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Constructed by: Luke Nagel

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: One and Done

Themed answers are common phrases that have been truncated right after the letter string ONE:

57A Like some NBA prospects, or like the answers to the starred clues : ONE AND DONE

• 17A *Camper’s canopy : MOSQUITO NE(T)
• 24A *Whiskey cocktail : OLD FASHIONE(D)
• 36A *”Hackney Diamonds” rock band : THE ROLLING STONE(S)
• 47A *Ford explorer? : INDIANA JONE(S)

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 8m 43s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Goes for a slice? : GOLFS

A slice in golf doesn’t head straight down the fairway, but instead turns off to the right (if you’re a right-handed golfer).

13A WWII subs : U-BOATS

“U-boat” stands for the German “Unterseeboot” (undersea boat). Notably, a U-boat sank the RMS Lusitania in 1915, an event that helped propel the US into WWI.

16A “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” writer/illustrator Carle : ERIC

Eric Carle is a very successful children’s author and book illustrator, with over 100 million of his books sold around the world. Carle’s most famous title is “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, and it alone has sold 30 million copies.

17A *Camper’s canopy : MOSQUITO NE(T)

Mosquitoes have a relatively short life cycle. Males live a matter of days, and females just a few weeks. In order to reproduce, male mosquitoes form large swarms, usually late in the day. Female mosquitoes fly into the swarm when ready to mate.

20A Nectar collectors : BEES

The sugary liquid known as nectar is produced by plants to attract animals needed for the plant’s survival. The classic example is the nectar produced in flowers that attracts insects needed to facilitate pollination. Some plants produce nectar in leaves that attracts favorable insects that in turn prey on insects that can harm the plants.

22A Mideast capital once named Philadelphia : AMMAN

Amman is the capital city of Jordan, and one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world. It has been occupied by a number of different civilizations over the centuries, including the Greeks. The Greeks called the city “Philadelphia”, a name retained by the Romans when they occupied the city just after 100 AD.

23A CIA predecessor : OSS

The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was formed during WWII in order to carry out espionage behind enemy lines. A few years after the end of the war the OSS functions were taken up by a new group, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that was chartered by the National Security Act of 1947.

24A *Whiskey cocktail : OLD FASHIONE(D)

An old fashioned cocktail is usually made from whiskey muddled with sugar and AROMATIC bitters, with a twist of citrus rind. I offer, humbly, my version: bourbon, maple syrup, grapefruit or orange bitters, a couple of cocktail cherries as a garnish, and a spoonful of the syrup from cocktail cherries allowed to float to the bottom of the glass. And oh yes, best served with clear ice in a crystal glass. I’ll be right back …

27A Party mix ingredient : CHEX

Chex Mix is a party mix that includes Chex cereal as a major ingredient. The first recipe appeared on boxes of Chex cereal in 1952.

28A Elmo, for one : SAINT

Saint Elmo is the patron saint of sailors. More formally referred to as Erasmus of Formia, St. Elmo is perhaps venerated by sailors as tradition tells us that he continued preaching despite the ground beside him being struck by a thunderbolt. Sailors started to pray to him when in danger of storms and lightning. He lends his name to the electrostatic weather phenomenon (often seen at sea) known as St. Elmo’s fire. The “fire” is actually a plasma discharge caused by air ionizing at the end of a pointed object (like the mast of a ship), something often observed during electrical storms.

36A *”Hackney Diamonds” rock band : THE ROLLING STONE(S)

The title of the 2023 Rolling Stones album “Hackney Diamonds” is colorful London slang, referring to shards of glass left on the street after a smash-and-grab robbery. This was the Stones’ first album with new material in 18 years. Some cool guests turn up on several tracks, including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga and even Bill Wyman, who left the band in 1993. It also includes two tracks with the final studio work of drummer Charlie Watts, who passed away in 2021.

40A Brine abundance : SALT

The briny is the sea, with “brine” meaning “salty water”. The term “briny” was originally used for “tears”.

42A Group that hosts an annual Mind Games board game competition : MENSA

The high-IQ society Mensa sponsors an annual Mind Games competition, a 40-plus-hour board-game-judging marathon during which Mensa members play and rate games. New games can earn the coveted “Mensa Select” seal. Past winners of the award include such well-known games as Trivial Pursuit, Apples to Apples, Scattergories, and Magic: The Gathering.

