Tuesday, September 29, 2026

QOD:  A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika.  We all need a splash of bad taste ~ it’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s physical.  No taste is what I am against.  ~  Diana Vreeland (née Diana Dalziel; Sept 29, 1903 ~ Aug. 22, 1989), French-born columnist and fashion editor

Rollin' Down the Highway.  The last word of each theme answer is another name for a Street.

18-Across. "Show us how it's done": PAVE THE WAY.

24-Across. "Quit interfering": STAY IN YOUR LANE.

40-Across. "Don't stoop to their level": TAKE THE HIGH ROAD.

52-Across. "Perfect for me": RIGHT UP MY ALLEY.

And the unifier:

62-Across. Informal language, or what 18-, 24-, 40-, and 52-Across are examples of?: STREET TALK.

Here's the grid:

Across:

1. Liquefy: MELT.

5. Lima's country: PERU.  Peru is a South American country that bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile.  It's home to a section of Amazon rainforest.  Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan city, is located high in the Peruvian Andes mountains.

9. Pokes (around): NOSES.

14. Fruit with wrinkled skin: UGLI.  Ugli fruit is a Jamaican tangelo.  It is a natural citrus hybrid created from a cross between a grapefruit (or pomelo), an orange, and a tangerine.  It is larger than a grapefruit with a thick peel that fits loosely around the pulpy orange flesh inside.  Green patches on the skin do not mean it is unripe.  Did you know that it is also the registered trademark for a brand of Jamaican tangelo?

15. Greek Cupid: EROS.

16. Disconnected: APART.

17. Mouse catcher: TRAP.

20. Some office subs: TEMPS.

22. Wedding declaration: I DO.

23. Ascend: RISE.

28. Britches, informally: TROU.  The last time I heard this word was back in college when the frat boys would joke about dropping trou.

29. Pod filler: PEA.

30. Part in four-part harmony: ALTO.

33. __ carte menu: À LA.  A crossword staple.

35. Car in the Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun": T-BIRD.

44. Large deer: MOOSE.  I never thought of a moose as a deer, but apparently they ar the largest living species in the deer family, known scientifically as Cervidae.

45. Contraction that's typically followed by "be": IT'D.  Followed by another contraction: 46-Across. Fails to be: ISN'T.

47. Corp. VIP: CEO.  As in Chief Executive Officer.

50. House of Lords title: EARL.

59. Junior staffer: AIDE.

60. Charcoal grill residue: ASH.

61. City with the Heat and the Hurricanes: MIAMI.  A sports reference:  Basketball and Football.

66. Out of control: AMOK.

67. "Money __": Netflix crime series: HEIST.  In this series, a criminal mastermind (The Professor) developed a plan to pull off the biggest heist in recorded history ~ to print billions of euros in the Royal Mint of Spain.  To help him carry out the plan, he recruited eight people with certain abilities and who have nothing to lose. The group of thieves took hostages to aid in their negotiations with the authorities.

68. Actor Morales: ESAI.  Esai Morales (né Esai Manuel Morales Jr.; b. Oct. 1, 1962) used to make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He will be celebrating his 64th birthday on Thursday.

69. "Great" detective of kid-lit: NATE.  Nate the Great is a children's chapter book series featuring a young boy detective and his dog, Sludge.  There are 31 books in the series, which was initially created in 1972.

70. Donkeys: ASSES.

71. Credit report category: DEBT.

72. Uno y dos: TRES.  Spanish math.

Down:

1. Mixed-breed dogs: MUTTS.

2. Everglades wader: EGRET.  Egrets aren't limited to the Florida Everglades.  There are many egrets that hang out near my house.

3. Woolly pack animal of 5-Across: LLAMA.

My encounter with a Llama in Peru.

4. What a child might stand on to watch a parade: TIPPY-TOES.

5. Get-up-and-go: PEP.

6. Chapter of history: ERA.

7. Finnish game developer that created Angry Birds: ROVIO.

8. Depleted: USED UP.

9. Casual refusal: NAH.

10. "Tosca," for one: OPERA.  Tosca is an opera by Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858 ~ Nov. 29, 1924).  It is sometimes billed as a political thriller that takes place in Rome during the Napoleonic Wars.

11. Welcomed at the door: SAW IN.

12. Delete: ERASE.

13. Eyelid irritation: STYE.

19. Dashed: TORE.

21. Title for Paul McCartney: SIR.  Paul McCartney (b. June 18, 1942) was knighted in 1997.  He was the first Beatle to be awarded this honor.

25. "Hurt Somebody" singer-songwriter Kahan: NOAH.  I am not familiar with this singer-songwriter.

26. Christmas season: YULE.

27. Lattice strip: LATH.

30. Convenience in many cash-only establishments: ATM.  This used to be a crossword staple.

31. Thai neighbor: LAO.

32. Boxing ref's ruling, for short: TKO.  As in Technical Knock-Out.

34. Tropical tuna: AHI.  Yummers!

36. Sparkling: BRILLIANT.

37. iPhone platform: iOS.  As in iPhone Operating System.

38. Tried to get elected: RAN.

39. Pesticide in Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," for short: DDT.  Silent Spring was first published in 1962.  The book exposed the hazards of indiscriminate pesticide use, particularly DDT, and launched the modern environmental movement.  Rachel Carson (May 27, 1907 ~ April 14, 1964) named the book Silent Spring because it envisioned a future spring morning where no birds sang due to the devastation of wildlife from chemical pesticides.

41. __ support: TECH.

42. Thing: ITEM.

43. Aussie greeting: G'DAY.

48. Coup d'__: ÉTAT.  Today's French lesson.  A coup d'état is a sudden, illegal overthrow of an existing government by a small group, usually backed by the military or internal state forces.

49. Removed from power: OUSTED.  Probably ousted due to a coup d'état.

51. Smash (into): RAM.

52. Ceremonial acts: RITES.

53. Elba of "Cats": IDRIS.

54. Grown goslings: GEESE.

55. Lunar cycle part: PHASE.

56. Rapper Kendrick: LAMAR. 

Kendrick Lamar (b. June 17, 1987)

57. Act with passion: EMOTE.

58. Expression of surprise: YIKES.

59. Girl who befriends a magical star in Disney's "Wish": ASHA.

63. Sci-fi figures: ETS.  As in ExtraTerrestrials.  

64. Chem class site: LAB.

65. Hobby shop purchase: KIT.

חתולה

Friday, September 29, 2023

QOD:  You fail all of the time.  But you aren’t a failure until you start blaming someone else.  ~  Bum Phillips (né Oail Andrew Phillips; Sept. 29, 1923 ~ Oct. 18, 2013), American professional football coach

Thursday, September 29, 2022

QOD:  I loathe narcissism, but I approve of vanity.  ~  Diana Vreeland (née Diana Dalziel; Sept 29, 1903 ~ Aug. 22, 1989), French-born columnist and fashion editor

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

QOD:  It is one thing to praise discipline, and another to submit to it.  ~  Miguel de Cervantes (Sept. 29, 1547 ~ Apr. 23, 1616), Spanish writer

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

QOD:  We all need a splash of bad taste.  No taste is what I am against.  ~  Diana Vreeland (née Diana Dalziel; Sept 29, 1903 ~ Aug. 22, 1989), American journalist and fashion magazine editor

The Orthopod's Dream.  The word BONE is "Broken" in each theme answer. 

How Bones may be Broken.

18-Across. *   Where a strike usually isn't lucky: BOWLING LANE.  Hi, Boomer!

29-Across. *   Dinner guest's gift: BOTTLE OF WINE.

48-Across. *   Fencing may mark it: BOUNDARY LINE.  Fences make good neighbors

And the unifier:

61-Across. *   Orthopedist's concerns ... and what you'll find in two parts in the answers to the starred clues: BROKEN BONES.

I shattered my knee cap about 20 years ago.  That's the only bone I have ever broken.  Anyone else have broken bones?

Across:

1. URL ending for MoMA: ORG.  You can access the Museum of Modern Art here:  https://www.moma.org/visit/

4. Early film legend Greta: GARBO.

Greta Garbo (Sept. 18, 1905 ~ Aor. 15, 1990)

9. Pie crust fat: LARD.

13. Even __: 72, often, in golf: PAR.

14. Perfect: IDEAL.

15. Off to the side, at sea: ABEAM.  According to Webster's, Abeam is defined as: off to the side of a ship or plane especially at a right angle to the middle of the ship or plane's length.

17. Dye type: AZO.   Azo dyes are organic compounds used to treat textiles, leather and some foods.  For a technical article on these dyes, check this site.

20. "Madam Secretary" star Téa: LEONI.  Téa Leoni (née Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni; b. Feb. 25, 1966) had the lead role in Madam Secretary.  She was married to David Duchovny of The X File.

