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Constructed by: Lynn Lempel

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): W-ing It

Themed answers are common phrases with a silent W added to the start of one word:

• 17A Get-together before the holidays? : WRAP SESSION (from “rap session”)
• 30A Bicycles and airplanes? : WRIGHT STUFF (from “right stuff”)
• 45A Broken-down washing machine? : DEAD WRINGER (from “dead ringer”)
• 61A “Good job on that coup you pulled off”? : WELL WRESTED (from “well rested”)

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

Bill’s time: 5m 42s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6A Fabric for a fez : FELT

A fez is a red, cylindrical hat worn mainly in North Africa, and by Shriners here in the US. The fez used to be a very popular hat across the Ottoman Empire. The etymology of “fez” is unclear, although it may have something to do with the Moroccan city named Fez.

10A World Series org. : MLB

Baseball’s National League formed in 1876, and the American League formed in 1901. The two leagues agreed to start cooperating in 1903 under a National Commission. The term “Major League Baseball” (MLB) was adopted in 1920. That makes MLB the oldest major sports league in the US and Canada.

13A Puff piece? : ECLAIR

The name for the pastry known as an “éclair” is clearly French in origin. The French word for lightning is “éclair”, but no one seems to be too sure how it came to be used for the rather delicious bakery item.

15A Boba option : ALOE

Bubble tea, sometimes called “boba tea”, is a tea-based drink from Taiwan. The “bubbles” are chewy tapioca balls that are usually added to the drink.

20A Big band member? : TUBA

The tuba is the lowest-pitched of all brass instruments, and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra (usually there is just one tuba included in an orchestral line-up). “Tuba” is the Latin word for “trumpet, horn”. Oom-pah-pah …

21A Puss in Boots, for one : CAT

“Puss in Boots” is a fairy tale from Europe, the earliest recording of which is in a collection of stories by Giovanni Francesco Straparola that dates back to the 1550s. The title character has been used in subsequent works; he makes an appearance in Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Sleeping Beauty”, and more recently in the “Shrek” series of animated films.

22A Like the members of BTS : KOREAN

BTS is a boy band from South Korea with seven members. The initialism “BTS” stands for the phrase “Bangtan Sonyeondan”, which translates literally as “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”. It is the best-selling musical act in the history of South Korea.

27A __-Man : PAC

The Pac-Man arcade game was released first in Japan in 1980, and is as popular today as it ever was. The game features characters that are maneuvered around the screen to eat up dots and earn points, while being pursued by ghosts named Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. The name of the game comes from the onomatopoeic phrase “paku-paku,” which describes the sound of a mouth opening and closing (similar to “munch-munch”). The spin-off game called Ms. Pac-Man was released in 1981.

30A Bicycles and airplanes? : WRIGHT STUFF (from “right stuff”)

The Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur, used knowledge gained from manufacturing and repairing bicycles when designing the world’s first motor-driven airplane. The key to their success was the development of a mechanical system for controlled flight, building on the existing progress made by others in the fields of wing and engine design.

34A “Killers of the Flower Moon” people : OSAGE

“Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” is a 2017 book about the Osage murders written by journalist David Grann. The victims of the killing spree were wealthy Osage people who owned land beneath which were lucrative oil deposits. After an investigation by the newly formed FBI, cattle rancher and crime boss William King Hale was found guilty of masterminding the scheme. Martin Scorsese adapted the book into the hit 2023 film “Killers of the Flower Moon”.

38A Peru’s “City of Kings” : LIMA

Lima is the capital city of Peru. It was founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who named it “la Ciudad de los Reyes” (the City of Kings). He chose this name because the decision to found the city was made on January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany that commemorates the visit of the three kings to Jesus in Bethlehem. Lima is home to the oldest university in all of the Americas, as San Marcos University was founded in 1551 during the days of Spanish colonial rule.

44A Many a Chopin piece : ETUDE

Frédéric Chopin wrote three sets of études. His 1833 “Études Op. 10” were dedicated to fellow-composer and friend Franz Liszt. His 1837 “Études Op. 25” were dedicated to Marie d’Agoult, Franz Liszt’s mistress.

45A Broken-down washing machine? : DEAD WRINGER (from “dead ringer”)

Oh how I remember my mother passing the clothes through the wringer out in our backyard. When did I get so old …?

50A Word in some English place-names : SHIRE

The word “shire” comes from the Old English “scir” meaning “administrative district”. The term was replaced with “county” as far back as the 14th century, but the usage persists to this day. That is largely because some counties retain the use of “-shire” as a suffix (Yorkshire, Lancashire, etc.).

51A College World Series org. : NCAA

Back in 1947/48, the College World Series (CWS) was held in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and then in 1949 in Wichita, Kansas. Since 1950, the CWS has been held every year in Omaha, Nebraska.

53A Hummus ingredient : TAHINI

“Tahini” is the Arabic name for a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It is a major ingredient in hummus, one of my favorite dishes.

55A Tower of note : AAA

The American Automobile Association (AAA) dispatches a lot of tow trucks.

56A Ductwork sealer : TAPE

What we tend to call “duct” tape today was originally known as “duck” tape. In its first form, duck tape was rubber-based adhesive applied to a duck cloth backing, hence the name. Cotton duck cloth is a canvas-like material, a plain woven cotton fabric. The name “duck” comes from the Dutch “doek” meaning “linen canvas”. Duck tape started to be known as “duct tape” in the fifties, as it was commonly used to wrap air ducts in the construction industry.