47A *Ford explorer? : INDIANA JONE(S)

Harrison Ford played at least three celebrated, recurring roles in movies: Han Solo in the “Star Wars” series, the title character in the “Indiana Jones” series, and Jack Ryan in the movie versions of Tom Clancy novels. In the early days, Ford became a self-taught carpenter in order to put bread on the table while he looked for acting roles. As a carpenter he worked as a stagehand for the rock band “The Doors”, and he built a sun deck for actress Sally Kellerman (from the movie “M*A*S*H”). George Lucas hired him to build cabinets in his home, and then gave him a part in “American Graffiti”, after which I think Ford hung up his tool belt …

50A Small shot : BBS

A BB gun is an air pistol or rifle that shoots birdshot known as BBs. Birdshot comes in a number of different sizes, from size 9 (0.070″ in diameter) to size FF (.230″). Birdshot that is size BB (0.180″ in diameter) gives the airgun its name.

54A Cy Young stat : ERA

Cy Young was a pitcher in the major leagues from 1890-1911. Young is remembered for pitching the first perfect game of baseball’s modern era. Soon after he died in 1955, the Cy Young Award was created and is presented to the best pitcher in each baseball season.

56A Norwegian royal name : OLAV

Of the many kings of Norway named Olaf/Olav (and there have been five), Olaf II is perhaps the most celebrated, as he was canonized and made the patron saint of the country. Olaf II was king from 1015 to 1028 and was known as “Olaf the Big” (or “Olaf the Fat”) during his reign. Today he is more commonly referred to as “Olaf the Holy”. After Olaf died he was given the title of “Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae”, which is Latin for “Norway’s Eternal King”.

57A Like some NBA prospects, or like the answers to the starred clues : ONE AND DONE

The one-and-done rule prohibits players from entering the NBA draft until they are 19 years old and one year removed from high school. Before it was instituted in 2006, many of the league’s top stars (e.g. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett) went directly from high school to the pros.

64A Pro-__: some tourneys : AMS

“Tourney” is another word for “tournament”. The term comes from the Old French word “tornei” meaning “contest of armed men”, which itself is from “tornoier” meaning “to joust, jilt”.

Down

1D Okra dish : GUMBO

Gumbo is a type of stew or soup that originated in Louisiana. The primary ingredient can be meat or fish, but to be true gumbo it must include the “holy trinity” of vegetables, namely celery, bell peppers and onion. Okra used to be a requirement but this is no longer the case. Okra gave the dish its name as the vernacular word for the African vegetable is “okingumbo”, from the Bantu language spoken by many of the slaves brought to America.

2D Orchestral group : OBOES

The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name “oboe” comes from the French “hautbois” which means “high wood”.

4D Online help pgs. : FAQS

Most websites have a page listing answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Even this blog has one!

5D Fox Sports soccer analyst Holden : STU

Before becoming a well-known soccer analyst, Stu Holden was a professional midfielder who played for clubs like Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland. Having grown up in Sugar land, Texas, he also represented the US in the men’s national team, notably playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

7D Wok, e.g. : PAN

“Wok” is a Cantonese word, and is the name for the frying pan now used in many Asian cuisines.

8D Tailless simian : APE

“Simian” means “pertaining to monkeys or apes”, from the Latin word “simia” meaning “ape”.

11D Gillen of “Mayor of Kingstown” : AIDAN

Irish actor Aidan Gillen is perhaps best known on this side of the Atlantic for playing Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish on the TV show “Game of Thrones”. He also played Aberama Gold on the show “Peaky Blinders”. On the big screen, he appeared in the excellent movie “Bohemian Rhapsody”, portraying Queen’s manager John Reid.

“Mayor of Kingstown” is a crime thriller TV show starring Jeremy Renner as Mike McLuskey, the reluctant “Mayor” of the grim city of Kingstown. The city’s economy is completely dependent on its seven prisons, and McLuskey acts as mediator between inmates, guards, police, and criminals.

12D Cry from a high chair? : SCENE!

A movie director might call out, “Scene!” at the end of filming a take.

18D Local lecture series : TEDX

The acronym “TED” stands for “Technology, Entertainment and Design”. TED is a set of conferences held around the world by a non-profit group called the Sapling Foundation. The conference subjects are varied, and the meetings are often led by big names such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Gates and Jane Goodall. The Sapling Foundation then makes recordings of the conferences available for free online with the intent of disseminating the ideas globally. These conferences are known as “TED Talks”. There are also TEDx events, which are locally-run talks presented under license from TED.

22D Steak choice : AHI

Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.

27D Many “Gone in 60 Seconds” characters : CAR THIEVES

2000’s action heist movie “Gone in 60 Seconds” is loosely based on a 1974 independent action film of the same name. Nicolas Cage stars as a gang leader who must steal 50 specific high-end cars within 72 hours for a British gangster, played by Chrisotpher Eccleston. Cage did most of his stunt driving himself, but Eccleston could not do any driving. He didn’t have a driver’s license at the time of filming.

29D Chain pts. : MTS.

Mountain (mt.)

31D Soap ingredient : MELODRAMA

A melodrama is a play or film that usually pits good against evil, with an obvious hero or heroine vying against an obvious villain. Melodrama has evolved over time, originating in the 18th century as a drama for which there was a musical accompaniment. The term is derived from the Greek “melos” meaning “music” and the French “drame” meaning “drama”.

32D Avocado discard : PIT

The wonderful avocado comes from a tree that is native to Mexico and Central America. The avocado fruit is sometimes called an avocado pear, because of its shape, even though it is not related to the pear at all. The fruit might also be referred to as an alligator pear, due to the roughness of the green skin of some avocado cultivars.

34D Hosp. workers : RNS

Registered nurse (RN)

37D Unlike Wagyu : LEAN

“Wagyu” is a name given to four different breeds of beef cattle in Japan. The famous Kobe beef is obtained from wagyu cattle. The name comes from the Japanese “Wa gyu”, which simply translates as “Japanese cattle”.

38D “Henry, Come On” singer Del Rey : LANA

Singer Lana Del Rey announced/teased the release of a new song titled “Henry, Come On” via Instagram in January of 2024. The song wasn’t released, though, until April 2025. In the song, Henry is the singer’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, someone who “flies too close to the Sun” (a reference to Icarus, of Greek myth).

39D Hook hand? : SMEE

In J. M. Barrie’s play and novel about Peter Pan, Smee is one of Captain Hook’s pirates and is Hook’s bosun and right-hand man. Smee is described by Barrie as being “Irish” and “a man who stabbed without offence”. Nice guy! Captain Hook and Smee sail on a pirate ship called the Jolly Roger.

45D 21st century explorer : DORA

“Dora the Explorer” is a cartoon series shown on Nickelodeon. Part of Dora’s remit is to introduce the show’s young viewers to some Spanish words and phrases. Her constant companion is an anthropomorphic monkey named “Boots”, because he always wears red boots. Dora, full name “Dora Márquez”, also hangs out with Isa, an iguana.

47D Bygone Apple gadgets : IPODS

The iPod is Apple’s discontinued signature line of portable media players. The iPod first hit the market in 2001 with a hard drive-based device, now known as the iPod Classic. Later models all used flash memory, allowing a smaller form factor. The smallest of the flash-based models is the iPod Shuffle, which was introduced in 2005.

49D Gladiators, e.g. : JEEPS

The modern Jeep Gladiator is a pickup truck that debuted in 2019, but it is not the first Jeep to bear that name. The original Gladiator pickup was introduced in 1962, and was produced until 1971.

51D Curses : BANES

Anathema is a source of persistent annoyance. “Anathema” is the Latin word for an excommunicated person. Note that “anathema” does not take an article, so we say “he is anathema” rather than “he is an anathema”.

57D São Paulo greeting : OLA

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil. It is also the city with the highest number of helicopters in the world. This is partly driven by the horrendous traffic jams in São Paulo, but also by the wealthy having a very real fear of being kidnapped on the city’s streets.

58D Oscar nod, briefly : NOM

Nomination (nom.)