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Constructed by: Doug Peterson & Angela Kinsella Olson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Top Notes

Themed answers are all in the down-direction. Each starts with, is TOPPED by, a type of musical NOTE:

• 40A Initial perfume scents, or what can be found in the answers to the starred clues : TOP NOTES

• 3A *Neighborhood where the Brooklyn Dodgers played : FLATBUSH
• 5A *ZZ Top hit with the lyric “Silk suit, black tie” : SHARP DRESSED MAN
• 9A *Soil, water, or wind, e.g. : NATURAL RESOURCE

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

Bill’s time: 6m 29s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 U.S. president who wrestled at Yale : TAFT

Five US presidents attended Yale University:

• William Howard Taft
• Gerald Ford
• George H. W. Bush
• Bill Clinton
• George W. Bush

14 Beaut : LULU

We call a remarkable thing or a person a lulu. The term “lulu” was coined in honor of Lulu Hurst, the Georgia Wonder, who was a stage magician active in the 1880s.

15 Hebrew prophet : HOSEA

Hosea was one of the Twelve Prophets of the Hebrew Bible. The Twelve Prophets are also known as the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament in the Christian Bible.

17 “Nerts!” : DRAT!

“Nerts” is a slang term, a corruption of “nuts!”

19 “The Brutalist” actress Laird : EMMA

Emma Laird is a British actress who made her feature film debut in 2023’s “A Haunting in Venice”. Before transitioning to acting, she spent several years as a successful model. However, she found the modeling industry to be “very dangerous for young girls”, citing the constant pressure on her to lose weight.

The 2024 film “The Brutalist” follows the life of László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor. Starring Adrien Brody, the film portrays Tóth’s struggles to rebuild his life and career after immigrating to America. The movie’s title, “The Brutalist”, directly reflects his architectural style, which is characterized by raw, unadorned concrete structures, a reflection of the harshness and resilience he experienced in his former life.

26 Dee Dee of punk rock : RAMONE

The Ramones were an American punk rock band. The group formed in Forest Hills, New York in the mid-seventies. The band members took on the stage names Dee Dee, Joey, and Johnny Ramone, even though they were not related. The “Ramone” name was imitative of the pseudonym used by Paul McCartney when he booked into hotels anonymously, namely “Paul Ramon”. Arguably, the Ramones were the first punk rock group, defining the genre. Something else that’s not my cup of tea …

27 Spike Lee’s employer: Abbr. : NYU

Film director Spike Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia but has very much made New York City his home and place of work. Most of Lee’s films are set in New York City, including his first feature film, 1986’s “She’s Gotta Have It”. That film was shot over two weeks with a budget of $175,000. “She’s Gotta Have It” grossed over $7 million at the US box office.

New York University (NYU) comprises fifteen schools, one of which is the Tisch School of the Arts. The Tisch is famous for its acting program, with notable alumni such as Debra Messing, Christopher Guest and Spike Lee.

29 __ Bach: fictional “forgotten son” of classical music : PDQ

“PDQ Bach” is an alter ego used by musical satirist Peter Schickele. Schickele creates works that he bills as compositions written by PDQ Bach, the “only forgotten son” of Johann Sebastian Bach.

31 Mediocre, in Gen Z slang : MID

Definitions vary, but it seems that the term “Generation Z” is reserved for the children of “Generation X”, and for the generation that follows the “Millennials” (Generation Y). Gen-Zers are also known as “Zoomers”, a portmanteau of “Z” and “boomer” (as in “baby boomer”).

32 The “T” of SAT : TEST

Today, the standardized test for admission to colleges is known as the SAT Reasoning Test, but it used to be called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, which led to the abbreviation “SAT”.

34 Stole steers : RUSTLED

That act of stealing cattle is referred to as rustling in America, particularly in the Wild West. In Australia, the same crime is referred to as duffing.

38 Lotus-__ : EATER

The lotus-eaters were a race of people who featured in Greek mythology. The lotus flowers and fruits that were consumed were supposedly narcotic and addictive, and so the lotus-eaters enjoyed a life largely asleep in peaceful apathy.

43 Fashion magazine that went digital-only in 2022 : INSTYLE

“InStyle” is a monthly fashion magazine aimed at women. I think that a good title for a magazine aimed at the likes of me would be “NoStyle” …

45 Home of Tulane University, for short : NOLA

Tulane University is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tulane was founded in 1834 as the Medical College of Louisiana. The university was privatized with the aid of an endowment from philanthropist Paul Tulane in 1884, and as a result the school’s name was changed to Tulane University. The school’s sports teams use the name Tulane Green Wave, and the team mascot is Riptide the Pelican.

