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Constructed by: Pam Amick Klawitter

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Top Hats

Themed answers are all in the down-direction, and each starts with a HAT at the TOP:

• 25D Places where magicians’ rabbits may hide, or what can be found in 3-, 9-, 21-, and 31-Down : TOP HATS

• 3D Omnivorous shark with a distinctive face : BONNETHEAD (giving “bonnet”)
• 9D Horses awarded garlands of roses, perhaps : DERBY WINNERS (giving “derby”)
• 21D Course that may be taught by the Coast Guard : BOATER SAFETY (giving “boater”)
• 31D Collectible stuffed toy of the 1990s : BEANIE BABY (giving “beanie”)

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

1A Kit prepped by many soon-to-be parents : GO BAG

A bug-out bag (also “go bag”) is a portable collection of items that one would grab when evacuating from a disaster. One well-accepted guideline is that a bug-out bag contains all that would be needed to survive for 72 hours. A related kit is a get-home bag that might be kept in one’s car or place of work. A get-home bag contains the items needed to get back home in the absence of public transportation. My wife and I put together bug-out bags a few years ago, after moving into an area that is at high risk for wildfires …

13A “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” spinoff : RHODA

The seventies sitcom “Rhoda” was a spinoff of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” that starred Valerie Harper. The eighth episode of the show was an hour-long special in which Rhoda married her fiancé Joe (played by David Groh). At the time of airing it was the second-most watched television episode in history, second only to the 1953 birth of Little Ricky on “I Love Lucy”.

14A Arboretum growth : TREE

An arboretum is a living collection of trees of varying species.

15A Massaman curry cuisine : THAI

Massaman curry is a rich and mildly spicy Thai curry. The main ingredients in the dish are coconut milk, potatoes, carrots, peanuts, and massaman curry paste. The curry paste is made with a variety of spices, including cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves. Yum …

20A Grampa Simpson : ABE

In the animated TV show called “The Simpsons”, Grampa Abe Simpson is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, the same actor who provides the voice for Homer.

23A Petrol pump brand : ESSO

The gas pump was actually around before there were cars on the road. The first gas pump was the invention of one Sylvanus Bowser from Fort Wayne, Indiana. His first pump was designed to pump kerosene for lamps and stoves, and was introduced in 1885. As automobiles became popular, he modified the design to pump gasoline. He introduced the Self-Measuring Gasoline Storage Pump in 1905. He marketed his devices all around the world, and in some parts the name “bowser” is still used sometimes to refer to fuel pumps, and indeed some fuel tankers.

26A Writer/actor Rogen : SETH

Seth Rogen is a Canadian comedian who got a lot of credit for his supporting role in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”. That led to him being cast as the lead in the 2007 film “Knocked Up”. Rogen also co-directed and co-starred in “The Interview”, a movie that created a huge ruckus in the North Korean regime.

28A “Yo te __” : AMO

In Spanish, one might say “yo te amo” (I love you) before giving “un beso” (a kiss).

30A Sing with a trill : WARBLE

In music a “trill” is the rapid alternation of two tones that are very close to each other to make a musical ornament.

34A Texter’s qualifier : IMHO

In my humble opinion (IMHO)

38A Pheasant family members with showy mates : PEAHENS

The female peafowl, the peahen, has very dull plumage compared to the extravagant display on the tail of the peacock.

43A Writer Rand : AYN

Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist born “Alisa Rosenbaum”. Her two best known works are her novels “The Fountainhead” published in 1943 and “Atlas Shrugged” from 1957. Back in 1951, Rand moved from Los Angeles to New York City. Soon after, she gathered a group of admirers around her with whom she discussed philosophy and shared drafts of her magnum opus, “Atlas Shrugged”. This group called itself “The Collective”, and one of the founding members was none other than future Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan. While both she and her novel “Atlas Shrugged” have become inspirations for American conservatives and the Tea Party in particular, Rand rejected the “right-wing” and “conservative” labels, describing herself instead as a “radical for capitalism”.

44A Tech review site : CNET

CNET is a technology website, with the acronym “CNET” standing for “computer network”. It started out in 1994 as a television network specializing in technology news. The host of “American Idol”, Ryan Seacrest, started off his career as host of a CNET show.

45A Some van rentals : RYDERS

The Ryder company was founded in 1933 in Miami, Florida by James Ryder. It started out as a concrete hauling company, but changed its focus a few years later to the leasing of trucks.

46A Caddie’s stand : TEE

“Caddie” is a Scottish word, as one might expect given the history of the game of golf. It is a local word derived from the French “cadet” that describes a younger son or brother, or a student officer in the military. The variant spelling “caddy” is quite common.

54A Forensics letters : CSI

Something described as forensic is connected with a court of law, or with public discussion or debate. The term comes from the Latin “forensis” meaning “of a forum, of a place of assembly”. We mainly use the word today to mean “pertaining to legal trials” as in “forensic medicine” and “forensic science”.

58A Idaho city named for a Shoshone chief : POCATELLO

Pocatello is a city in the southeast of Idaho. It is home to Idaho State University (ISU). The city was founded as a railroad stop in the days of the gold rush. Pocatello was named for the chief of the Shoshone tribe who granted the right of way for the railroad to pass through the nearby Fort Hall Indian Reservation.

62A Make, as a salary : EARN

It has been suggested that our term “salary” comes from the Latin “sal” meaning “salt”. The idea is that a Roman soldier’s “salarium” might have been an allowance to purchase salt.

65A “Minions: The Rise of __” : GRU

“Minions: The Rise of Gru” is a 2022 sequel to the 2015 film “Minions”, and a film in the “Despicable Me” franchise. Steve Carell reprises his role, providing the voice for the title character Felonius Gru.

66A Class with asanas : YOGA

In the West, we tend to think of yoga as just a physical discipline, a means of exercise that uses specific poses to stretch and strengthen muscles. While it is true that the ancient Indian practice of yoga does involve such physical discipline, the corporeal aspect of the practice plays a relatively small part in the whole philosophy. Other major components are meditation, ethical behavior, breathing and contemplation.

Down

1D Word before scale or whale : GRAY

Grayscale images are the digital equivalent of black-and-white images in the analog world. In a grayscale image, each pixel only has intensity information, and no information about hue. The related binary image is made from pixels that are simply black or white, with no pixels having shades of gray.

The gray whale holds the record for the longest migration of any mammal. It swims 14,000 miles round-trip each year, between the Arctic’s feeding grounds and the warm breeding lagoons of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.

3D Omnivorous shark with a distinctive face : BONNETHEAD (giving “bonnet”)

The bonnethead (also “shovelhead”) is the smallest species in the hammerhead genus of sharks. The name(s) come from the shape of its skull, which does indeed resemble a shovel (or a shovel-shaped bonnet!). They are usually just under 3 feet in length when fully grown, but some have been measured at just under 5 feet. The bonnethead has the distinction of being the first shark found to be omnivorous. While preying on crustaceans, more than half of its diet is seagrass.

4D Soccer star Freddy who played for D.C. United : ADU

Freddy Adu is an American soccer player who grew up in Ghana. He signed for D.C. United in 2004 when only 14 years old. That made him the youngest athlete ever to sign a professional contract in the US.

7D “You __ My Sunshine” : ARE

“You Are My Sunshine” is a song that was written back in 1933. It was first recorded in 1939, by the Pine Ridge Boys.

9D Horses awarded garlands of roses, perhaps : DERBY WINNERS (giving “derby”)

The first Kentucky Derby took place in 1875, and was a race modeled on the Epsom Derby in England. As such, the Kentucky Derby was run over 1½ miles, although in 1896 this was shortened to 1¼ miles. The winning horse is presented with a very elaborate blanket made of red roses, and so the Derby is nicknamed “Run for the Roses”. The race is held on the first Saturday in May each year, and is limited to 3-year-old horses.

I think that a bowler hat is usually called a derby here in the US. The bowler was first produced in 1849 in London by hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler, hence the name. The alternative name of “derby” comes from the tradition of wearing bowler hats at the Derby horse race (a major race held annually in England).

10D Elisabeth of “Cobra Kai” : SHUE

Elisabeth Shue has always been a favorite actress of mine. She has been in several popular films including “The Karate Kid”, “Cocktail”, two of the “Back to the Future” movies, “Leaving Las Vegas”, and my personal favorite “Adventures in Babysitting”. More recently, Shue had a recurring role on the TV crime drama “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”.

“Cobra Kai” is a TV show that premiered in 2018 as a sequel to “The Karate Kid” series of films, the first of which was released in 1984. Actor Ralph Macchio reprises his role from the movies, playing protagonist Daniel LaRusso. William Zabka also reprises his role from the big screen, playing Johnny Lawrence, LaRusso’s rival in karate competitions. The title of the show “Cobra Kai” is the name of the karate dojo in which Johnny Lawrence trained as a youth, and which he decides to reopen 34 years later.

15D Products often applied before moisturizers : TONERS

A skin toner is a cosmetic used to cleanse the skin and to shrink pores.

18D “Friends, __, countrymen … ” : ROMANS

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears …” is the start of a famous speech by Mark Antony from William Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar”.

21D Course that may be taught by the Coast Guard : BOATER SAFETY (giving “boater”)

The US Coast Guard (USCG) has the distinction of being the country’s oldest continuous seagoing service. The USCG was founded as the Revenue Cutter Service by Alexander Hamilton in 1790.

A boater is a straw hat often associated with boating, hence the name.

24D “The Chi” airer, briefly : SHO

“The Chi” is a TV drama set on the South Side of Chicago. It was created by screenwriter Lena Waithe, who grew up in the area depicted in the show.

25D Places where magicians’ rabbits may hide, or what can be found in 3-, 9-, 21-, and 31-Down : TOP HATS

A top hat is also known as a stovepipe hat.

27D Abrasive board : EMERY

Emery is a very hard type of rock that is crushed for use as an abrasive. Emery paper is made by gluing small particles of emery to paper. Emery boards are just emery paper with a cardboard backing. And emery boards are primarily used for filing nails.

29D The Dolphins, on scoreboards : MIA

The Miami Dolphins football team was founded in 1966 by politician Joe Robbie and comedian Danny Thomas.

31D Collectible stuffed toy of the 1990s : BEANIE BABY (giving “beanie”)

There were originally just nine Beanie Babies when Ty Warner introduced the stuffed animal in 1993. In the late nineties the toy became a real fad, largely due to innovative marketing techniques. For example, there was no mass marketing with constant TV ads, and the production volume was limited pushing the line into the realm of collectibles. Beanie Baby models were also “retired” on a regular basis, fueling a “must have” behavior in the market.

A beanie is a knitted, close-fitting hat with no brim. The name probably comes from the slang term “bean” meaning “head”.

42D One with a plant- and fish-based diet : SEAGAN

A seagan is someone who eats a plant-based diet, but includes fish. A pescatarian is someone who eats a vegetarian diet (plant-based plus eggs and dairy), and also includes fish.

49D First pope called “The Great” : ST LEO

The first pope named Leo is now known as Pope Saint Leo the Great. Leo I is famous for meeting with the feared Attila the Hun and persuading him to turn back his invading force that was threatening to overrun Western Europe.

51D Hinds of “9-1-1” : AISHA

Actress Aisha Hinds is perhaps best known for playing firefighter and medic Henrietta “Hen” Wilson on the TV show “9-1-1”. She also portrayed Harriet Tubman on the period drama TV show “Underground”.

“9-1-1” is a TV series that features the lives of first responders in Los Angeles. The star of the show is Angela Bassett, who plays patrol sergeant Athena Grant.

56D Purple spring flower : IRIS

Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term “iris” is a Greek word meaning “rainbow”. Many species of irises are called “flags”. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English “flagge” meaning “reed”. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.

58D Cribbage piece : PEG

Cribbage is one of my favorite card games. It always had a certain mystique to me as I was growing up as I’d see folks playing it in local pubs, sitting with cards and the fascinating cribbage board with its pegs as score markers. Apparently, cribbage was invented in the early 1600s by an English poet called John Suckling, who based it on a long-gone game called Noddy. Cribbage is often referred to simply as “crib”, and the name “cribbage” probably comes from this term. The “crib” is a set of cards that features in the game.

59D Streaming hitch : LAG

In Internet terms, lag is a delay in response caused by network latency. We might notice lag when streaming a video, for example.