QOD:  Life is like a dogsled team.  If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.  ~ Lewis Grizzard (né Lewis McDonald Grizzard, Jr.; Oct. 20, 1947 ~ Mar. 20, 1994), American journalist and humorist

The Private Eye is on Your Trail.

17-Across. Pregame activity in a parking lot: TAILGATING.

25-Across. Cursor control on some older laptops: TRACKBALL.

36-Across. Like a place with free treats and a full water dish, presumably: DOG FRIENDLY.

50-Across. Wells Fargo rival: CHASE BANK.

And the unifier:

59-Across. Point to future plot developments, or a feature of 17-, 25-, 36-, and 50-Across: FORESHADOW.  The first word in each theme answer is another term for "shadowing" someone.  This theme caught me off guard at first.  The words Tail, Dog, and Chase, made we think we were looking at some type of animal, but how did Track fit into that?  Then it dawned on me, I was being Shadowed

Here's the Grid.

What else is in today's puzzle?

Across:

1. Snack (on): NOSH.  Today's Yiddish lesson.  To Nosh means to take a bite of food.

5. Muscle twitch: SPASM.

10. Endure: LAST.

14. Really feel yesterday's workout: ACHE.

15. Country singer Tucker: TANYA.  Tanya Denise Tucker (b. Oct. 10, 1958) was big in the country scene in the 1970s and 1980s.  She had her first big hit in 1972 at age 13 with her rendition of Delta Dawn.

16. Suspecting: ON TO.

19. Place in the overhead bin, say: STOW.

20. Disconnect from work, colloquially: UNPLUG.

21. "__ the season ... ": TIS.

23. "The Simpsons" bartender: MOE.

24. Silky semisynthetic fabric: RAYON.  A brief history of Rayon.

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

29. Indigenous language with Dakota and Lakota dialects: SIOUX.

31. Charged particles: IONS.

32. Ulrich of Metallica: LARS.  Lars Ulrich (b. Dec. 26, 1963) is a Danish musician.  He is the drummer and a founding member of the heavy metal band Metallica.

34. Well-worn pencil: NUB.

35. London's __ Gardens: KEW.  Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London founded in 1759.  It claims to house the largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world. 

40. Language similar to Thai: LAO.  Thailand and Laos are neighboring countries.

41. Couple: TWO.

42. __-care: SELF.

45. Senior-year dance: PROM.

47. Hilarious folks: RIOTS.

49. "U slay me!": LOL.  Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud, or as some people think, Lots Of Love.

52. "Deck the Halls" plant: HOLLY.  'Tis the Season ...

54. Use oars: ROW.

55. Daily grind: RUT.

56. "The Situation Room" co-host Brown: PAMELA.  Pamela Ashley Brown (b. Nov. 29, 1983) is currently CNN's chief investigative correspondent and anchor.  Since March 2025, she has served, together with Wolf Blitzer, as the co-host of The Situation Room.

57. "Waterloo" pop group: ABBA.  The Swedish band was formed in 1972.  It  took its name by using the first initial of each member:  Agnetha Fältskog (b. Apr. 5, 1950), Björn Ulvaeus (B. Apr. 25, 1945), Benny Andersson (b. Dec. 16, 1946) and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (b. Nov. 15, 1945).  Agnetha was married to Björn. and Benny was married to Anni-Frid.

62. Small glass container: VIAL.

A Vile Vial.

63. Energy sources: FUELS.

64. California wine region: NAPA.

65. __ Grey tea: EARL.  I am not keen on Earl Grey tea.  The addition of Bergamot oil gives this tea its distinctive flavor.  The tea is named after Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey (Mar. 13, 1764 ~ July 17, 1845),  He served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from November 1830 to July 1834.

66. Clown's perch: STILT.

67. Tiny: ITSY.

Down:

1. One with innate talent: NATURAL.

2. Anthem played at Blue Jays home games: O CANADA.  A shout out to our very own CanadianEh!

3. Boat-building spot: SHIPYARD.

4. Word of welcome: HELLO.

5. Male deer: STAG.

6. Butter square: PAT.

7. Singer DiFranco: ANI.  Ani DiFranco (née Angela Maria DiFranco; b. Sept. 23, 1970) has released more than 20 albums.  

8. Grammar subject: SYNTAX.  Syntax is the set of rules that govern how words, phrases, and symbols are arranged to form well-structured sentences.