50 Winter hrs. in Las Cruces : MST

Las Cruces (Spanish for “the crosses”) is the second largest city in the state of New Mexico, and is the home of New Mexico State University.

52 Domino dimple : PIP

A pip is a dot on a die or a domino, or a mark on a playing card.

53 Mock mercilessly : DERIDE

To deride is to treat with contemptuous mirth. The term comes into English via Old French from the Latin “deridere” meaning “to ridicule”. In turn, “deridere” comes from the prefix “de-” (down) and “”ridere” (to laugh). So, to ridicule or deride is “to laugh down at”.

59 Signify approval of, as a Reddit post : UPVOTE

Upvoting and downvoting is a feature of many online platforms, particularly those centered around user-generated content and discussions. It’s a simple mechanism that allows users to express their positive or negative sentiment towards a post or comment. By upvoting or downvoting, users contribute to the relative visibility of the content, moving it up or down the page.

62 Foil alternative : EPEE

There are three fencing events in the modern Olympics, with each distinguished by the weapon used:

• Foil
• Épée
• Sabre

63 Alma __ : MATER

The term “alma mater” is used to describe a school from which one has graduated. It can also describe a school’s song or hymn.

65 Slanted type: Abbr. : ITAL

Italic type leans to the right, and is often used to provide emphasis in text. The style is known as “italic” because the stylized calligraphic form of writing originated in Italy, probably in the Vatican.

66 Stephanie’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” role : ROSA

Argentine-American actress Stephanie Beatriz is best known for her role on the comedy show “Brookly Nine-Nine”, playing Detective Rosa Diaz.

67 San Diego State athlete : AZTEC

The Aztecs are the athletic teams of San Diego State University (SDSU). The team mascot is the Aztec Warrior.

San Diego State University (SDSU) was founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School. Back then, the main purpose of the school was to educate women who wanted to be elementary school teachers. It changed its name to San Diego State Teachers College in 1923. The curriculum expanded beyond teacher education in 1935, and became San Diego State College. In 1960, the college joined what is now known as the California State University.

68 Six years for a U.S. senator, e.g. : TERM

The six-year terms enjoyed by US senators are staggered, so that every two years about one third of the US Senate seats come up for reelection. Members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms, with elections taking place every even year.

69 Docs who perform tonsillectomies : ENTS

The ear, nose and throat (ENT) branch of medicine is more correctly called “otolaryngology”.

The palatine tonsils are located at the back of the human throat. The exact role that tonsils play isn’t completely understood, but it is known that they are in the first line of defense in the body’s immune system. They provide some level of protection against pathogens that are ingested and inhaled.

71 Nile vipers : ASPS

We use the term “asp” today to refer to several venomous species of snakes found in the Nile region. Even though “asp” comes from the Greek “aspis” meaning “viper”, the asp that we know as the symbol of ancient Egyptian royalty was not a viper at all. Rather, it was the Egyptian cobra.

Down

1 Abbr. before a summary : TL;DR

Too long, didn’t read (TL;DR)

3 *Neighborhood where the Brooklyn Dodgers played : FLATBUSH

Flatbush is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The name “Flatbush” originates from the Dutch “Vlackebos”, meaning “flat woodland” or “wooded plain,” reflecting the area’s original landscape when Dutch settlers arrived in the 17th century.

5 *ZZ Top hit with the lyric “Silk suit, black tie” : SHARP DRESSED MAN

“Sharp Dressed Man” is a ZZ Top song from their 1983 album “Eliminator”. The song’s music video is part of a loose trilogy, along with “Gimme All Your Lovin'” and “Legs”.

In the blues rock band ZZ Top, the hairy guitar players are Billy F. Gibbons and Dusty Hill (although Hill died in 2021). The relatively clean-shaven drummer is, wait for it … Frank Beard.

6 Cacao container : POD

The flowers of the cacao tree grow in clusters, directly on the trunk and on older branches. The pollinated flowers turn into ovoid cacao pods, each of which contain 20-60 seeds or beans. The seeds are used as the main ingredient in chocolate.

7 Old Pan Am rival : USAIR

From 1953, what we recently referred to as US Airways was called Allegheny Airlines. In the seventies, customers became very dissatisfied with the company’s service levels as it struggled to manage a rapid expansion in its number of flights. These problems earned the airline the nickname “Agony Air”. Allegheny tried to leave the “agony” behind in 1979 and changed its name to USAir, but commuters then just used the nickname “Unfortunately Still Allegheny”. The name was changed again, in 1997, to US Airways. US Airways merged with American Airlines in 2013, and the “US Airways” brand name was gradually replaced with “American Airlines”.

Pan American World Airways (usually just “Pan Am”) started out as a mail and passenger service between Key West, Florida and Havana, Cuba in 1927. From very early in the company’s life it was the de facto representative air carrier of the United States. For many years, Pan Am’s fleet was built around the Boeing 314 Clipper, a long-range flying boat that was one of the largest aircraft around at the time. Pan Am adopted the Clipper as part of its image, even using “clipper” as the call sign for its flights.

10 Electric toothbrush brand : GLEEM

Gleem is a Procter & Gamble brand of toothpaste. The original formulation was introduced back in 1952, with a mystery ingredient called GL-70 which the manufacturers claimed had a unique ability to fight mouth odor and tooth decay. No one seems to know what GL-70 is, or if in fact it existed at all! Gleem II was introduced in 1969 in an attempt to revitalize sales. It seemed to work. Must have been the green sparkles …

12 Italian fashion house : ARMANI

Giorgio “Gio” Armani is an Italian fashion designer and founder of the company that has borne his name since 1975. Although Armani is famous for his menswear, the company makes everything from jewelry to perfume.

30 Patron of sailors : ST ELMO

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.

33 Mai __: cocktail : TAI

The mai tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum. “Maita’i” is the Tahitian word for “good”.

36 Cacophony : DIN

“Cacophony” is such a lovely word, a word used to describe a harsh or jarring sound. The term arises from the Greek “kakos” (bad) and “phone” (voice).

40 Initial perfume scents, or what can be found in the answers to the starred clues : TOP NOTES

In perfumery, top notes are the initial, light scents that are perceived immediately upon application. They are volatile and evaporate quickly, creating the first impression of a fragrance.

41 Yale grad : ELI

“Eli” is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, and a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.

47 Clue category : WEAPON

Clue is a board game that we knew under a different name growing up in Ireland. Outside of North America, Clue is marketed as “Cluedo”. Cluedo was the original name of the game, introduced in 1949 by the famous British board game manufacturer Waddingtons. There are cute differences between the US and UK versions. For example, the man who is murdered is called Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy in the US), one of the suspects is the Reverend Green (Mr. Green in the US), and the suspect weapons include a dagger (a knife in the US), and a spanner (a wrench in the US). I think it’s a fabulous game, a must during the holidays …

48 Novelist Hemingway : ERNEST

Ernest Hemingway moved around a lot. He was born in Illinois, and after leaving school headed to the Italian front during WWI. There he served as an ambulance driver, an experience he used as inspiration for “A Farewell to Arms”. He returned to the US after being seriously wounded, but a few years later moved to Paris where he worked as a foreign correspondent. He covered the Spanish War as a journalist, from Spain, using this experience for “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. During the thirties and forties he had two permanent residences, one in Key West, Florida and one in Cuba. In the late fifties he moved to Ketchum, Idaho, where he committed suicide in 1961.

55 State-run game : LOTTO

Originally, lotto was a type of card game, with “lotto” being the Italian for “a lot”. We’ve used “lotto” to mean a gambling game since the late 1700s.

56 Patti LuPone role : EVITA

Singer Patti LuPone won Tonys for playing Eva Peron in “Evita ” and Rose in “Gypsy”.

“Evita” was the follow-up musical to “Jesus Christ Superstar” for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Both of these works were originally released as album musicals, and very successful ones at that (I remember buying them when they first came out). “Evita” was made into a film in 1996, with Madonna playing the title role and Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce playing her husband Juan Perón.

58 Brand with an Organic Blonde Tea Latte variety : TAZO

Tazo is an American brand of tea products introduced in 1983. The company’s name is a Romany word meaning “river of life”.

60 Rain delay cover : TARP

Originally, tarpaulins were made from canvas covered in tar that rendered the material waterproof. The word “tarpaulin” comes from “tar” and “palling”, with “pall” meaning “heavy cloth covering”.

61 Colonnade trees : ELMS

A colonnade is a long sequence of columns that are equally spaced, and often support some type of roof. A colonnade surrounding a porch at an entranceway is known as a portico. A colonnade surrounding a courtyard or the perimeter of a building is known as a peristyle.