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CROSSWORD SETTER: Marti DuGuay-Carpenter
THEME: Stamp Collection … we have a COLLECTION of STAMPS starting today’s themed answers:
60A. Philatelist’s pride, and what the first words of 17-, 22-, 39- and 51-Across can be STAMP COLLECTION
17A. Inevitable future event DATE WITH DESTINY (giving “date stamp”)
22A. Slicing-dicing appliance FOOD PROCESSOR (giving “food stamp”)
39A. What an ant can’t move, in song RUBBER TREE PLANT (giving “rubber stamp”)
51A. 1983 Murphy/Aykroyd comedy TRADING PLACES (giving “trading stamp”)
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 10s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Letters in a bachelor’s ad SWM
Single white male (SWM)
4. Bette’s “Divine” nickname MISS M
One of my favorite singers, and indeed all-round entertainers, is Bette Midler. If you’ve ever seen her live show you’ll know that “camp” is a good word to describe it, as her humor is definitely “out there” and quite bawdy. Early in her career, Midler spent years singing in the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in New York City. There she became very close friends with her piano accompanist, Barry Manilow. While singing in the bathhouse, Bette only wore a white towel, just like the members of her audience. It was in those days that she created her famous character “the Divine Miss M” and also earned herself the nickname “Bathhouse Betty”.
21. Love, in Roma AMORE
In Italian, people fall in love (amore) in Rome (Roma).
According to tradition, Rome was founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remus. The pair had a heated argument about who should be allowed to name the city and Romulus hit Remus with a shovel, killing him. And so, “Rome” was born!
22. Slicing-dicing appliance FOOD PROCESSOR (giving “food stamp”)
The US government’s Food Stamp program is more correctly referred to as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The US Department of Agriculture administers the program, originally distributing coupons (or “stamps”) to people with low incomes to assist with the purchasing of food.
29. Audiophile’s components, collectively STEREO
Monophonic sound (“mono”) is sound reproduced using just one audio channel, which is usually played out of just one speaker. Stereophonic sound is reproduced using two audio channels, with the sound from each channel played out of two different speakers. The pair of stereo speakers are usually positioned apart from each other so that sound appears to come from between the two. Quadraphonic sound (4.0 surround sound) uses four audio channels with the sound played back through four speakers often positioned at the corners of the room in which one is listening.
38. Idi of Uganda AMIN
Idi Amin received most of his military training in the British armed forces, eventually achieving the highest rank possible for a Black African in the British Colonial Army in 1959, that of Warrant Officer. On his return to Uganda Amin joined his country’s military and quickly rose to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Army. During that time he was quite the athlete. He was a noted rugby player and swimmer, and for nine years held the Ugandan national light-heavyweight boxing title. By the early seventies, Amin was commander of all the armed forces of Uganda and in 1971 seized power in a military coup, displacing the country’s president Milton Obote. There followed seven years of brutal rule by Amin during which it is estimated that between 100,000 and 500,000 people were murdered. Amin was ousted from power in 1979 after a war with Tanzania, and fled to Libya where he stayed for a year. He then moved to Saudi Arabia, where he was financially supported by the Saudi Royal Family for the remainder of his life. Amin died in 2003.
39. What an ant can’t move, in song RUBBER TREE PLANT (giving “rubber stamp”)
Just what makes that little old ant
Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can’t
Move a rubber tree plantBut he’s got high hopes
He’s got high hopes
He’s got high apple pie
In the sky hopes
Sammy Cahn wrote the lyrics for “High Hopes” for the 1959 film “A Hole in the Head”, and the song won an Oscar that year. Frank Sinatra was the star of the movie, and he recorded the most famous version of the song.
43. Ottoman title AGHA
“Aga” (also “agha”) is a title that was used by both civil and military officials in the Ottoman Empire.
44. Two under par EAGLE
The following terms are routinely used in golf for scores relative to par:
– Bogey: one over par
– Par
– Birdie: one under par
– Eagle: two under par
– Albatross (also “double eagle”): three under par
– Condor: four under par
No one has ever recorded a condor during a professional tournament.
46. Like glee club music CHORAL
A glee club is a choir group, usually of males, that sings short songs known as “glees”. A glee is a song scored for three or more voices that is performed unaccompanied.
51. 1983 Murphy/Aykroyd comedy TRADING PLACES (giving “trading stamp”)
“Trading Places” is a fun comedy film released in 1983, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. The film is all about a high-flying commodities broker (Aykroyd) “trading places” with a street hustler (Murphy). There’s also a great supporting cast that includes Don Ameche and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Trading stamps aren’t used very much anymore, having been replaced by loyalty cards. Merchants used to give trading stamps to customers based on the value of purchases. The stamps could be traded for “gifts”, such as housewares and appliances.
