Tuesday, July 11, 2023

QOD:  The only sense that is common in the long run, is the sense of change ~ and we all instinctively avoid it.  ~  E.B. White (né Elwyn Brooks White; July 11, 1899 ~ Oct. 1, 1985), American writer

Happy 11th of July!  With words like POP, BLOW, BURST, and GO OFF, this puzzle would have been appropriate for the 4th of July.

16-Across. Stop by briefly: POP IN TO SAY HELLO.

23-Across. Make a rude noise: BLOW A RASPBERRY.

41-Across. Be extremely self-satisfied: BURST WITH PRIDE.

56-Across. Digress from the main topic: GO OFF ON A TANGENT.

Across:

1. Cardi B genre: RAP.  [Name # 1.]  //  I liked how 1-Across crossed with 1-Down. Thoroughly engrossed: RAPT.  

Cardi B (née Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus; b. Oct. 11, 1992)

4. Sneaky ploys: RUSES.

9. Fashion-forward: CHIC.

13. Boxing family name: ALI.  We often see Laila Ali (née Laila Amaria Ali; b. Dec. 30, 1977), who is the daughter of Muhammad Ali (né Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; Jan. 17, 1942 ~ June 3, 2016), in the puzzles.  [Name # 2.]

14. Permit: ALLOW.

15. Transaction in a barter economy: TRADE.

19. YA fiction, e.g., familiarly: TEEN LIT.  YA = Young Adult.

20. Chews out: BERATES.

21. First name of actors Holland and Hollander: TOM.  Tom Holland (né Thomas Stanley Holland; b. June 1, 1996) and Tom Hollander (né Thomas Anthony Hollander; b. Aug. 25, 1967) are both English actors.  They are not household names, at least not in my house.  Together, they become Tom Hollandest.  [Name # 3.]

22. Auction unit: LOT.

31. Positive result at the gym: GAIN.

32. Item on a to-do list: TASK.

33. "I figured it out!": AHA!

34. "The Favourite" queen: ANNE.  The movie The Favourite was about Anne, Queen of Great Britain (Feb. 6, 1665 ~ Aug. 1714).  She ruled as Queen from 1702 until her death 9 years later.  She began her rule as Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland.  In May 1707, the Acts of Union united the kingdoms of England and Scotland as a single sovereign state that became known as Great Britain.  [Name # 4.]

35. Belgian surrealist painter James: ENSOR.  James Ensor (né James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor; Apr. 13, 1860 ~ Nov. 19, 1949) is known for expressionism and surrealism.  He is not as well known as some of the other painters of his genre.  A lot of his work is a bit morbid.  [Name # 5.]

37. Freight barge: SCOW.  This has become a crossword staple.

38. Way to go: Abbr.: RTE.  As in Route.

39. Lydic of "The Daily Show": DESI.  Desi Lydic was a correspondent on The Daily Show.  [Name # 6.]

40. Big name in canvas shoes: KEDS.   [Name adjacent.]

46. Precursor to overtime: TIE.

47. Yellowfin tuna: AHI.  Yummers!

48. Shops at Goodwill, perhaps: THRIFTS.

52. Lose control, in a way: SPIN OUT.

58. Much-admired celebrities: IDOLS.  //  And 11-Down. Go nowhere with the engine on: IDLE.  Can an Idol be Idle?

59. Italian herbal liqueur whose name means "bitter": AMARO.

60. Assent from a bride or groom: I DO.

61. Bob Dylan's "Simple Twist of __": FATE.

62. Huffs and puffs: PANTS.

63. Sever, with "off": LOP.

Down:

2. After-sun gel ingredient: ALOE.  A crossword staple.

3. Speak (up) or quiet (down): PIPE.

4. Got close to empty: RAN LOW.  

5. Disc-tossing team sport: ULTIMATE.  I have a friend whose husband is big on Ultimate (formerly known as Ultimate Frisbee).  He travels all over the country for competitions.

6. Schedule opening: SLOT.

7. Lip balm brand in spherical containers: EOS.  Short for Evolution of Smooth.

8. Clear the deck?: SWAB.  Cute clue.

9. Be inventive: CREATE.

10. Sentry's shout: HALT.

12. Leaders at the top of most corp. hierarchies: CEOs.  As in Chief Executive Officers.

15. Beat strongly: THROB.

17. Recite in a singsong voice: IN TONE.

18. Cry of pain: YELP.

23. __ knots: intricate Black hairstyle: BANTU.  I was not aware of the name of this hairstyle.

24. Sharply hit baseball: LINER.

25. Magician/skeptic The Amazing __: RANDI.  The Amazing Randi was the alter-ego of Canadian-born     (né Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; Aug. 7, 1929 ~ Oct. 20, 2020).  He was known for challenging paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.  [Name # 7.]

26. Informant, in spy lingo: ASSET.

27. Teensy bit: SKOSH.  The word Skosh is derived from the Japanese word Sukoshi which means “a little”.

28. Played Mario Kart, perhaps: RACED.

29. __ Island Red: RHODE.  The Rhode Island Red is the State bird of Rhode Island.  The eggs of the Rhode Island Red are brown.

30. Swerves at sea: YAWS.

31. Attire: GARB.

36. Tear to shreds: RIP A PART.

37. Enjoying Aspen, perhaps: SKIING.

42. Suppress: STIFLE.

43. Squabbles: TIFFS.

44. "Who are __ judge?": WE TO.

45. Safari herbivores: RHINOS.

48. "Bring on the weekend!" letters: TGIF.  Thank Goodness It's Friday.  Also the name of a restaurant chain.

49. Kotb of "Today": HODA.  Hoda Kotb (née Hoda Catherine Kotb; b. Aug. 9, 1964) appeared in a recent Tuesday puzzle.  [Name # 8.]

50. Part of a hair or a tooth: ROOT.

51. Lose control, in a way: SNAP.

52. "South Park" kid in a blue-and-red hat: STAN.  Did you know his last name is Marsh?  [Name # 9.]

53. Trompe l'__: eye-fooling art: OEIL.  Today's French lesson.  For more examples, check out this site.

54. Ctrl-Z, on a PC: UNDO.

55. Sporty car option: T-TOP.

57. Reddit Q&A: AMA.  Ask Me Anything.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

QOD:  When it’s all said and done, the real citadel of strength of any community is in the hearts and minds and desires of those who dwell there.  ~  Everett Dirksen (née Everett McKinley Dirksen: Jan. 4, 1896 ~ Sept. 7, 1969), American politician and former United States Senator

This puzzle is Deep, Dude!

17-Across. *   Stuffed items in the frozen-food aisle: HOT POCKETS.  Deep Pockets.

23-Across. *   Apartment storage measure: CLOSET SPACE.  Deep Space.

39-Across. *   Ideas in support of gender equality: FEMINIST THOUGHT.  Deep Thoughts.

 50-Across. *  Tiny white flower used as filler in bouquets: BABY'S BREATH.  Deep Breath.

And the unifier:

63-Across. *   Where to dive in a pool ... and what the answers to starred clues all share?: THE DEEP END.

Across:

1. The "A" in many gp. names: ASS'N.  As in Association.  //  See 21-Across. Docs' org. with a noted journal: AMA.  As in the American Medical Association.

5. Pandowdy fruit: APPLE.  A Pandowdy is a type of apple pie or cobbler.  A learning moment for me.

10. Golden St. school: UCLA.  As in the University of California, Los Angeles.

14. Seed in some yogurt: CHIA.  Apparently this "growing pet" is also mixed overnight in yogurt for a healthy breakfast.

15. Manicurist's smoothing tool: FILER.  Also known as an Emery Board.

16. Bridal accessory: VEIL.  We had a bridal veil just last Tuesday, but that was so last year.

19. 'Enry's greeting: 'ELLO.  Just you wait!

20. Hunt played by Cruise in "Mission: Impossible" films: ETHAN.  I didn't remember that the character's first name was Ethan, but the perps gave me enough letters to fill in the name.

22. Chinese city that was the starting point of the Silk Road: XI'AN.  Hi, C.C.!  It's also the home of the Terra Cotta Warriors 

27. Dwelled: RESIDED.

31. Monkey house site: ZOO.

32. Amazed: AWED.

33. Requirement for travel abroad, at times: VISA.  Don't leave home without it.  Oh, wait ... that's American Express

36. Future atty.'s exam: LSAT.  As in the Law School Admission Test.

43. Take a taxi, say: RIDE.

44. Hatcher of "Lois & Clark": TERI.  Teri Lynn Hatcher (b. Dec. 8, 1954) also appeared in some episodes of Seinfeld.

45. Enjoy a book: READ.  So many books, so little time.

46. NYC subway org.: MTA.  As in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

48. Swallows: INGESTS.

55. Saudi, usually: ARAB.

56. Gaelic counterpart of John: IAN.

57. Spine-tingling: EERIE.

62. Number of Supreme Court justices: NINE.  There have been Nine Justices on the Supreme Court since 1869, although there is no Constitutional mandate on the number of sitting Justices.  Enough said.

66. Makes a request: ASKS.

67. Propelled a rowboat: OARED.

68. Tempo: PACE.

69. For fear that: LEST.

70. Moves smoothly: FLOWS.

71. Stretch across: SPAN.

Down:

1. Pang: ACHE.

2. Injection: SHOT.

3. "Star Wars" baddies: SITH.

4. Oenotourist's destination: NAPA.  Wine tasting!

5. Balt. Ravens' group: AFC.  The Baltimore Ravens are in the American Football Conference.

6. Commercial suffix with Water: PIK.

7. Court answers: PLEAS.

8. Eager volunteer's cry: LET ME!

9. Like a bad copy: ERSATZ.

10. Sunburn cause, for short: UV EXPOSURE.

11. Salsa singer Cruz: CELIA.  Celia Cruz (Oct. 21, 1925 ~ July 16, 2003) was known as the Queen of Salas Music.  Her full name was Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso.

12. Purple hue: LILAC.  There are lots of shades of purple.

13. Unaccompanied: ALONE.  //  And 26-Down: Unaccompanied: SOLO.  Hand up if you tried Stag for the latter.

18. Like a lot of '80s-'90s music: ON CD.  

24. Son of Jacob: LEVI.  The Biblical patriarch Jacob had 12 sons, but only one son's name has 4 letters in English.  In Hebrew his name would be spelled: לֵוִי

25. Lofty poet: ODIST.  As in one who writes Odes.

27. Where Prince William served: Abbr.: RAF.  Prince William (b. June 21, 1982) served for several years in the Royal Air Force.

28. Pitcher in art: EWER.

Broken Porcelain Ewer by David Olander

29. Final Four game: SEMI.

30. "That was as good as it gets for me!": I DID MY BEST.

34. Fr. holy woman: STE.  French abbreviation for Saint.

35. Heart chambers: ATRIA.  Plural of Atrium.

37. Many years: AGES.

38. "__ does it!": THAT.

40. Brooklyn NBA team: NETS.

41. Help for a stumped solver: HINT.  Did anyone need Hints on today's puzzle?

42. NFL six-pointers: TDs.  As in Touch Downs.

47. Not very much: A BIT OF.

49. Clarified butter used in Indian cuisine: GHEE.

50. Boring: BANAL.

51. Come to light: ARISE.

52. Fog or cloud masses: BANKS.

That's a massive cloud bank!

53. 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby: RAHAL.  I am not up on my race car drivers, so was not familiar with this name.  Bobby Rahal (né Robert Woodward Rahal; b. Jan. 10, 1953) will celebrate his 69th birthday next Monday.

54. Primer mes del año: ENERO.  Today's Spanish lesson.  Hi, Lucina!  January is the first month of the year.  It's an appropriate clue, since we have just begun a new year.

58. Omar of "House": EPPS.  Omar Epps (né Omar Hashim Epps; b. July 20, 1973) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  He played Dr. Eric Foreman on House.

59. Take in the harvest: REAP.

60. Ancient Peruvian: INCA.  More about the Inca Empire.

61. Eve's first home: EDEN.

64. Beads on blades: DEW.  My favorite clue of the puzzle.

65. Masthead names, for short: EDs.  As in Editors.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה