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Constructed by: Laura Dershewitz & Katherine Baicker
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Like Herding Cats

Themed answers include types of CAT (in circled letters), but we need to HERD them. They have wandered off the row:

• 58A Frustratingly difficult, and an apt title for this puzzle : LIKE HERDING CATS

• 20A Big name in 1980s heartland rock : JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP
• 32A Some suede kicks : PUMA SNEAKERS
• 45A If I Were King of the Forest singer : COWARDLY LION

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

Bill’s time: 7m 56s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Chow down : EAT

“Chow” is a slang term for “food” that originated in California in the mid-1800s. “Chow” comes from the Chinese pidgin English “chow-chow” meaning “food”.

4 Military bigwigs : BRASS

A bigwig is someone important. The use of the term “bigwig” harks back to the days when men of authority and rank wore … big wigs.

9 Bar codes? : LAWS

The legal profession is referred to as “the bar”. The term arose in medieval times when European courtrooms were divided into two with “barring” furniture, basically a wooden rail that separated the public from the participants in the trial.

16 Hemoglobin mineral : IRON

Heme (also “haem”) is an organic structure containing iron, and is a component of hemoglobin, the protein that transports primarily oxygen around the body. It is the “heme” in “hemoglobin” that binds the oxygen atoms. A plant-derived version of heme is the magic ingredient in the famous Impossible Burger that has become so popular on vegetarian menus.

17 College chem course, informally : ORGO

Organic chemistry (“Orgo”)

By one definition, an organic chemical is a compound containing carbon-hydrogen and/or carbon-carbon bonds. A more broader definition is that a chemical containing carbon is classed as organic. Back in the mid-1600s, anything described as “organical” related to the body and its organs. In the early 1800s, the phrase “organic chemistry” was coined to describe the study of compounds derived from living things, from nature.

18 Basketry willow : OSIER

Most willows (trees and shrubs of the genus Salix) are called just that, “willows”. Some of the broad-leaved shrub varieties are called “sallow”, and the narrow-leaved shrubs are called “osier”. Osier is commonly used in basketry, as osier twigs are very flexible. The strong and flexible willow stems are sometimes referred to as withies.

19 Actress Garr : TERI

Actress Teri Garr had a whole host of minor roles in her youth, including appearances in nine Elvis movies. Garr’s big break came with the role of Inga in “Young Frankenstein”, and her supporting role in “Tootsie” earned Garr an Academy Award nomination. Sadly, Teri Garr suffers from multiple sclerosis. She is a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

20 Big name in 1980s heartland rock : JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP

John Mellencamp started to use the stage name Johnny Cougar in 1976, a name that evolved into John Cougar, and then to John Cougar Mellencamp in the eighties. In 1992 the “Cougar” was dropped altogether and Mellencamp has been performing under his own name since then. Mellencamp was married to former supermodel Elaine Irwin for eighteen years, but the two decided to split. Mellencamp’s longtime girlfriend is actress Meg Ryan.

24 Pomp and Circumstance composer : ELGAR

Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance Marches” is a work that takes its name from a line in William Shakespeare’s “Othello”.

Farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, th’ear-piercing fife,
The royal banner, and all quality,
Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!

The most famous part of the whole work is the trio section of March No. 1, also known as “Land of Hope and Glory”. Here in the US, that trio section is often referred to simply as “Pomp and Circumstance”, or sometimes as “The Graduation March” as it is a staple at school graduations across the country.

25 Leslie __ Jr. of “Hamilton” : ODOM

Leslie Odom Jr. is the actor and singer who originated the role of Aaron Burr in “Hamilton” on Broadway. More recently, he played Dr. Arbuthnot in the 2017 movie adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express”.

32 Some suede kicks : PUMA SNEAKERS

Puma is a German company that sells athletic shoes worldwide. The company is most famous for its line of soccer boots.

Suede is leather made from the underside of an animal’s skin, usually the skin from a lamb. As such it is very soft, although not as durable as leather made from the exterior skin. The soft leather was, and is still used for making gloves. Back in 1859 these gloves were called “gants de Suede” in France, or “gloves of Sweden”. So, the name “suede” comes from the French word for Sweden.

37 One who may be shorthanded at work? : STENO

Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing). A stenographer might be a court reporter, or a person provided captions accompanying a live television broadcast.

39 Flag : DROOP

Our verb “to flag” meaning “to tire” was originally used in the sense of something flapping about lazily in the wind. From this it came to mean “to go limp, droop”, and then “to tire”.

41 Baby Cobra comedian Wong : ALI

Ali Wong is a stand-up comedian from San Francisco who is a protégé of Chris Rock. She made two very successful Netflix stand-up specials “Baby Cobra” and “Hard Knock Wife”. She also worked as a writer for the hit sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat”.

42 Hub city for Royal Jordanian Airlines : AMMAN

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

The airport serving Jordan’s capital Amman is Queen Alia International Airport. It opened for business in 1983, and is named for the Queen of Jordan, and third wife of King Hussein, who died in a helicopter crash in 1977. Earlier in her life, the future queen had worked for Royal Jordanian Airlines, which is based at Queen Alia Airport.

45 If I Were King of the Forest singer : COWARDLY LION

The Cowardly Lion in L. Frank Baum’s “Land of Oz” books was portrayed by Bert Lahr in the celebrated 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz”. The costume that Lahr wore in the film was made from real lion fur, and weighed a whopping 60 pounds.

50 Turn on an axis : SLUE

To slue (also “slew) is to turn sharply, or to rotate on an axis.

51 Medieval Times prop : LANCE

Medieval Times is a dinner theater show featuring medieval games such as jousting and sword-fighting. The first show opened in a purpose-built building in Orland, Florida.

54 Shot-putter? : NURSE

An injection using a hypodermic needle might be termed a “shot” in North America, and a “jab” in Britain and Ireland.

58 Frustratingly difficult, and an apt title for this puzzle : LIKE HERDING CATS

The idiomatic phrase “herding cats” describes a futile attempt to control a group of people (perhaps) who are inherently uncontrollable. This phrase originated relatively recently, and appears to come from a line spoken in the 1979 film “Monty Python’s Life of Brian”. In the movie’s opening, three shepherds are discussing sheep, and move on to cats: “Can you imagine a herd of cats waiting to be sheared? Meow! Meow! Woo hoo hoo.”

64 Established beliefs : DOGMA

A dogma is a set of beliefs. The plural of “dogma” is “dogmata” (or “dogmas”, if you’re not a pedant like me!)

65 Tall birds : EMUS

The large flightless birds called emus make sounds by manipulating inflatable neck-sacs. The sac is about a foot long, has a thin wall and allows the bird to emit a booming sound. The type of sound emitted is the easiest way to differentiate between male and female emus.

69 Quartet for Jennifer Hudson, for short : EGOT

Jennifer Hudson is a singer and actress who had her career breakthrough by appearing as a finalist in 2004 on the show “American Idol”. She is the youngest woman to win the “grand slam” of show business (EGOT: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). Hudson went through a very difficult period in 2008 when her mother, her older sister and her nephew were shot dead by her brother-in-law.

71 BOS rivals : NYY

New York Yankees (NYY)

Down

1 Japanese term whose similarity to “emotion” is coincidental : EMOJI

An emoji is a character found on many cell phones that is much like an emoticon, but is more elaborate. The use of emojis originated in 1997 on mobile phones in Japan, and within a few years spread around the world. “Emoji” is a Japanese word meaning “picture word”.

2 Crooner Neville : AARON

Aaron Neville is an R&B singer from New Orleans. As well as having a solo career, Aaron has recorded with three of his siblings as the Neville Brothers.

7 Narrow racing boat : SHELL

A scull is a boat used for competitive rowing. The main hull of the boat is often referred to as a shell. Crew members who row the boat can be referred to as “oars”. And, a scull is also an oar mounted on the stern of a small boat. It’s all very confusing …

8 __ Nona: Tomie dePaola picture book : STREGA

“Strega Nona” is an illustrated children’s book by Tomie dePaola that was first published in 1975. The title character is a kind of witch doctor who lives in southern Italy. “Strega Nona” translates from broken Italian as “Grandma Witch”.

9 English major’s course, informally : LIT CRIT

Literary studies, also called literary criticism (lit crit), is the evaluation and interpretation of literature.

14 Basketball Hall of Famer Earl “The Pearl” __ : MONROE

Earl Monroe is a retired professional basketball player who played for the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks. His success on the court, and his flashy play, earned him the moniker “Earl the Pearl”.

21 Symphonic finale : CODA

In music, a coda is primarily a passage that brings a movement to a conclusion. “Coda” is Italian for “tail”.

26 Allowed : OK’D

Back in the late 1830s, there were some slang abbreviations coined mainly in Boston. The craze called for two-letter abbreviations of deliberately misspelled phrases. For example “no use” became “KY” from “know yuse”, and “enough said” became “NC” from “‘nuff ced”. Fortunately (I say!), the practice was short-lived. But, one of those abbreviations persists to this day. “All correct” was misspelled to give “oll korrect”, abbreviated to “OK”.

27 Chi-town exchange, with “the” : … MERC

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (the “Merc”) started its life as the Chicago Butter and Egg Board in 1898. The Merc is the site for exchange of commodities, among other things.

29 Dark greenish blue : TEAL

The beautiful color teal takes its name from the duck called a teal, which has dark greenish-blue (teal) markings on its head and wings.

30 Part of YOLO : ONLY

You only live once (YOLO)

31 Wrap that shouldn’t be microwaved : FOIL

The first microwave oven was invented in 1946 by Percy Spencer, an engineer at Raytheon. While he was standing beside an active radar unit, which used microwaves, he noticed that the candy bar in his pocket had melted. Spencer proceeded to expose various foods to microwaves in tests that would lead to the development of the first commercial microwave oven.

32 Brit twit : PRAT

“Prat” is a slang term for the buttocks. A “prat-fall” is when someone falls and lands on the buttocks. The term “prat” is also British slang for “contemptible person”.

33 Sport that’s big in Japan : SUMO

Sumo is a sport that is practiced professionally only in Japan, the country of its origin. There is an international federation of sumo wrestling now, and one of the organization’s aims is to have the sport accepted as an Olympic event.

34 Sought-after fish : NEMO

“Finding Nemo” is a 2003 animated blockbuster from Pixar. The film was the winner of the Oscar that year for Best Animated Feature. Believe it or not, “Finding Nemo” is the best-selling DVD of all time and, until 2010’s “Toy Story 3”, it was the highest-grossing, G-rated movie at the box office.

35 Hundred Acre Wood kid : ROO

Hundred Acre Wood is where Winnie-the-Pooh lives with his friends. According to a map illustrating the books by A. A. Milne, Hundred Acre Wood is part of a larger forest, with Owl’s house sitting right at the center. Piglet also lives in the Hundred Acre Wood, in a beech tree next to a sign that says “TRESPASSERS W”. Piglet says this is short for Trespassers William, which is his grandfather’s name.

44 Ark-itect? : NOAH

According to the Bible’s Book of Genesis, Noah was instructed to build his ark 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. That’s about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.

47 Low pair : DEUCES

A two in a deck of playing cards might be called a “deuce”, from the Middle French “deus” (or Modern French “deux”) meaning “two”.

52 Time in a Bottle singer : CROCE

“Time in a Bottle” is a song written by Jim Croce in 1970 and recorded by him in 1972. The song was released as a single in 1973, soon after Croce died in a plane crash. It was to be Croce’s last number-one hit.

55 Will Trent star Rodríguez : RAMON

“Will Trent” is a cop show that debuted in 2023. It is based on a series of novels of the same name by Karin Slaughter. Ramón Rodríguez plays the title character in the TV show. Will Trent is a Special Agent in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

58 Board game with car-shaped tokens : LIFE

The board game we call “The Game of Life” (also just “Life”) was created quite a few years ago, in 1869 by Milton Bradley. Back then it was called “The Checkered Game of Life” and was the first parlor game to become a popular hit. The modern version of the game was first released in 1960.

59 Capisce! : I DIG!

“Capeesh?” is a slang term meaning “do you understand?” It comes from the Italian “capisce” meaning “understand”.

60 Atkins variant : KETO

A ketogenic (also “keto”) diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. When a body consumes insufficient carbohydrates to meet the need for energy, then the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies in order to make up the energy deficit. An elevated level of ketone bodies in the bloodstream is known as “ketosis”, a term that gives rise to the name “ketogenic diet”. Medical professionals sometimes prescribe a ketogenic diet in order to control epilepsy in children. A condition of ketosis can reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures.

Perhaps most notably, the eating of relatively few carbohydrates is central to the diet proposed by Robert Atkins. Atkins first laid out the principles behind the Atkins diet in a research paper published in 1958 in the “Journal of the American Medical Association”. He popularized his diet starting in 1972 with his book “Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution”.

62 Gp. headed by Jens Stoltenberg : NATO

Jens Stoltenberg became Secretary General of NATO in 2014, after having served two terms as Prime Minister of Norway.