QOD: Susan Gelfland

Showing posts with label Susan Gelfland. Show all posts

Tuesday, 17 December 2024

Tuesday December 17, 2024

QOD: We experience moments absolutely free from worry. These brief respites are called panic. ~ Cullen Hightower (Dec. 17, 1923 ~ Nov. 27, 2008), American writer

The Main Squeeze. The answer to each theme clue is something that can be squeezed.

18-Across. Iced tea garnish: LEMON WEDGE.

23-Across. Art class staple with a bovine logo: ELMERS GLUE.

52-Across. Handheld tension reliever: STRESS BALL.

58-Across. Bathtime floater: RUBBER DUCK.

37-Across. Coerce, or what can be done to 18-, 23-, 52-, and 58-Across: PUT THE SQUEEZE ON.

There is a juice bar near me called The Big Squeezy, a pun on The Big Easy, one of the nicknames of New Orleans. I have never been there, so can't attest to their cold-pressed (squeezed) juices.

Across:

1. Mount Etna outflow: LAVA. This volcano on Sicily frequently erupts.

5. Some Dropbox files, informally: DOCs. As in Documents.

9. After-dinner coffee choice: DECAF.

14. Atop: UPON. Once UPON a time ... // And 66-Across. "... and they all lived happily __ after": EVER.

15. Whack, as a fly: SWAT.

16. Express a view: OPINE.

17. Jell-O shaper: MOLD.

20. Book jacket summary: BLURB.

22. Classical form of poetry: EPODE.

26. Clean air org.: EPA. As in the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is the AQI monitor (See 5-Down in last Friday's puzzle). The EPA was formally created 54 years ago this month.

29. Fish eggs: ROE.

30. Soccer match chant: OLÉ. A crossword staple.

31. Trudged: PLODDED. You can PLOD through the Presidents and learn lots of interesting facts about American presidents in this podcast.

34. Vodka brand, for short: STOLI. It's formal name is Stolichnaya.

36. Bump in the night, e.g.: NOISE.

42. Japanese cartoon genre: ANIME.

43. Flair: STYLE.

44. "That's a lie!": NOT TRUE!

47. Once named: NEÉ. Today's French lesson. The French née is the feminine past participle of naitre, "to be born." Né is the masculine version of the word.

48. Place to luxuriate: SPA.

51. That, in Toledo: ESO. Toledo, Spain, not Toledo, Ohio. Don Quixote began his travels in Toledo.

Picasso's interpretation of Don Quixote.

55. Magazine edition: ISSUE. Many magazines have both print and on-line versions of their issues.

57. Leafy starter: SALAD. We had many tasty SALADs featured in a puzzle last week.

63. Cry from a forgetful performer: LINE.

64. Shake hands (on): AGREE.

65. Actor Morales: ESAI. Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (b. Oct. 1, 1962) makes frequent appearances in the puzzles.

67. "__ for dinner?": WHAT'S.

68. Email button: SEND.

69. "Phooey!": RATS.

Down:

1. Wood planks: LUMBER.

2. Moon program of the 1960s and 1970s: APOLLO.

3. Remote control adjustment: VOLUME.

4. Braugher of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine": ANDRE. Andre Braugher (né Andre Keith Braugher; July 1, 1962 ~ Dec. 11, 2023) also portrayed Detective Frank Pembleton on the Homicide: Life on the Street, which aired in the 1990. That drama series was a far cry from his portrayal as Captain Raymond Holt in the police comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Sadly, Braugher died a year ago of lung cancer at age 61.

5. Broadband initials: DSL. As in Digital Subscriber Line.

6. Run a tab: OWE.

7. Desert beast: CAMEL.

8. Clog: STOP UP.

9. Pulitzer-winning columnist Maureen: DOWD. Maureen Dowd (née Maureen Brigid Dowd; b. Jan. 14, 1952) is an opinion columnist for the New York Times.

10. Fencing sword: ÉPÉE. Another crossword staple.

11. Legendary Spanish knight El __: CID. Everything you wanted to know about El Cid but never thought to ask.

12. Director Lee: ANG. Ang Lee (b. Oct. 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. The 1994 film, Eat Drink Man Woman, was the first Ang Lee film I saw.

13. Broker's charge: FEE.

19. Christmas carol: NOEL. 'Tis the Season.

21. Epson competitor: BROTHER. Both are companies that manufacture printers.

24. Plumlike fruit: SLOE.

25. Comes together well: GELS.

26. Actress Falco: EDIE. Edie Falco (née Edith Falco; b. July 5, 1963) is probably best known for portraying Carmela Soprano on the Sopranos.

27. Colombian currency: PESO. Did you know that there are 8 countries that use the Peso as their monetary unit?

28. Yemen coastal city: ADEN. We visit this city often in the puzzles.

32. Almost as many: ONE LESS.

33. Catch some z's: DOZE.

34. Acct. summary: STMT. As in Statement. I am not sure I have ever seen this abbreviation before.

35. Brainpower nos.: IQs. As in Intelligence Quotient.

37. Window section: PANE.

38. Deep-dish pizza chain, informally: UNO'S. Yummers!

39. Mambo legend Puente: TITO. His full name was Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (Apr. 20, 1923 ~ June 1, 2000). He was also known as “El Rey de los Timbales, ” or “The King of the Timbales."

40. Alternative magazine name: UTNE. Its issues (55-Across) are now all online.

41. Peepers: EYES.

45. Letters on outdated maps: USSR. In Russian, "USSR" is written as "СССР" which is an abbreviation for "Союз Советских Социалистических Республик" (Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik), meaning "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" in English.

46. Many Chopin piano pieces: ÉTUDES. More of today's French lesson.

48. Mouth moistener: SALIVA.

49. Mars or Mercury: PLANET. Alternatively, a candy and a car.

50. Birch family trees: ALDERS. Alders are trees and shrubs in the birch family and are native to the north temperate zone and some parts of Central America and the Andes. They are known for their distinctive woody fruiting bodies that look like small, brown pinecones.

53. Find a new purpose for: REUSE.

54. Hay bundle maker: BALER.

55. "Yeah, sure!": I BET.

56. Observes: SEES.

58. Uncooked: RAW.

59. "Yuck!": UGH.

60. Bali garment: BRA. Nice misdirection. Bali is a company that makes lingerie.

61. Soup holder: CAN.

62. Jest: KID.

Here's the Grid:

The countries that use the Peso are: Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Philippines, and Uruguay.

חתולה

I will be taking a brief travel hiatus. Happy Chanukkah and Merry Christmas. This year the two holidays converge. I wish you all a Happy New Year and will "see" you in 2025.

Tuesday, 12 September 2023

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

QOD: If you take risks and face your fate with dignity, there is nothing you can do that makes you small; if you don’t take risks, there is nothing you can do that makes you grand, nothing. ~ Nassim Nicholas Taleb (b. Sept. 12, 1960), Lebanese-American essayist

Nickel-and-Dimed: Those Hidden Fees will kill you. Each theme answer contains a HIDDEN FEE.

18-Across. * Food stalls offering filled tortillas: TACO STANDS. COST.

23-Across. * Kits that include pots for melting cheese or chocolate: FONDUE SETS. DUES. Fondue Sets were common wedding gifts in the '70s, or so I'm told.

38-Across. * 1933 comedy starring Marie Dressler and John Barrymore: DINNER AT EIGHT. RATE. This movie came out a little before my time. Although I had heard of John Barrymore (né John Sidney Blyth; Feb. 1882 ~ May 29, 1942), who was the grandfather of actress Drew Barrymore (née Drew Blythe Barrymore; b. Feb. 22, 1975), but Marie Dressler (née Leslie Marie Koerber; b. Nov. 9,1868 ~ July 28 1965) is a new name for me. The movie is a comedic drama about an ambitious New York socialite and her husband. She planned an extravagant dinner party while her husband was having financial issues. As in any marriage, this caused a lot of tension between the couple.

50-Across. * Ingredient amount in a recipe for paella or risotto: ONE CUP RICE. PRICE.

And the unifier:

57-Across. Unexpected charges, and a feature of the answers to the starred clues: HIDDEN FEES.

Across:

1. Skyline obscurer: SMOG.

Name that City

5. Slight fabrications: FIBS.

9. Lengthy exam answer: ESSAY.

14. Afghanistan's __ Bora region: TORA. Tora Bora is a cave complex in eastern Afghanistan near the border of Pakistan.

15. Wrinkle remover: IRON.

16. Teatime treat: SCONE. Yummers!

17. Condo division: UNIT.

20. Liberated: FREED.

22. Meaner than mean: CRUEL.

Cruella De Ville

26. Verdi opera about an African princess: AIDA. Aida is a popular tragic opera by Giuseppe Verdi (né Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi; Oct. 9, 1813 ~ Jan. 27, 1901) that is set on the old Kingdom of Egypt. It premiered in Cairo in December 1871. The 1998 musical Aida by Elton John (né Reginald Kenneth Dwight; b. Mar. 25, 1947) and Tim Rice (né Timothy Miles Bindon Rice; b. Nov. 10, 1944) is based on Verdi's opera.

30. As of now: YET.

31. Rodent that followed the Pied Piper: RAT.

32. Finalized, as a deal: SEWN UP.

34. Relishes: SAVORS.

37. Indiana NBA player: PACER. Why the name Pacer, you ask.

41. Treasury secretary Yellen: JANET. Janet Louise Yellen (b. Aug. 13, 1946) is the 78th United States Secretary of the Treasury. She has held that Office since January 26, 2021. Prior to that she was the Chair of the Federal Reserve.

42. __ Berry Farm: Southern California amusement park: KNOTTS.

43. High regard: ESTEEM.

45. "Let's call __ day": IT A.

46. Heat in the microwave: ZAP.

49. Norse god of thunder: THOR. Everything you ever wanted to know about this Norse god but didn't know to ask.

54. Barnett of CBS News: ERROL. Errol Barnett (b. Apr. 3, 1983), is a British-born news anchor and correspondent for CBS News.

56. Therefore: HENCE.

62. Over again: ANEW. A crossword staple.

63. Relating to birds: AVIAN.

64. Rights org. since 1920: ACLU. As in the American Civil Liberties Union. The organization was founded to protect the constitutional rights of Americans. One of its earliest cases was the so-called Monkey Trial, which challenged Tennessee's law banning the teaching of evolution.

65. Checkout queue: LINE.

66. Marriott rival: HYATT. Both are hotels found in major cities. Hyatt and Marriott compared.

67. Car roof with removable panels: T-TOP.

68. Life partner: MATE. 15 animals that mate for life.

Down:

1. In need of some fresh air: STUFFY.

2. "Some Like It Hot" star Marilyn: MONROE. Marilyn Monroe (née Norma Jean Mortenson; June 1, 1926 ~ Aug. 4, 1962) portrayed Sugar Kowalczyk, a singer, who befriended Tony Curtis (né Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925 ~ Sept. 29, 2010) and Jack Lemmon (né John Uhler Lemmon, III; Feb. 8, 1925 ~ June 27, 2001), who were disguised as women to escape from mafia gangsters.

3. Get situated: ORIENT.

4. Like some private communities: GATED.

5. In shape: FIT.

6. Nest egg letters: IRA. As in Individual Retirement Account.

7. Italian bowling game: BOCCE.

8. Pig sound: SNORT.

9. East, in Spanish: ESTE. Today's Spanish lesson.

10. Rascals: SCALAWAGS. Fun word. After the Civil War, however, the word became pejorative term for a white Southerner who supported the federal plan of Reconstruction or who joined with black freedmen and the so-called carpetbaggers in support of Republican Party policies.

11. Prodigal __: SON. A Biblical reference.

12. "Wait, there's more": AND.

13. "You bet!": YES.

19. Figure (out): SUSS.

21. Vaudeville legend Jimmy: DURANTE. Jimmy Durante (né James Francis Durante; Feb. 10, 1893 ~ Jan. 29, 1980) was known for his gravelly voice and his big nose, which he lovingly referred to as his Schnozzola.

24. Roof edge: EAVE.

25. Bird on birth announcements: STORK.

27. Snowfall accumulation unit: INCH.

28. Song for two: DUET.

29. Tax-paying mo.: APR.

33. Words set in stone?: EPITAPH.

34. Looked down on: SNEERED AT.

35. Competed in a sprint, say: RAN. // Ane 38-Down: Sprinter's race: DASH.

36. Unflappable: STOIC.

39. Enamored of: INTO.

40. Caesar's rebuke: ET TU. Today's Latin lesson. A phrase that literally means "and you". Most famously seen as "Et tu, Brute?" supposedly the last words of Julius Caesar after he had been stabbed by his friend Brutus.

41. Airport arrival: JET.

44. Eve's opposite: MORN. Nice misdirection. Eve isn't a person, but the evening.

46. Colorful annual: ZINNIA. Beautiful and colorful flowers.

47. Regional manner of speech: ACCENT. Here's the Downeast Accent.

48. Baseball Hall of Famer Reese: PEE WEE. Pee Wee Reese (né Harold Peter Henry; July 23, 1918 ~ Aug. 14, 1999) played shortstop for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers. He is also known for befriending and supporting his teammate, Jackie Robinson (né Jack Roosevelt Robinson; Jan. 31, 1919 ~ Oct. 24, 1972) when Robinson broke the color barrier into baseball's major leagues. He got his nickname from playing in marble competitions as a child. A Pee-Wee is a small marble. Not to be confused with Pee Wee Herman the alter ego of Paul Reubens (Aug. 28, 1952 ~ July 30, 2023), who recently died of cancer.