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Jump to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
CROSSWORD SETTER: Daniel Nierenberg
THEME: What a Spread! … the circled letters in each of today’s themed answers spell out a type of edible SPREAD:
61A. Enthusiastic smorgasbord words … and hint to this puzzle’s circled letters WHAT A SPREAD!
17A. Betrayal DOUBLE CROSS (hiding “OLEO”)
23A. Mailroom device POSTAGE METER (hiding “PATE”)
37A. Sandstone, for one SEDIMENTARY ROCK (hiding “MAYO”)
49A. Old West reward seeker BOUNTY HUNTER (hiding “BUTTER”)
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 5m 40s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6. Triangular pelvic bones SACRA
The sacrum and the two ilia are three bones in the human pelvis.
11. Soldier under Stonewall Jackson REB
Manassas, Virginia was the site of two major battles during the Civil War, the First and Second Battles of Bull Run (also known as the Battles of Manassas). In the first battle, one of the southern brigades was led by Brigadier General Thomas Jackson. His brigade was well-trained and disciplined, so much so that as the Union troops made advances, a fellow-general encouraged his retreating men to hold their positions yelling “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer”. There are reports that the actual quote was less complimentary, but regardless, from that day on Jackson was known as “Stonewall”.
14. YouTube upload VIDEO
YouTube is a video-sharing website, launched in 2005 by three ex-PayPal employees. Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion. Yep, $1.65 billion, less than two years after it was founded …
17. Betrayal DOUBLE CROSS (hiding “OLEO”)
Emperor Louis Napoleon III of France announced a competition to develop a substitute for butter, a substitute that would be more accessible to the lower classes and more practical for the armed forces. In 1869, a French chemist called Hippolyte Mege-Mouries came up with something that he called oleomargarine, which was eventually manufactured under the trade name “margarine”. The name “oleomargarine” also gives us our generic term “oleo”.
19. Spiky plant part that sticks to your clothes BUR
“Bur” is a variant spelling of the word “burr”, a seed vessel that has hooks or prickles on the outside.
23. Mailroom device POSTAGE METER (hiding “PATE”)
Pâté is a rich spreadable paste made up of a mixture of ground meat and fat, to which various vegetables, herbs and spices may be added. The most famous version of the paste is pâté de foie gras, made from the fattened livers of geese (“foie gras” means “fat liver” in French).
28. Beaver’s structure DAM
Beavers build dams so that they can live in and around the slower and deeper water that builds up above the dam. This deeper water provides more protection for the beavers from predators such as bears. Beavers are nocturnal animals and do all their construction work at night.
29. Old Opry network TNN
The Nashville Network (TNN) was a country music cable channel that operated from 1983 to 2003. When TNN closed down it was relaunched with a completely different format as Spike, marketed as “the first television channel for men”.
“The Grand Ole Opry” started out as a radio show in 1925 originally called the WSM “Barn Dance”. In 1927, the “Barn Dance” radio show was broadcast in a slot after an NBC production called “Musical Appreciation Hour”, a collection of classical works including Grand Opera. In a December show, the host of “Barn Dance” announced, “For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the ‘Grand Ole Opry'”. That name was used for the radio show from then on.
30. Minimum-range tide NEAP
Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.
33. Uses lidocaine on NUMBS
Lidocaine is a very common local anaesthetic used by dentists and doctors.
37. Sandstone, for one SEDIMENTARY ROCK (hiding “MAYO”)
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock. When sandstone is subject to heat and pressure it can turn into the metamorphic rock, quartzite.
Mayonnaise originated in the town of Mahon in Menorca, a Mediterranean island belonging to Spain. The Spanish called the sauce “salsa mahonesa” after the town, and this morphed into the French word “mayonnaise” that we use in English today.
41. Damaged layer OZONE
Ozone gets its name from the Greek word ozein, meaning “to smell”. It was given this name as ozone’s formation during lightning storms was detected by the gas’s distinctive smell. Famously, there is a relatively high concentration of the gas in the “ozone layer” in the Earth’s stratosphere. This ozone layer provides a vital function for animal life on the planet as it absorbs most of the sun’s UV radiation. A molecule of ozone is made up of three oxygen atoms, whereas a “normal” oxygen has just two atoms.
42. Dreamcast game console developer SEGA
Sega is a Japanese video game company headquartered in Tokyo. Sega actually started out 1940 in the US as Standard Games and was located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The owners moved the operation to Tokyo in 1951 and renamed the company to Service Games. The name “Sega” is a combination of the first two letters of the words “Se-rvice” and “Ga-mes”.
43. Questionnaire choice, in Bordeaux OUI
“Oui” is “yes” in French, and “non” is “no”.
Bordeaux is perhaps the wine-production capital of the world. Wine has been produced in the area since the eighth century. Bordeaux has an administrative history too. During WWII, the French government relocated from Paris to the port city of Bordeaux when it became clear that Paris was soon to fall to the Germans. After the German’s took France, the capital was famously moved to Vichy.