22. Meadow sound: MOO.

23. Sales rep's customer: Abbr.: ACCT.  As in an Account.

24. 1,760-yard runner: MILER.

27. Eggy cakes: TORTES.  What's the difference between a Torte and a Cake?

33. Garbage can emanation: ODOR.

34. Feature of higher-numbered pool balls: STRIPE.

35. Shoulder-shrugging syllable: MEH!

38. Tim who played pro football and pro baseball: TEBOW.  Timothy Richard Tebow (b. Aug. 14, 1987) played football for the University of Florida before going pro.  He now is an outfielder for the New York Mets.

40. 2,000 pounds: TON.

41. Take care of: SEE TO.

43. Opposite of NNW: SSE.  The opposite of North-NorthWest is South-SouthEast.

44. Danish birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen: ODENSE.  Odense is the 3rd largest city in Denmark.

47. Cut short: CROP.

50. Whac-A-Mole setting: ARCADE.

53. Take to lunch, say: TREAT.

54. Buddies: PALS.

55. Bond creator Fleming: IAN.  Hand up if you knew that Ian Fleming (né Ian Lancaster Fleming; May 28, 1908 ~ Aug. 12, 1964) also wrote Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.

58. Sky-supporting Titan: ATLAS.  Charles Atlas (né Angelo Siciliano; Oct. 30, 1892 ~ Dec. 24, 1972) was an Italian-born American bodybuilder.

65. Before, in verse: ERE.

66. Lop off: SEVER.

67. 100-meter freestyle, e.g.: EVENT.

68. Black or Caspian: SEA.  The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water.  It is sometimes classified as a lake, but usually as a Sea because when the ancient Romans discovered it way back when, they decided it was a sea.  The Black Sea and Caspian Sea are rather close to each other.

69. Blacks' foes in checkers: REDS.

70. Shabby: TATTY.  My first thought was Tacky.

71. H.S. challenge: SAT.  The standardized test used to be known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, but it is now just the SAT.  Some colleges and universities have moved away from heavy reliance on these test.

Down:

1. Down Under gem: OPAL.  Hi, Kazie!

2. Demolish: RAZE.

3. Man at the altar: GROOM TO BE.

4. 1944 law for returning vets: GI BILL.

5. Bustle: ADO.

6. DVR button: REW.  As is in the Rewind button.

7. Lip soother: BALM.

8. Mishmash: OLIO.  A crossword staple.

9. Transmission delay: LAG.

10. Like trumpeting trumpets: ABLARE.  The dreaded "A" word.

11. Laugh at a joke, say: REACT.

12. Hula or hora: DANCE.

16. Yanks' crosstown rivals: METS.  The New York City baseball teams.

19. "Reward" for poor service: NO TIP.

21. TNT component: NITRO.

25. Wide shoe sizes: EEs.

26. Bad to the core: ROTTEN.

28. Small bills: ONES.

29. Spammers, often: BOTS.

30. Poetic tributes: ODES.

31. Fern leaf: FROND.

Anatomy of a fern leaf.

32. Comes out on top in: WINS AT.

35. Good for nothing: MERITLESS.

36. George Orwell's alma mater: ETON. Eton College was founded nearly 600 years ago.  Ironically, when King Henry VI started the school, it was a charity educational institution and was intended to provide free education to poor young boys.  Today it costs over $40K per year to attend.

37. Optimism: HOPE.

39. Outdated tennis racket material: WOOD.  And: 63-Down. Tennis court essential: NET.

42. Panache: ÉCLAT.

45. Scheduled to land: DUE IN.

46. Slip up: ERR.

48. Lolled on a beach: BASKED.  Basking ~ not just for humans.

49. Like bread dough: YEASTY.

50. PD alerts: APBs.  The Police Department might issue an All Points Bulletin.

51. Less common: RARER.

52. Garlic unit: CLOVE.  I have a friend who wanted to make a special dinner for his girlfriend.  He didn't realize that a clove of garlic was not the entire garlic.  The recipe called for two garlic cloves.  His special meal was more "special" than he intended.

56. Stand lookout for, as a heist: ABET.

57. Flaring star: NOVA.  Also a car manufactured by Cheverlot.

59. __ code: AREA.

60. Pants part: SEAT.

62. Busy hosp. areas: ERs.  As in Emergency Rooms.

64. Tolkien creature: ENT.  A crossword staple.

Here's the Grid: