Tuesday October 22, 2024

QOD:  When an artist explains their artwork, the viewer closes their eyes.  ~  Robert Rauschenberg (né Milton Ernest Rauschenberg; Oct. 22, 1925 ~ May 12, 2008), American graphic artist

It's Football Season!  The first letter of each word in the theme answer gives us the letters QB, for the team's QuarterBack.

16-Across. Social gathering where patchwork bedspreads are made: QUILTING BEE.

27-Across. "Abbott Elementary" creator/star: QUINTA BRUNSON.  If you've never seen Abbott Elementary, you should check it out.  It's a mockumentary about a fictional elementary school in Philadelphia.  It focuses on the teachers in an underfunded and mismanaged school.  Quinta Brunson (b. Dec. 21m 1989) portrays an idealistic second-grade teacher.  [Name # 1.]

45-Across. Hybrid monster of Arthurian legend: QUESTING BEAST.  Everything you wanted to know about the Questing Beast but didn't know to ask.

And the unifier:

58-Across. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, familiarly, or an apt title for this puzzle: STARTING QBs.  [Names # 2 and 3.]  Patrick Lavon Mahomes, II (b. Sept. 17, 1995) plays for the Kansas City Chiefs.  Lamar Jackson (b. Jan. 7, 1997) plays for the Baltimore Ravens.  Both are the Starting QuarterBacks.

Across:

1. "Milk" director Van Sant: GUS.  Milk is a 2008 bio-pic about Harvey Milk (May 22, 1930 ~ Nov. 27, 1978), the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California.  He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.  Gus Van Sant, Jr. (b. July 24, 1952) appeared on a Tuesday recently.  He has directed many films, including the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, which launched the careers of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. [Name # 4.]

4. List of editorial mistakes: ERRATA.

10. Driver's approx.: ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival.

13. Palo __, California: ALTO.

14. Potato prep tool: PEELER.

15. Circle segment: ARC.

18. Jewel: GEM.

19. Cooler brand: IGLOO.

20. Comic book legend whose last film cameo is in "Avengers: Endgame": STAN LEE.  Stan Lee, whose given name was Stanley Martin Lieber (Dec. 18, 1922 ~ Nov. 12, 2018), was the brains behind Marvel Comics.  [Name # 5.]

22. Colgate rival: CREST.  Is there a difference?

26. Southernmost Great Lake: ERIE.

31. "Your time __!": IS UP.  Parsed differently, it becomes I Sup, which means I am eating.

33. 007's first film foe: DR. NO.  Joseph Wiseman (May 15, 1918 ~ Oct. 19, 2009) portrayed the villain Dr. No in the film.  [Name # 6, fictional.]

34. Insurance spokeslizard with a British accent: GECKO.  Did you know that GEICO stands for Government Employees Insurance Company.

35. Dietary guideline letters: RDA.  As in Recommended Daily Allowances.

36. DOD intel arm: NSA.  The National Security Agency is an arm of the Department of Defense. 

37. "Montero" singer Lil __ X: NAS.  His given name is Montero Lamar Hill (b. Apr. 9, 1999).  He is probably best known for his 2019 country rap song Old Town Road.  [Name # 7.]

39. Bard's above: O'ER.

40. "I'm an open book": ASK ME.

42. Denny's rival: iHOP.

44. A5 and Q5 automaker: AUDI.

48. Letters of support, briefly: RECS.  As in Recommendations.

49. First-year law student's course: TORTS.  A tort is a civil wrong that causes harm to another person by violating a protected right. A civil wrong is an act or omission that is intentional, accidental, or negligent, other than a breach of contract.  The term derives from Latin tortum, meaning “something twisted, wrung, or crooked.”

50. "Nice shot!": GOOD ONE!

53. Layers of tall cakes: TIERS.

57. Director DuVernay: AVA.  She makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  Ava Marie DuVernay (b. Aug. 24, 1971) received of two Primetime Emmy Awards, two NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award, and a BAFTA TV Award. In 2011, she founded her independent distribution company ARRAY.  [Name # 8.]

62. Skin pic: TAT.

63. Saved to watch later: TI-VO'ED.  Is this still a thing?

64. French night: NUIT.  Today's French lesson.

65. Overhead trains: ELs.  A crossword staple.

66. Knights' horses: STEEDS.

67. "__-boom-bah!": SIS.

Down:

1. Amount of olive oil, informally: GLUG.  Not sure I have ever used this informal term to describe a bit of olive oil.

2. Gas co., for one: UTIL.  As in a Utility company.

3. Beer pong target: SOLO CUP.

4. Prefix with gram or graph: EPI-.  As an Epigram, a brief, clever, or witty statement that is often memorable and sometimes satirical,  or an Epigraph, which is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document, monograph or section or chapter.  What's the difference, you ask.  Well, an epigraph is a reference to someone else's work, while an epigram is an original statement.

5. Kylo of the "Star Wars" sequels: REN.  [Name # 9, fictional.]

6. Decaf alternative: Abbr.: REG.  Regular vs Decaffeinated coffee.  I prefer Regular.

7. Clerical robes: ALBS.  According to Webster's, the word Alb comes from the Middle English albe, aube, in part borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Late Latin alba "white garment or vestment, originally one worn by the recently baptized". 

8. Threaten to topple: TEETER.

9. Accent pieces on a hardwood floor: AREA RUGS.

10. Rank that requires 21 merit badges: EAGLE SCOUT.

11. Family figure?: TREE.  Cute clue.

12. Pinnacle: ACME.

13. Pollution meas.: AQI.  As in the Air Quality Index.

17. Actress Spelling: TORI.  Tori Spelling (née Victoria Davey Spelling; b. May 16, 1973) is probably best known for being on Beverly Hills 90210.  [Name # 10.]

21. Sudoku digit: NINE.  Some people really love this game, but I prefer word games.

23. Objectives: ENDS.

24. Use a sieve: STRAIN.

25. Soak up some rays: TAN.

27. Big name in breakfast cereal: QUAKER OATS.  The name was apparently selected because it symbolized good quality and honest value.

28. Congo primate: BONOBO.  The difference between a Chimpanzee and a Bonobo.

29. Gave the nod: OK'ED.

30. Sushi seaweed: NORI.  Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine.  It is usually made from a species of red algae genus.  It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is generally made into flat sheets and used to wrap rolls of sushi.

31. Baghdad's country: IRAQ.  Baghdad is the capital and the largest city in Iraq.  The name Baghdad is a combination of two Persian words that mean "gift of God" or "founded by God".  The word "Bagh" means "god" and "Dad" means "gift".  The city was founded in 762 CE.

32. California sch. just north of Tijuana: SDSU.  As in San Diego State University.

36. Bottom-line figures: NET COSTS.

38. Imitator: APER.  Did you know that a Bonobo is an Ape?

41. Teacher's advanced deg.: MSED.  As a Master of Science in Education.

43. Alt.: HGT.  As in Height.

44. Gives, as homework: ASSIGNS.

46. "So true, right?": ISN'T IT?

47. Routing abbr.: ATT'N.  As in Attention.

50. Yard entrance: GATE.

51. Shaped like an avocado: OVAL.

52. Roof projection: EAVE.

54. Same, in combinations: EQUI.  As in Equidistance, which combines Equi and Distance.  Not keen on this clue.

55. Slugger's stat: RBIs.  As in Runs Batted In, a baseball term.

56. Retired fast jet, for short: SST.  As in SuperSonic Transport.  This used to be a crossword staple.

59. Fish-to-be: ROE.  It can also be found on sushi wrapped in Nori.

60. Journalist Koppel: TED.  Ted Koppel (né Edward James Martin Koppel; b. Feb. 8, 1940) is probably best known for being the anchor of Nightline.   Ted was the host and anchor of the late night news show from 1980 until 2005.  The show began during the Iran Hostage crisis in 1979.  [Name # 11.]

61. Cards checked by the TSA: IDs.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Sunday, October 22, 2023

QOD:  When you are free from self-doubt, you fail better.  ~  Jennifer Lee (née Jennifer Michelle Rebecchi; b. Oct. 22, 1971), American screenwriter, film director

Friday, October 22, 2021

QOD:  I don’t like the term “success.”  It’s too arbitrary and a relative thing.  It’s usually someone else’s definition, not yours.  ~  Ichiro Suzuki (b. Oct. 22, 1973), Japanese professional baseball player

Thursday, October 22, 2020

QOD:  I’ve left specific instructions that I do not want to be brought back during a Republican administration.  ~  Timothy Leary (Oct. 22, 1920 ~ May 31, 1996), American psychologist

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

QOD:  Lazy people tend not to take chances, but express themselves by tearing down other’s work.  ~  Ann Rule (née Ann Rae Stackhouse; Oct. 22, 1931 ~ July 26, 2015, American crime writer

Top O' the Morning!  The word Day "opens" up a new phrase when added it proceeds the first word of each theme answer.

17-Across. Classroom text: SCHOOL BOOK.  Day School.

28-Across. Twinkling in the night sky: STAR LIGHT.  Daystar, also known as the planet Venus.

39-Across. Relief from the daily grind: TIME OFF.  Day Time.

48-Across. Office spot with a coffee pot: BREAK ROOM.  Day Break.

And the unifier:

63-Across. Start of a sports season, and what each half of 17-, 28-, 39- and 48-Across can have: OPENING DAY.

Across:

1. Barbecue glowers: COALS.

6. Priestly robes: ALBS.  The word ALB comes from the Latin, Albus, which means White.  //  Not to be confused with 10-Across: Cobbler's Tools: AWLS.

Priestly ALB

Cobblers' AWLS.

14. Neighborhood map on a city map, e.g.: INSET.

Inset with an Inset

15. Java neighbor: BALI.  Java and Bali are two islands of Indonesia.

16. Former Iranian ruler: SHAH.  The last SHAH of Iran was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Oct. 26, 1919 ~ July 27, 1980).  He was deposed in the Iranian Revolution in February 1979.  The word SHAH comes from an old Persian word meaning King.  This coming Saturday will mark the 100th anniversary of his birth.

19. Deep sleep: COMA.  Also the title of Robin Cook's first medical thriller.

20. Represent: DENOTE.

This scale begins and ends with a D-Note.

21. Like a bike: WHEELED.

23. Goes on to say: ADDS.

24. Summer on the Riviera: ÉTÉ.  Today's French Lesson.

25. MLB Network analyst Martinez: PEDRO.  Pedro Jaime Martinez (b. Oct. 25, 1971) is a Dominican professional baseball player who had a long career in Major League Baseball.  He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1998 until 2004.  He also played for 4 other teams.  This Friday will be his 48th birthday.

34. On bed rest, say: LAID UP.

36. Lupino of "High Sierra": IDA.  Ida Lupino (Feb. 4, 1918 ~ Aug. 3, 1995) makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.  I learned of her from doing the crossword puzzles.  In addition to being an actress, she was also directed films.

37. Bird's crop: CRAW.

38. Colorado native: UTE.  A crossword staple.

42. "__ Am": Alicia Keys album: AS I.

43. Screen material: MESH.  I was thinking of a movie screen, not a screen on a door or a window to keep the bugs out.

45. Sinus doc: ENT.  As in an Ear Nose and Throat Doctor.  These doctors make frequent appearances in the puzzles too.

46. Growing weary: TIRING.

51. Landlord's income: RENTS.

52. Tell tall tales: LIE.

53. Field of study: AREA.

55. Pays some of: DEFRAYS.

59. Closed in on: NEARED.

62. Cut __: dance, in old slang: A RUG.

66. Hightail it: FLEE.

67. Trait carrier: GENE.

68. Mozart's "Così fan __": TUTTE.  With Italian subtitles for your reading pleasure.

69. Spill the beans: TELL.

70. Taiwanese PC maker: ACER.  I learned about this PC from doing the crossword puzzles.

71. Most common roll of two dice: SEVEN.

Down:

1. Prefix with gender: CIS-. As in Cisgender, which is the opposite of Transgender.  Cisgender is the term for people whose gender identity matches the sex that they were assigned at birth.

2. How software was once sold: ON CD.

3. Queens tennis stadium: ASHE.  The stadium is named for tennis great Arthur Ashe (July 10, 1943 ~ Feb. 6, 1993).  He won 3 Grand Slam Titles.  He retired from tennis in 1980, at only age 23.

4. Johnny's "The Big Bang Theory" role: LEONARD.  I never watched this show, so needed perps to help with the name.

5. Was conspicuous: STOOD OUT.

6. Convent leader: ABBESS.   A famous movie Abbess.

7. Language of Southeast Asia: LAO.

8. Hard punch: BLOW.

9. Many a Punjabi: SIKH.  Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that originated in the Punjab region of India during the 15th Century.

10. One leading a Spartan lifestyle: ASCETIC.

11. Healthy bread type: WHOLE GRAIN.  I initially tried Whole Wheat.

12. Like a weak excuse: LAME.

13. Roe source: SHAD.

18. Inc., in the U.K.: LTD.

22. Slender aquarium swimmer: EEL.

25. __ bob: vertical measuring tool: PLUMB.  A Plumb Bob is a weight with a pointed end suspended from a string.  It is used for a vertical line reference, known as a plumb line.

26. Diner: EATER.  Also the name of a 1982 movie.

27. Gas at a truck stop: DIESEL FUEL.

29. Connect with: TIE TO.

30. Big deal: ADO.

31. Whitewater ride: RAFT.  I have never had a desire to go Whitewater Rafting.

32. "Who __?!": "Join the club!": HASN'T.

33. Small sticks: TWIGS.  The Water Institute of the Gulf is sometimes referred to as TWIG.

35. Jetty: PIER.

40. 6, on a cellphone keypad: MNO.

41. Insects with a painful sting: FIRE ANTS.  You don't want to step on a fire ant hill!  They are called fire ants for a reason!

44. Stylist's supply: HAIR GEL.

47. Debate again: RE-ARGUE.

49. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA.  Mauna Kea, which makes frequent guest appearances in the crosswords, is a dormant volcano on the Island of Hawaii.  It is also the highest point in the State of Hawaii.  There is an observatory on the summit of the volcano.

50. Style: MANNER.

54. Camping gear brand: REI.  I am not familiar with this company.

55. Inane: DAFT.

56. Mystery writer Gardner: ERLE.  Erle Stanley Gardner (July 17, 1880 ~ Mar. 11, 1970) was an attorney, but he got bored in the courtroom and began writing legal thrillers.   He is best known for creating Perry Mason.

57. Tranquil exercise: YOGA.  It's harder than you might think.

58. On __: without a contract: SPEC.

60. 1999 Ron Howard film: ED TV.

61. Go out with: DATE.

64. WSW's opposite: ENE.  East-NorthEast is the opposite direction of West-SouthWest.

65. Japanese money: YEN.

Here's the Grid: