Theme: QOD ("Quote of the Day.")
Our regular blogger Hahtoolah always supplies us with a thought-provoking QOD, but today she has been upstaged with this theme quote, attributed to Victor Hugo.
19. Start of quote attributed to Victor Hugo : FORTY IS THE OLD
33. Quote, part 2 : AGE OF YOUTH.
39. Quote, part 3 : FIFTY IS THE
56. End of the quote : YOUTH OF OLD AGE.
Any questions? I chuckled when I finished the quote, because I thought it would be quite appropriate for our little band. So what is Sixty? Seventy? Eighty? I'll let you all fill in the blanks!
Marti here, to check out the rest of the fill.
Across:
1. Song title spelled out in a 1967 hit : R-E-S-P-E-C-T. We start out with one of my favorite tunes. 4:27
8. Wicket defender : BATSMAN. Opposite the bowler, in cricket.
15. Composer Vivaldi : ANTONIO. Perhaps best known for his "Four Seasons." 41:59 I opened it in a separate window, and listened while doing this write-up. You may not have the time to listen to it all, but the first few bars should jog your memory.
16. People people? : EDITORS. "People" magazine, that is. And 52-Down. 16-Across reversals : STETS. "Let it stand," which is a notation over an originally edited word.
17. Crick who co-discovered DNA structure : FRANCIS. His co-discoverer was James Watson.
18. It went down in history : TITANIC. At this time of year, I am inclined to think of Rudolf, instead. 3:12
21. Troubadours' instruments : LUTES. Anyone else fill in "lyres?" My first ink blot of the day...
22. Follower of Stalin? : IST. Stalinist. I might ask, "Why 'Stalin', in particular?"
23. Tale spinner : LIAR.
26. Bastille Day season : ETE. Bastille Day is a French holiday celebrated on July 14th. So we are looking for the French word for "summer" here.
27. Coal carrier : TRAM.
30. Statue at St. Peter's : PIETA. I think the PIETA by Michelangelo is the one that struck me most when I visited St. Peter's.
31. Pachy- add-on : DERM. In Massachusetts, we call liquor stores "packies."
36. Novelist Ferber : EDNA. I always think of "Giant" when she is mentioned. Fantastic classic film made from the novel, starring Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean and Rock Hudson.
38. Met, as a bet : SEEN. "I'll see your dime, and raise you a nickel..."
43. Crash site? : SOFA. Fun clue, but didn't fool me.
47. Elegant tapestry : ARRAS. Named for the French town known for its fine wall hangings which were sold all over Europe to decorate castle walls.
48. Saintly ring : HALO. "Aura" would fit. (Sigggghhhhh....second ink blot!)
50. Rock's ___ Lobos : LOS. "The Wolves" in Spanish. You may recognize this song. 2:52
51. Volvo competitor : SAAB. Last week it was "Sundsvall roller."
52. ___-Julie, Quebec : STE. Map. No hint of Abbr. in the clue?
54. Round at the saloon : BEERS. Cheers! ("It's five o'clock somewhere!")
60. Barbecue cook : GRILLER. DH is the resident griller in this house.
62. Head-in-the-clouds sort? : AVIATOR. "Dreamer" also fit...(Drats! Third ink blot!!)
63. Meet unexpectedly : RUN INTO.
64. Fraction, e.g. : SEGMENT.
65. Protective sac for some embryos : EGG CASE. And a clecho with 5-Down. Form into a sac : ENCYST. Ewwww...
66. Locks overhead : TRESSES.
Down:
1. Offered as a door prize, say : RAFFLED. The only door prize I have ever won was a bunch of scratch tickets that turned out to be duds!
2. Going somewhere : EN ROUTE. This one fixed my "lyres" ink blot.
3. First-pitch thrower : STARTER.
4. Florence's ___ Vecchio : PONTE. All along both sides of the bridge are small shops selling (mostly) gold and silver jewelry.
6. MXXX ÷ X : CIII. This one was slightly easier for me than one of Bill G.'s math puzzles!
7. Deep-six : TOSS. The expression "deep-six" comes from the practice of burying the dead at at the depth of a fathom (approx. 6 feet). At sea, the water must be a minimum of 6 fathoms before the weighted body can be interred.
8. Second Hebrew letters : BETHS. These (UPDATED 8:15 - THANKS MIDDLETOWN BOMBER!): בּבּבּבּ
9. Trying to lose, with "on" : A DIET.
10. Bandleader Puente : TITO. What a great personality he had. 4:21
11. Stud farm studs : STALLIONS.
12. Kin of "Sacre bleu!" : MON DIEU.
13. D-backs, on scoreboards : ARI.zona.
14. Defense advisory gp. : NSC. National Security Council.
20. It marches and flies : TIME. Are we having fun yet?
24. Verizon rival, initially : ATT. American Telephone & Telegraph
25. Stadium sound : RAH.
28. Royal sari wearer : RANI.
29. Turkish titles : AGAS.
30. English poet laureate, 1790-1813 : PYE. One of his prose works is "Summary of the Duties of a Justice of the Peace Out of Sessions: With Some Observations." Sounds absolutely fascinating, doesn't it? You can read the book online here. Go ahead, I'll wait for you to finish it...
32. Like diets based on body type : METABOLIC. ...Back already?
34. Workplace protection org. : OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
35. Have a hunch : FEEL. Like most of my WAGs, I usually have a hunch they will turn out to be wrong.
37. Functional opening : DYS. DYSfunctional, like some people here on the corner. (Yes, you know I mean you!)
39. Scale notes : FAS.
40. Author Levin : IRA. "Rosemary's Baby" was my first introduction to him.
41. Coming apart at the seams? : FRAYING. Loved the clue!
42. Kojak, to friends : THEO. This one fixed my "aura" inkblot.
44. Fatty-acid ointments : OLEATES. I could explain how this clue relates to the answer, but I'm afraid eyes would glaze over. Instead, here's a fascinating story about what happens when an ant dies. I first heard it on NPR's "All Things Considered." (Funny you should use that phrase in your 4:09 post yesterday, Creature!)
45. Like some conclusions : FORGONE. In this sense, shouldn't it be "foregone"?
46. States categorically : ASSERTS.
49. Bind legally : OBLIGE. I am OBLIGEd to tell you that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of the management...
53. Spasm : THROE.
55. Red-wrapped cheeses : EDAMS.
57. Radius neighbor : ULNA.
58. Ramadan practice : FAST. This one fixed my "dreamer" inkblot! The entire month of Ramadan is observed by Muslims as a month of fasting.
59. At an end : OVER. Almost there!
60. Univ. sr.'s exam : GRE. Graduate Record Exam.
61. Persian, e.g. : RUG. "If an Iranian wears a toupee, does that make it a Persian rug?"
Hugs,
Marti
