Tuesday April 22, 2025

QOD:  I think like a genius.  I wrote like a distinguished author, and I speak like a child.  ~  Vladimir Nabokov (Apr. 22, 1899 ~ July 2, 1977), Russian novelist

If You Keep Making that Face, it Will Get Stuck in That Shape.  The circles spell out features of the face.

17-Across. "Everyone knows that!": IT'S NO SECRET.  Nose

22-Across. Mountain hiker's protection: BEAR SPRAY.  Ears.

  

38-Across. "I haven't decided": MAYBE YES, MAYBE NO.  Eyes.

49-Across. TV episodes that are mostly flashback scenes: CLIP SHOWS.

And the unifier:

58-Across. Smirking, scowling, or smiling, and what the sets of circled letters in this puzzle are doing?: MAKING A FACE.

Across:

1. Swimmer's unit: LAP.

4. "Safe!" or "Strike!": CALL.

8. Pesto herb: BASIL.  Yummers!

13. Part of some sports drink names: -ADE.  Hi, Lemonade!

14. California/Nevada resort lake: TAHOE.

15. Bacteria that may cause gastroenteritis: E. COLI.  Short for Escherichia coli, a bacterium commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms.

16. Type: ILK.

19. Spanish wine region: RIOJA.  Everything you wanted to know about the Rioja Wine region, but didn't know to ask.

21. Main dish: ENTREE.

25. Snow pusher: PLOW.

28. "Elder" or "Younger" figure of ancient Rome: CATO.

29. Put in the attic, perhaps: STORE.

30. Ben Affleck Best Picture winner set in Iran: ARGO.  The movie Argo was based on a true story of a CIA rescue mission during the Iranian hostage crisis. The film depicts the CIA's efforts to evacuate six American diplomats who had escaped the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by disguising themselves as a Canadian film crew.  The CIA tapped Tony Mendez, portrayed by Ben Affleck, to pose as a Hollywood producer to scout locations in Iran for a film.

33. Cow's milk cheese from an Alpine region of Italy: ASIAGO.  Yummers!  The cheese is named after the village of Asiago in the Veneto region of Italy.

37. Plant, as seeds: SOW.

41. PC pioneer: IBM.  International Business Machines.

42. Military programs intended to influence attitudes: PSY OPs.  Psychological Operations.

43. Remove wrinkles from: IRON.

44. Taco topping: SALSA.  Yummers!

46. Scannable bars on mdse.: UPCs.  As in Universal Product Code.

48. Word on a red sign: STOP.

54. Caterpillar's cover: COCOON.

56. Put into law: ENACT.

62. La Brea __ Pits: TAR.

63. "Rolling in the Deep" singer: ADELE.  I know we have several Adele (née Adele Laurie Blue Adkins; b. May 5, 1988) fans here.  This is one of my favorites.

64. Public outcry: FUROR.

65. Notable stretch of time: ERA.

66. As bad as can be: WORST.

67. Sulking state: SNIT.

68. Single crunch, say: REP.

Down:

1. Hibernation location: LAIR.

2. Go off script: AD LIB.  Today's Latin lesson.  Short for ad libitum, which means with out prior preparation.

3. Tea variety: PEKOE.  Technically, Pekoe tea is not a variety, but rather a classification of tea.  

4. Lion or tiger: CAT.

5. Sounds of satisfaction: AHs.

6. One who doesn't like company: LONER.

7. British pop singer Lewis: LEONA.  I am not familiar with Leona Louise Lewis (b. Apr. 3, 1985), but she has an alliterative name.

8. Keg contents: BEER.

9. Receive, as a gift: ACCEPT.

10. Player who is not graceful in defeat: SORE LOSER.

11. Suffix with infant: -ILE.  As in Infantile.

12. Like birthday candles before a wish: LIT.

14. Prom queen crown: TIARA.

18. Messy digs: STY.

20. 2018 and 2019 Cy Young winner deGrom: JACOB.  Jacob Anthony deGromm (b. June 19, 1988) is a professional baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Texas Rangers.

23. Doesn't go: STAYS.

24. "The White Lotus" actress Parker: POSEY.  Parker Posey (née Parker Christian Posey; b. Nov. 8, 1968) was known as the Queen of the Indies because she starred in so many independent films when she started her acting career.  She portrayed a neurotic dog owner in Best of Show.

26. Maine university town: ORONO.

27. Cry of victory: WE WON!

29. __ sauce: SOY.

30. Just a little off: AMISS.

31. Morocco's capital: RABAT.

32. Athlete's closet: GYM LOCKER.

34. "Looking for," in classified ads: ISO.  Textspeak for In Search Of.

35. Energize: AMP UP.

36. Sounds of surprise: GASPS.

39. Clean Air Act org.: EPA.

40. Yellowstone beast: BISON.

45. Ruins: SPOILS.

47. "Rah!" or "Olé!": CHEER.

49. Gear tooth: COG.

50. Idles: LOAFS.

51. Jesting: IN FUN.

52. Substance that can be holy or hard: WATER.

53. Freak out: SCARE.

55. Tech news site: CNET.

57. Lobster catcher: TRAP.

58. Gaping mouth: MAW.

59. Big fuss: ADO.

60. NPR host Shapiro: ARI.  Ari Michael Shapiro (b. Sept. 30, 1978) is an American radio journalist.

61. Camp bed: COT.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

Tuesday April 15, 2025 Tax Day!

QOD:  A diamond is just a lump of coal that stuck to its job.  ~  Leonardo da Vinci (Apr. 15, 1452 ~ May 2, 1519), Italian polymath

The company you keep ...  The circles "repeat" an abbreviation for legal business.

15-Across. With some exceptions: IN CERTAIN CASES.  INC. is short for Incorporated.

27-Across. Place to pick up tickets at a theater, perhaps: WILL CALL COUNTER.  LLC is short for a Limited Liability Company.  A Limited Liability Company is a business structure that protects its owners from personal liability. The company combines the tax benefits of a partnership with the liability protection of a corporation.

41-Across. Thin Mint or Trefoil: GIRL SCOUT COOKIE.  CO is short for Company.

And the unifier:

55-Across. Goal of store loyalty programs, and what can be found in 15-, 27-, and 41-Across: REPEAT BUSINESS.

Here's the Grid so you can see the Repeated Businesses:

Across:

1. Spanish "more": MAS.  Today's Spanish Lesson.

4. Table salt, to a chemist: NaCl.  Table salt is an ionic compound composed of sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) ions.

8. NBA great O'Neal, to fans: SHAQ.  Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (b. Mar. 6, 1972) played basketball for LSU before going professional.  There is a statue of him on the LSU campus.

12. "__ my words ... ": MARK.

13. French fashion monthly: ELLE.

14. __ Xtra: Dr Pepper rival: PIBB.

18. Queasiness: NAUSEA.

19. High degrees: NTHs.

20. GP's gp.: AMA.  A General Practitioner might be a member of the American Medical Association.

21. Mint-garnished rum cocktail: MOJITO.  Yummers!  This traditional Cuban cocktail is made of The cocktail white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and mint.

24. Will Ferrell holiday film: ELF.  Not a fan of Will Ferrell (né John William Ferrell; b. July 16, 1967).

31. Speaker output: AUDIO.

32. Impulse: URGE.

33. Tofu base: SOYBEAN.

36. Ancestry.com service: DNA TEST.

39. With 51-Down, soothing plant: ALOE.  //  And 51-Down. See 39-Across: VERA.

40. Boxing matches: BOUTS.

48. Fine and dandy: A-OK.

49. Gretel's brother: HANSEL.

50. Online addresses: Abbr.: IPs.  As in an Internet Protocol address.

51. Workshop clamp: VISE.

52. Pouch spun by a spider: EGG SAC.

60. At all: EVER.

61. Country road: LANE.

62. Son of Hera and Zeus: ARES.  It's all Greek to me.

63. TV warrior princess played by Lucy Lawless: XENA.  It's been over 25 years since Lucy Lawless (née Lucille Frances Ryan; b. Mar. 29, 1968) portrayed Xena: Warrior Princess. Lucy Lawless is from Auckland, New Zealand, which is also the country where Xena was filmed.

64. Southernmost Great Lake: ERIE.  Whenever I see Erie in the puzzle, I think of our old friend Abejo.

65. Tied the knot: WED.

Down:

1. Car with a clutch: MANUAL.

2. Circle segments: ARCS.

3. __-Ball: arcade game: SKEE.

4. Pickleball barrier: NET.

5. Pie __ mode: À LA.  Today's French lesson.

6. Medical center: CLINIC.

7. Gave for a while: LENT TO.

8. Mani-pedi spots: SPAs.

9. Casual hellos: HIs!

10. Fiver: ABE.  I never heard the term Abe as referring to a $5 bill, but it makes sense.

11. TD pass throwers, perhaps: QBs.  Think football.

12. Florida metropolitan area with an Art Deco District: MIAMI.  The Art Deco Historic District in Miami Beach is a known for its well-preserved Art Deco architecture, featuring pastel-colored buildings, geometric shapes, and intricate design details, making it a living museum of the 1930s. 

16. Holiday Inn competitor: RAMADA.

17. French pet name that also means "cabbage": CHOU.  Today's French lesson.  Children in France are sometimes called Mon petit chou, or Ma petite chou, which is a term of endearment.  It literally translates, however, to my little cabbage.

18. Casual denial: NAW.

22. Lena of "Chocolat": OLIN.  This Swedish actress used to make frequent appearances in the crossword puzzles.  Chocolat is a 2000 film, based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Joanne Harris.  The film is about a young women who appears in a French village and opens a small chocolate shop.  Soon, she and her chocolate influence the lives of the townspeople of this repressed French community.  Lena Olin (née Lena Maria Jonna Olin; b. Mar. 22, 1955) was one of those impacted by the chocolate.

23. Former "Idol" judge, to fans: J.LO.

24. Raison d'__: ÊTRE.  More of today's French lesson.  This phrase translates to the "reason for being." 

25. Trio on a stool: LEGS.

26. Guitar ridge: FRET.

28. Tag: LABEL.

29. Billiards stick: CUE.

30. Bananas: NUT-SO.

33. Epic story: SAGA.  The Welsh author Ken Follett (b. June 5, 1949), is known for writing sagas.  He wrote Pillars of the Earth, which follows several families in medieval England.

34. Mixed bag: OLIO.

35. Big name in peppermint patties: YORK.

36. Pour affection (on): DOTE.

37. Cell centers: NUCLEI.

38. From __ Z: A TO.  We saw this phrase recently.

40. Help wait tables: BUS.  Did you ever wonder where the term To Bus Tables originated?  Bus in this sense is a shortened form of Omnibus.  Originally, the term was Omnibus Boy, the person who did many jobs in a restaurant, then it was shortened to Bus boy, and from there the word Bus became a verb.

42. Branch of Islam: SHIA.

43. Stronghold with a keep: CASTLE.  What exactly is a Castle Keep?

44. Sign of weak cellular service: ONE BAR.

45. Smooched: KISSED.

46. "Skip me": I PASS.

47. Keyboard key that exits full-screen mode: ESC.

53. Nibble (at): GNAW.

54. "Sommersby" actor Richard: GERE.  Sommersby was a 1993 film about a man who returned home after fighting in the Civil War.  He seemed very different and this aroused suspicion in his wife and others, but  his tobacco-growing scheme became profitable for the whole town, so everyone was happy. Then he was accused of the murder of a man killed many years before.  Richard Gere (né Richard Tiffany Gere; b. Aug. 31, 1949) portrayed Jack Sommersby.  Jody Foster portrayed his wife.

55. Harrison of "My Fair Lady": REX.  Sir Rex Harrison (né Reginald Carey Harrison; Mar. 5, 1908 ~ June 2, 1990) portrayed Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady.

56. New Year's __: EVE.

57. Calligrapher's tool: PEN.

58. Aussie's college: UNI.  Hello to our friend Kazie.  I hope she is doing well.  She used to make reference to her day at Uni.

59. "Catch my drift?": SEE.

Many thanks to Tony who filled in for me last week.

חתולה

Chag Samech and Happy Easter!