58. Killer whale ORCA
The taxonomic name for the killer whale is Orcinus orca. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.
60. Philatelist’s pride, and what the first words of 17-, 22-, 39- and 51-Across can be STAMP COLLECTION
“Philately” is the more formal name given to the practice of collecting postage stamps. The term “philately” was coined (in French, as “philatélie) in 1864 by French collector Georges Herpin. He came up with it from the Greek “phil-” meaning “loving” and “ateleia” meaning “exemption from tax”. Apparently “exemption from tax” was the closest thing Herpin could find to “postage stamp”.
66. Divining deck TAROT
Tarot cards have been around since the mid-1400s, and for centuries were simply used for entertainment as a game. It has only been since the late 1800s that the cards have been used by fortune tellers to predict the future.
67. Attorney general under Reagan MEESE
Ed Meese was born in Oakland, California just down the road here and spent 24 years in the office of the Treasurer of Alameda County, the county in which I live. After military service, Meese earned himself a law degree at UC Berkeley. Later, as Chief of Staff for Governor Ronald Reagan, he was instrumental in a famous decision to crack down on student protesters at Berkeley which resulted in one protester dying and a two-week occupation of the city by the California National Guard.
69. Agricultural coupling devices YOKES
A yoke is that wooden beam used between a pair of oxen so that they are forced to work together. “Yoke” is used figuratively as a symbol of servitude.
Down
1. Baking __ SODA
“Bicarb” is a familiar term for sodium bicarbonate. Another name for the same compound is “baking soda”. When sodium carbonate is added to a batter, it reacts with acids and releases carbon dioxide which gives baked goods texture, all those “holes”.
3. “Eureka” in California, e.g. MOTTO
“Eureka” is the Greek for “I have found it”, and is the motto of the state of California. The motto was chosen as a nod to the discovery of gold in the state.
4. Work on a lawn MOW
Not for me anymore. I just took out the lawn at the front of the house and now have drought-tolerant landscaping. We’ve got a real problem out here …
6. Shankar gave George Harrison lessons on one SITAR
The sitar has been around since the Middle Ages. The sitar is a stringed instrument that is played by plucking, and is used most often in Hindustani classical music. In the West we have been exposed to the instrument largely through the performances of Ravi Shankar and some music by George Harrison of the Beatles, a onetime student of Shankar.
7. Jerk SCHMO
“Schmo” (also “shmo”) is American slang for a dull or boring person, from the Yiddish word “shmok”.
8. French red wine MEDOC
Médoc is an appellation for wine in the Bordeaux region of France. The area produces red wines almost exclusively, and no white wine can be labelled as “Médoc”.
11. Happy, in Le Havre GAI
Le Havre is a city on the mouth of the river Seine on the northwest coast of France. The city’s name translates as “the haven”.
13. Susan of “The Partridge Family” DEY
The actress Susan Dey first appeared on “The Partridge Family” when she was 17-years-old and had no acting experience. Years later, Dey won a Golden Globe for playing the leading role of Grace Van Owen in “L. A. Law”.
18. Those, in Tijuana ESOS
Tijuana is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California, and lies just across the US-Mexico border from San Diego. Tijuana is also the most westerly of all Mexican cities. A lot of Tijuana’s growth took place in the twenties as tourists flocked south of the border during the days of prohibition in the US. One of the many casinos and hotels that flourished at that time was Hotel Caesar’s in the Avenida Revolución area. Hotel Caesar’s claims to be the birthplace of the now ubiquitous Caesar Salad.
19. “__ Tu”: 1974 hit ERES
We have a big event across Europe every year called the Eurovision Song Contest. Each nation enters one song in competition with each other, and then voters across the whole continent decide on the winner. That’s how ABBA got their big break when they won in 1974 with “Waterloo”. In 1973, Spain’s entry was “Eres tú” (the Spanish for “You Are”) sung by the band Mocedades. “Eres tú” came second in the competition, but should have won in my humble opinion.
24. Bartlett or Bosc PEAR
The Bartlett is the most commonly grown pear outside of Asia, a cultivar of the European pear. Back in the UK, where the Bartlett originated, it is called a Williams Pear, or more completely a Williams’ Bon Chretien (Williams’ good Christian). Several Williams trees were imported to the US in 1799 and planted in Massachusetts. The land on which the trees were planted was eventually bought by one Enoch Bartlett, and he started to distribute the pears and basically introduced the variety to the US. He didn’t know that the pears were called Williams, so he named them after himself!
Bosc is a cultivar of the European Pear grown in the northwest of the United States. The Bosc is that pear with a skin the color of a potato, with a long neck. I always seem to use the potato as my point of reference. How Irish am I …?
25. Notary’s imprint SEAL
A notary public is a public officer licensed to perform specific legal actions in non-contentious legal matters. The main duties are to administer oaths, take affidavits and witness the execution of documents.
26. TV financial maven Suze ORMAN
Suze Orman is a financial advisor who has gotten her message out on television, in books and on the speaking circuit. She often appears on PBS, and indeed is the most successful fundraiser public television has ever had.
I’ve always loved the word “maven”, another word for an expert. Maven comes into English from the Yiddish “meyvn” meaning someone who appreciates and is a connoisseur.
31. Bric-a-__ BRAC
Bric-a-brac is a French phrase (actually “bric-à-brac”) that was used as far back as the 16th century. Back then it was a nonsense term meaning “at random” or “any old way”. Since Victorian times we have used the phrase in English to mean a collection of curios, statues and the like. In modern usage, bric-a-brac tends to be a selection of cheaper items.
35. All-purpose vehicle, for short UTE
A utility vehicle is often called a “ute” for short. Nowadays one mainly hears about sports utes and crossover utes.
36. Push-up top BRA
The word “brassière” is French in origin, but it isn’t the word the French use for a “bra”. In France what we call a bra is known as a “soutien-gorge”, translating to “held under the neck”. The word “brassière” is indeed used in France but there it describes a baby’s undershirt, a lifebelt or a harness. “Brassière” comes from the Old French word for an “arm protector” in a military uniform (“bras” is the French for “arm”). Later “brassière” came to mean “breastplate” and from there the word was used for a type of woman’s corset. The word jumped into English around 1900.
37. Part of a line: Abbr. SEG
Segment (seg.)
40. Silents siren Theda BARA
Theda Bara was a silent film star from Cincinnati, Ohio. Many cite Bara as the first movie sex symbol. She wore very revealing costumes in many of her films and she often played the femme fatale character. As such, Bara’s nickname was “the Vamp”.
41. Israeli airline EL AL
El Al Israel Airlines is the flag carrier of Israel. The term “el al” translates from Hebrew as “to the skies”.
42. Clinton transportation secretary Federico PENA
Federico Peña served as the Secretary of Transportation and as the Secretary of Energy in the Clinton administration.
48. “The Mod Squad” role LINC
The 1999 movie “The Mod Squad” was an adaptation of the seventies television show of the same name. The part of Lincoln “Linc” Hayes was played by Omar Epps, Claire Danes played Julie Barnes and Giovanni Ribisi played Peter Cochran.
50. Loch Lomond local SCOT
Loch Lomond is one of the two most famous lakes in Scotland. Loch Ness is famous for its “monster”, and Loch Lomond is famous for the lovely song “The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond”. Oh, ye’ll tak’ the high road, and I’ll tak’ the low road …
52. Mother of Ashley and Wynonna NAOMI
The Judds were a country music singing duo made up of Naomi Judd and her daughter Wynonna. Naomi Judd is also the mother of actress Ashley Judd, with Ashley and Wynonna being half-sisters.
The lovely actress Ashley Judd if the daughter of country music singer Naomi Judd, and is half-sister to singer Wynonna Judd. I remember seeing Judd in a couple of episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” from 1991. Those appearances marked her television debut. Her feature film debut came the following year in a movie called “Kuffs”.
53. Treble symbol G CLEF
Clef is the French word for “key”. In music, a clef is used to indicate the pitch of the notes written on the stave. Usually, a G clef is used for high parts, a C clef for middle parts and an F clef for low parts.
54. Martinique volcano PELEE
Mount Pelee on the Caribbean island of Martinique is still active and is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet. When it erupted in 1902, it killed over 30,000 people. Most of those fatalities occurred when a cloud of hot gases settled over the town of St. Pierre, instantly igniting everything that was flammable.
The island of Martinique in the eastern Caribbean is actually a part of France, and is referred to as an “overseas department”. As such, Martinique is part of the European Union and even uses the euro as its currency. The island is fully represented in the French National Assembly and Senate, just like any department within France. It’s sort of like the status of Hawaii within the US.
55. “All My Children” vamp ERICA
Susan Lucci is perhaps the most famous actor associated with daytime soap operas, and was the highest paid actor in daytime television. Lucci was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series an incredible 21 times, for her portrayal of Erica Kane in “All My Children”.
A “vamp” (short for vampire) is a seductive woman. The term was first used in reference to the sultry performance of actress Theda Bara in the 1915 film “A Fool There Was”. The movie’s title is a quotation from Rudyard Kipling’s 1897 poem “The Vampire”. Bara’s role was positioned as a “vampire”, a woman out to seduce a man, launching the use of “vamp” as an alternative term for a “femme fatale”.
56. Baskin-Robbins utensil SCOOP
The Baskin-Robbins chain of ice cream parlors is the largest in the word. The chain was founded by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California in 1945. The company started using the slogan “31 flavors” in 1953, suggesting that a customer could order a different flavor of ice cream on every day of every month.
59. Green Gables girl ANNE
“Anne of Green Gables” is a 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Montgomery wrote several sequels to “Anne”, with them all being set on Prince Edward Island (PEI), from where the author hailed.
61. Eastern “way” TAO
The Chinese character “tao” translates as “path”, but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.
62. Old couples carrier ARK
The term “ark”, when used with reference to Noah, is a translation of the Hebrew word “tebah”. The word “tebah” is also used in the Bible for the basket in which Moses was placed by his mother when she floated him down the Nile. It seems that the word “tebah” doesn’t mean “boat” and nor does it mean “basket”. Rather, a more appropriate translation is “life-preserver” or “life-saver”. So, Noah’s ark was Noah’s life-preserver during the flood.
63. Stooge with bangs MOE
If you’ve seen a few of the films starring “The Three Stooges” you’ll have noticed that the line up changed over the years. The original trio was made up of Moe and Shemp Howard (two brothers) and Larry Fine (a good friend of the Howards). This line up was usually known as “Moe, Larry and Shemp”. Then Curly Howard replaced his brother when Shemp quit the act, creating the most famous trio, “Moe, Larry And Curly”. Shemp returned when Curly had a debilitating stroke in 1946, and Shemp stayed with the troupe until he died in 1955. Shemp was replaced by Joe Besser, and then “Curly-Joe” DeRita. When Larry Fine had a stroke in 1970, it effectively marked the end of the act.
64. Night class subj. ESL
English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
65. Animation collectible CEL
In the world of animation, a cel is a transparent sheet on which objects and characters are drawn. In the first half of the 20th century the sheet was actually made of celluloid, giving the “cel” its name.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Letters in a bachelor’s ad SWM
4. Bette’s “Divine” nickname MISS M
9. Carried on, as war WAGED
14. “Caught you!” OHO!
15. Chilling ON ICE
16. Words of sympathy I CARE
17. Inevitable future event DATE WITH DESTINY (giving “date stamp”)
20. Partner of crafts ARTS
21. Love, in Roma AMORE
22. Slicing-dicing appliance FOOD PROCESSOR (giving “food stamp”)
28. Drag to court SUE
29. Audiophile’s components, collectively STEREO
31. Glitzy wrap BOA
34. Applies messily DAUBS
38. Idi of Uganda AMIN
39. What an ant can’t move, in song RUBBER TREE PLANT (giving “rubber stamp”)
43. Ottoman title AGHA
44. Two under par EAGLE
45. Prefix with classical NEO-
46. Like glee club music CHORAL
49. Ques. response ANS
51. 1983 Murphy/Aykroyd comedy TRADING PLACES (giving “trading stamp”)
57. Has __ up one’s sleeve AN ACE
58. Killer whale ORCA
60. Philatelist’s pride, and what the first words of 17-, 22-, 39- and 51-Across can be STAMP COLLECTION
66. Divining deck TAROT
67. Attorney general under Reagan MEESE
68. Debate side CON
69. Agricultural coupling devices YOKES
70. Possible “How’d you hurt your knee?” response I FELL
71. Mimic APE
Down
1. Baking __ SODA
2. Fishing spot WHARF
3. “Eureka” in California, e.g. MOTTO
4. Work on a lawn MOW
5. Pasta suffix -INI
6. Shankar gave George Harrison lessons on one SITAR
7. Jerk SCHMO
8. French red wine MEDOC
9. Most knowing WISEST
10. Play part, or play a part ACT
11. Happy, in Le Havre GAI
12. Directional suffix -ERN
13. Susan of “The Partridge Family” DEY
18. Those, in Tijuana ESOS
19. “__ Tu”: 1974 hit ERES
23. “Bro!” DUDE!
24. Bartlett or Bosc PEAR
25. Notary’s imprint SEAL
26. TV financial maven Suze ORMAN
27. French queen REINE
30. Not duped by ONTO
31. Bric-a-__ BRAC
32. Should, with “to” OUGHT
33. Detest ABHOR
35. All-purpose vehicle, for short UTE
36. Push-up top BRA
37. Part of a line: Abbr. SEG
40. Silents siren Theda BARA
41. Israeli airline EL AL
42. Clinton transportation secretary Federico PENA
47. Makes fit ADAPTS
48. “The Mod Squad” role LINC
50. Loch Lomond local SCOT
52. Mother of Ashley and Wynonna NAOMI
53. Treble symbol G CLEF
54. Martinique volcano PELEE
55. “All My Children” vamp ERICA
56. Baskin-Robbins utensil SCOOP
59. Green Gables girl ANNE
60. Muddy pen STY
61. Eastern “way” TAO
62. Old couples carrier ARK
63. Stooge with bangs MOE
64. Night class subj. ESL
65. Animation collectible CEL