60A __ Bravo : RIO

The Rio Grande (Spanish for “big river”) is a waterway that forms part of the border between Mexico and the United States. Although we call the river the Rio Grande on this side of the border, in Mexico it is called the Río Bravo or Río Bravo del Norte (Spanish for “furious river of the north”).

61A “Good job on that coup you pulled off”? : WELL WRESTED (from “well rested”)

A coup d’état (often just “coup”) is the sudden overthrow of a government, and comes from the French for “stroke of state”. The Swiss-German word “putsch” is sometimes used instead of “coup”, with “Putsch” translating literally as “sudden blow”. We also use the abbreviated “coup” to mean “sudden, brilliant and successful act”.

65A Some long-term investments, briefly : IRAS

Individual retirement account (IRA)

67A Hook’s partner : EYE

A hook-and-eye closure can be used to fasten garments, and consists of a small metal hook that fits into a metal eyelet. It first appeared in 14th-century England under the name “crochet and loop”. We have them in the skirt that goes under our Christmas tree. I hate them …

68A Fish sought by Marlin and Dory : 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.

Down

1D Terrarium critter : NEWT

A terrarium (plural “terraria”) is a contained environment used to house land animals. The term “terrarium“ comes from the equivalent “aquarium”, a tank for holding mainly fish. In general, a contained environment for keeping live animals or plants is known as a “vivarium”

4D Spanish apps : TAPAS

“Tapa” is the Spanish word for “lid”. There is no clear rationale for why this word came to be used for an appetizer. There are lots of explanations cited, all of which seem to involve the temporary covering of one’s glass of wine with a plate or item of food to either preserve the wine or give one extra space at the table.

6D Observe Ramadan, say : FAST

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is traditionally a period of fasting. The faithful who observe Ramadan refrain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn to dusk everyday, a lesson in patience, humility and spirituality.

7D “ManningCast” co-host : ELI

“Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli”, also known as “ManningCast”, is an alternate, live broadcast of Monday Night Football hosted by brothers Peyton and Eli Manning. It is produced by Peyton’s production company Omaha Productions. And airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The show premiered in 2021 and in its first season averaged 1.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched program on ESPN+.

10D Pompeii destroyer, for short : MT VESUVIUS

Mount Vesuvius is on the Bay of Naples, just over five miles from the city of Naples. The most famous of the volcano’s eruptions took place in AD 79, the one which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Today, Vesuvius is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, largely because it is at the center of the most densely populated volcanic region in the world, with 3 million people living nearby.

The ancient city of Pompeii is situated close to Naples in Italy. Pompeii was destroyed in AD 79 by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius. The city was completely lost from that time, and was only rediscovered in 1748. Excavations have uncovered the remarkably well-preserved buildings and roads, and Pompeii now attracts over 2 million visitors annually.

11D Skywalker twin : LEIA

The full name of the character played by Carrie Fisher in the “Star Wars” series of films is Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, and later Leia Organa Solo. Leia is the twin sister of Luke Skywalker, and the daughter of Anakin Skywalker (aka “Darth Vader”) and Padmé Amidala. Leia is raised by her adoptive parents Bail and Breha Organa. She eventually marries Han Solo.

27D Propelled, as a punt : POLED

A punt is a small boat with a flat bottom and a square-cut bow that is used in shallow water. Punts are propelled by a punter, who uses a pole to push against say a lakebed or the bank of a river. Punts differ from gondolas both structurally and in the method of propulsion, as a gondolier uses an oar.

32D Three-time Masters winner who was knighted in 2009 : FALDO

Nick Faldo is an English golfer, a winner of six major tournaments and a former World No. 1. For several years, Faldo was the lead golf analyst for CBS Sports before retiring in 2022. In 2009 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, so if you’re chatting with him, don’t forget to address him as Sir Nick …

33D Skedaddles : FLEES

“Skedaddle” is a slang term meaning “run away”, one that dates back to the Civil War.

35D Figure on some rupees : GANDHI

Mohandas Gandhi was a political and spiritual leader in India in the first part of the 20th century, as the country sought independence from Britain. He was also referred to as “Mahatma”, meaning “great soul”. His remarkable philosophy of nonviolence and living a modest lifestyle was a great inspiration to the Indian people. India (and Pakistan) was granted independence in 1947. Tragically, Gandhi was assassinated the very next year.

The rupee is a unit of currency used in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan. The term “rupee” comes from the Sanskrit word “rupya”, which once meant “stamped, impressed” and then “coin”.

39D Behind : DERRIERE

“Derrière” is a French term meaning “back part, rear”.

40D Sandusky’s lake : ERIE

Sandusky, Ohio is a city lying on the shores of Lake Erie, about halfway between Toledo and Cleveland. It is sometimes called the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World”, as it is home to the historic Cedar Point amusement park which opened its doors in 1870. That park features 18 roller coasters.

48D BlueMountain.com product : E-CARD

Blue Mountain Arts is an online greeting card service that was founded in 1996 by poet Susan Polis Schutz and her husband Stephen Schutz. The couple sold the website BlueMountain.com in 1999 for a staggering $780 million. I think that Mr. and Ms. Schutz lucked out, because the website was resold just two years later for a mere $35 million.

53D Dendrologist’s concern : TREE

Dendrology is the study of trees and other woody plants. The etymology of the term “dendrology” is rooted(!) in the Greek word “dendron” meaning “tree”.

57D Bodega fixtures : ATMS

“Bodega” is a Spanish term describing a winery or, these days, a grocery store.

62D On the __ : LAM

To be on the lam is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, scram”.