9. Facetious response to "How did you do that?": MAGIC.

10. Part of LAX: LOS.  The Los Angeles airport code

11. Marvel superhero who shrinks to the size of a bug: ANTMAN.

12. Bar seats: STOOLS.

13. Spa handout: TOWEL.

18. Revs, as an engine: GUNS.

22. Hit the slopes: SKIED.

25. Guided visit: TOUR.

26. Add insult to injury: RUB IT IN.

27. Soup dishes: BOWLS.

30. Deets: INFO.  I need the Details!

33. Jam band highlights: SOLOS.

35. Pretzel shape: KNOT.

37. Fortnite enthusiast, e.g.: GAMER.

38. "Return of the Jedi" creature: EWOK.  Ewoks are the fictional species of small, furry, critters that are native to the forest moon of Endor in the Star Wars movies.

39. Gave quite an earful: YELLED AT.

43. Bounces clumsily: LOLLOPS.  Not to be confused with Lollipops.  According to Webster's Dictionary, "Lollop is an intransitive verb meaning to move or run in an awkward, unhurried, bounding, or rolling way."

44. Take off: FLYAWAY.

Flyaway hair

45. Extreme fear: PHOBIA.

46. Venue that sells shellfish: RAW BAR.

47. Squeal on: RAT OUT.

48. Iranian ruler until 1979: SHAH.  I just read Marjan Kamali's novel The Stationery Shop, which is about the 1953 uprising in Tehran.  The Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown in a coup d'état that strengthened the rule of the Shah.

50. Really yen for: CRAVE.

51. Enthusiasts: BUFFS.

53. Muscat resident: OMANI.

56. Hissed "Hey!": PSST.

58. __-purpose flour: ALL.  Who knew there were so many types of flour.

60. Big name in camping gear: REI.  This company makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  REI stands for Recreational Equipment, Inc.

61. Pipe bend: ELL.

חתולה

Friday, October 20, 2023

QOD:  Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.  ~  John Dewey (Oct. 20, 1859 ~ June 1, 1952), American educational reformer

Thursday October 20, 2022

QOD:  It’s difficult to think of anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.  Lewis Grizzard (né Lewis McDonald Grizzard, Jr.; Oct. 20, 1947 ~ Mar. 20, 1994), American journalist and humorist

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

QOD:  I grew up in a very large family in a very small house.  I never slept alone until after I was married.  ~  Lewis Grizzard (né Lewis McDonald Grizzard, Jr.; Oct. 20, 1947Mar. 20, 1994), American journalist and humorist

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

QOD:  Trust your hunches.  They’re usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level.  ~  Dr. Joyce Brothers (née Joyce Diane Bauer; Oct. 29, 1927 ~ May 13, 2013), American psychologist and television personality.

Hello, Goodbye.  The last few letters of each theme answer is another word one might use when departing.

20-Across. Bach mini comic opera about a beverage addiction: COFFEE CANTATA.  October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

25-Across. Modern car receivers: SATELLITE RADIOS.  Today's Spanish Lesson.

47-Across. He played the interviewer in "Interview With the Vampire": CHRISTIAN SLATER.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Last parting, or what can literally be found in 20-, 25- and 47-Across: FINAL FAREWELL.  The last 4 or 5 letters of each theme answer is another word for saying "Good-bye".

Across:
1. Play divisions: ACTS.

5. Citrus coolers: ADES.  Hi, Lemonade!

9. Caroline, to Bobby Kennedy: NIECE.

14. Site of many a college party: FRAT.

15. Vatican leader: POPE.

The New Pope, played by John Malovich.

16. Garden trimming gadget: EDGER.

17. Singer __ Amos: TORI.  Tori Amos (née Myra Ellen Amos; b. Aug. 22, 1963) is a classically trained musician.

18. Stuffed shirt: PRIG.

19. Pastry with tea: SCONE.

23. Pillow filler: FOAM.  My pillows are stuffed with feathers.

24. Anthem contraction: O'ER.

33. Letter-shaped plumbing trap: U-BEND.

34. Shade tree: ELM.  I hear people have Nightmares on Elm Street.

35. Layer on a stagnant pond: SCUM.

36. Opp. of 56-Down: MAN.  //  And 56-Down. Works-by-itself setting: AUTO.  Think of Manual transmission and Automatic cars.

37. Secretly: SUB ROSA.  Sub rosa is a Litin phrase that means "under the rose".  In ancient times, the rose was a symbol for secrecy.

41. Denver-to-Chicago dir.: ENE.  One must go East-NorthEast to get from Denver to Chicago.

42. Beginning on: AS OF.

44. Hide-hair connector: NOR.  The phrase, "neither hide nor hair" dates back to the time of Chaucer.  It alludes to the fact that the outside of an animal is made up of hide and hair, which therefore constitute its entirety. The negative version, nearly always meaning that something or someone cannot be seen or found, became common in the mid-nineteenth century.

45. German camera: LEICA.  The Leica Camera company has been around since 1869.  It was founded by Ernst Leitz (Apr. 26, 1843 ~ Sept. 12, 1920).  The word Leica is derived from the first three letters of the founder's surname, Leitz, and the first two letters of the word Camera.

Ernst Leitz

51. Yellowfin tuna: AHI.

52. Very often: ALOT.

59. Liberty Bell flaw: CRACK.  The Liberty Bell traveled across the country in 1917.  I have never actually seen the Liberty Bell.  I have a friend in Philadelphia.  Maybe when it is save to travel again, I can go visit her and the Bell.

60. Artificial bait: LURE.  They come in all shapes and sized depending upon what you are fishing for.

61. "The First __": holiday song: NOËL.  This word is derived from the Latin verb Nasci, which means, to be born.

63. "Voices Carry" co-songwriter Mann: AIMEE.  Below is Aimee Mann's solo version, not the one made famous by 'Til Tuesday.

64. Perched on: ATOP.  Not going to have my picnic lunch perched upon a construction beam.

65. Impulse: URGE.

66. Models strike them: POSES.

67. Acknowledges applause: BOWS.

68. Mexican bread?: PESO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.  1 Peso equals 0.047 US Dollars.

Down:
1. Back on board: AFT.  Hi, Spitzboov!

2. Gator's cousin: CROC.

3. Poi source: TARO.

4. React to an insult, maybe: STIFFEN.

5. Legal challenge: APPEAL.  The United States Supreme Court has the final word on appeals.

6. Scale starters: DO RE MI.

7. Grand-scale production: EPIC.

8. Genesis creator: SEGA.  Maker of video games.

9. Snapple rival: NESTEA.

10. They're often swiped at work: ID CARDS.

11. Entertainment awards acronym: EGOT.  This acronym has been making quite a few appearances in the crossword puzzles recently:  Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.  To date, there have been 16 EGOT winners.

12. Wrestler John: CENA.  John Felix Anthony Cena, Jr. (b. Apr. 23, 1977) got married just last week to his 2nd wife, Shay Shariatzadeh.

13. Prior to, in poems: ERE.

21. Tosses in one's cards: FOLDS.

22. Expected outcomes: NORMS.

25. The "poison" type contains the skin irritant urushiol: SUMAC.

26. Disconcert: ABASH.

27. Pavarotti, for one: TENOR.  As was recently noted, the anniversary of Luciano Pavarotti's 85th birth (Oct. 12, 1935 ~ Sept. 7, 2007) would have celebrated last week.  I saw him perform many years ago in Boston.

28. Earth, to Cato: TERRA.  Today's Italian lesson.

29. "Xanadu" rock gp.: ELO.  As in the Electric Light Orchestra.

30. Seal the deal: ICE IT.  Sorry, Tin!

31. Prevention measure?: OUNCE.  A reference to the adage, An Ounce of Prevention is worth a Pound of Cure.

32. Makeup streak: SMEAR.

38. "Open __ 9 p.m.": store sign: UNTIL.

39. Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er __": BOI.

40. Give permission: ALLOW.

43. Bride-to-be: FIANCÉE.

46. Wiped out by excess costs, as profits: EATEN UP.

48. Burger joint drinks: SHAKES.

49. Limited in scope: NARROW.

50. Grabs some shuteye: SLEEPS.

53. Cold, in Cádiz: FRIO.  More of today's Spanish lesson.

54. Brand with a paw print in its logo: IAMS.

55. Love handles, so to speak: FLAB.

57. Old stories: LORE.

58. Relay race segments: LEGS.

59. Spending limit: CAP.

62. Sign of summer: LEO.

Here's the Grid: