know about Radon but didn't know to ask.

68. Tacks on: ADDS.

69. Poems of praise: ODES.  How about a Limerick to a sheep instead?

Down:

1. [You stepped on my paw!]: YELP.

2. For two voices, in music: A DUE.  Today's Italian lesson.  This term appears occasionally in the puzzles.

3. Connoisseur who likely scoffs at boxed Merlot: WINE SNOB.  I may not be drinking Bordeaux, but I like my Cardbordeaux.

4. Eat like a bird: PECK AT.

5. Baker's fat: LARD.

6. __ de toilette: EAU.

7. Tracy Chapman hit with the line "Won't have to drive too far": FAST CAR.  Fast Car is one of Tracy Chapman's (b. Mar. 30, 1964) best known songs.  [Name # 4.]

8. Summer top: T SHIRT.

9. Colorado ski resort: ASPEN.

10. Prefix with practice: MAL-.  As in Malpractice.

11. "Death on the Nile" novelist Christie: AGATHA.  In addition to writing crime novels, Dame Agatha Christie (née Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller; Sept. 15, 1890 ~ Jan. 12, 1976) is known for her own mysterious disappearance.  [Name # 5.]

12. Stayed on the sidelines: SAT OUT.

13. Snoozes: SLEEPS.

18. Activation phrase for Apple's digital assistant: HEY, SIRI.

22. Change genetically: MUTATE.

25. DNA test kit item: SWAB.

26. High-sided bed: CRIB.

27. Big shot, briefly: VIP.

28. Ostrich kin: EMU.

33. "Scram!": BUG OFF.

35. Broadway offering: MUSICAL.  Some of the top Broadway musicals in 2022.

37. Main mail ctrs.: GPOS.  As in General Post Office.  //  Followed by:  38-Down. Put in the mail: SEND.

39. Like some small-batch textiles: HAND DYED.  Back when I was in high school, we tie-eyed our t-shirts.

40. Card game with an American Girl version: UNO.  Who knew?

41. Belfry critter: BAT.

43. Stood for: DENOTED.

45. "Cross my heart!": I SWEAR.

46. Blood component: PLASMA.

47. Figured (out): SUSSED.

49. Fancy Feast maker: PURINA.  [Name adjacent]

51. "I __ see the humor here": FAIL TO.

53. Composer known as the "Father of the Symphony": HAYDN.  Franz Joseph Haydn (Mar. 31, 1732 ~ May 31, 1809) was known as Papa Haydn.  [Name # 6.]

57. Butter portions: PATS.

58. Top of the line: A-ONE.

59. Disappointing fireworks: DUDS.

61. "It's __-win situation": A NO.

63. Glum: SAD.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Monday, October 18, 2021

QOD:  There is no perception that is not full of memories. ~ Henri Bergson (Oct. 18, 1859 ~ Jan. 4, 1941), French writer and recipient of the 1927 Nobel Prize in Literature

Sunday, October 18, 2020

QOD:  Labels are for filing.  Labels are for clothing.  Labels are not for people.  ~  Martina Navratilova (née Martina Šubertová; b. Oct. 18, 1956), Czech-born tennis player

Friday, October 18, 2019

QOD:  It’s not that marriage itself is bad; it’s the people we marry who give it a bad name.  ~  Terry McMillan (b. Oct. 18, 1951), African-American author

Thursday, October 18, 2018

QOD:  Living in the past is for cowards.  ~  Mike Ditka (né Michael Dyczko; b. Oct. 18, 1939), American football player and coach

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

QOD:  Before you can win, you have to believe you are worthy.  ~  Mike Ditka (né Michael Keller Dtika; b. Oct. 18, 1939), American football coach

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

QOD:  Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank.  Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.  ~  Mike Ditka (b. Oct. 18, 1939)

Sunday, October 18, 2015

QOD:  Success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal.  ~  Mike Ditka (b. Oct. 19, 1939)

Friday, October 18, 2013

QOD:  You’re never a loser until you quit trying.  ~  Mike Ditka (né Michael Keller Ditka; b. Oct. 18, 1939), American football player and coach