44. Swiss landscape feature ALP
There are eight Alpine countries:
– Austria
– Slovenia
– France
– Switzerland
– Liechtenstein
– Germany
– Monaco
– Italy
49. Old West reward seeker BOUNTY HUNTER (hiding “BUTTER”)
Our word “butter” ultimately derives from the Greek “boutyron”, which describes the same foodstuff. It’s possible that the Greek word translates literally as “cow cheese” from “bous” meaning “ox, cow” and “tyros” meaning “cheese”.
54. Frosty coating RIME
Rime is that beautiful coating of ice that forms on surfaces like roofs, trees and grass, when cold water freezes instantly under the right conditions.
55. Back-row bowling pin TEN
In ten pin bowling, a split takes place when the number-one pin (headpin) is a knocked down with the first ball and two or more non-adjacent pins are left standing. The most difficult split to deal with is the infamous 7-10 split, where just the rear pins at the extreme right and left remain standing.
56. Nome home ALASKA
Nome, Alaska has over 3,500 residents, the majority of whom are Native American. The next largest ethnic group in Nome is the white population. The origin of the name “Nome” isn’t well understood, it seems. One theory is that was a misunderstanding of the local Inupiaq word for the phrase “Where at?”
60. Mass vestment ALB
The alb is the white, neck-to-toe vestment worn by priests, usually with a rope cord around the waist. The term alb comes from “albus”, the Latin word for “white”.
61. Enthusiastic smorgasbord words … and hint to this puzzle’s circled letters WHAT A SPREAD!
A smorgasbord is a buffet-style meal that originated in Sweden. “Smörgåsbord” is a Swedish word comprised of “smörgås” meaning “open-faced sandwich” and “bord” meaning “table”.
65. Canada’s official tree MAPLE
The maple leaf was adopted as a Canadian symbol back in the early 1700s, and today is found on the national flag and on the Arms of Canada. The maple was adopted as Canada’s national tree much more recently, in 1996.
Down
1. Brand of skivvies BVDS
The men’s underwear known as BVDs are made by the Bradley, Voorhees & Day company, hence the initialism. The company was started in 1876 to make bustles for women, and is named for its founders.
The word “skivvies” is used to describe underwear, usually a cotton t-shirt and shorts. Such usage of “skivvies” originated in the thirties as naval slang. “Skivvy” has also been used as a derogatory term since the early 1900s for a female domestic servant.
3. Both players in unison, musically A DUE
“A due” is a musical term meaning “together”, and literally translates from Italian as “by two”.
4. Program running in a browser, informally WEB APP
A web application (or “web app”) is any program that runs in a web browser. Examples would be the web apps created for Google Maps and YouTube, which allow publishers to embed maps and videos into their websites for us readers to use.
5. Lounge about, in British dialect LOLLOP
“To lollop” is lounge around, and is a term mainly used on the other side of the Atlantic, I think. The verb is simply an extension of “loll”.
7. Sun-brightened lobbies ATRIA
In modern architecture, an atrium (plural “atria” or “atriums”) is a large open space usually in the center of a building and extending upwards to the roof. The original atrium was an open court in the center of an Ancient Roman house. One could access most of the enclosed rooms of the house from the atrium.
8. Cheech’s buddy CHONG
The comedy duo Cheech & Chong are made up of Richard “Cheech” Marin and Tommy Chong. Cheech and Chong worked together from 1971 to 1985, and have been back working together again since 2002. A lot of the duo’s comedy was based on their being stoned on cannabis.
11. Capital of Morocco RABAT
Rabat is the capital city of the Kingdom of Morocco. After WWII, the United States maintained a major Air Force Base in Rabat, part of Strategic Air Command (SAC). Responding to pressure from the Moroccan government of King Mohammed V, the USAF pulled out in 1963.
13. Hole-making insect BORER
“Borer” is a name given to various species of insect that bore into the woody parts of plants.
18. Reputed Dead Sea Scrolls writer ESSENE
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered over a period of years, between 1947 and 1956, in eleven caves on the shores of the Dead Sea. The scrolls are believed to have been written by an ancient Jewish sect called the Essenes, although this has been called into question recently. Many of the texts are copies of writings from the Hebrew Bible.
22. Longest human bone FEMUR
The thigh bone, the femur, is the longest and the largest bone in the human body.
26. Santa __ Valley: wine region in which “Sideways” was set YNEZ
The Santa Ynez Valley is a winegrowing region in Santa Barbara County in California. The Santa Ynez Valley was the setting and location for the wonderful 2004 film “Sideways”.
“Sideways” is a wonderful comedy-drama movie released in 2004. Starring Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church, the film is based in a novel of the same name that was released not long before the film adaptation. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know that one of the lead characters speaks very passionately of Pinot noir wines. Soon after the film’s release, sales of Pinot noir wines rose by 16%.
27. Prefix with European INDO-
The Indo-European languages are a large group that includes most of the major languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau and South Asia. The Indo-European is the largest grouping of languages in the world.
29. Chinese menu general TSO
General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zongtang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.
32. Missionary’s concern PAGAN
A pagan is someone who holds religious beliefs that are different from the main religions of the world. In classical Latin, “paganus” was a villager, a rustic.
39. Soften, as sorbet MELT
“Sorbet” can mean different things around the world. Here in the US, sorbet is a non-fat frozen dessert that is made without any dairy content.
40. Dreadlocks wearers RASTAS
I must admit that I don’t really understand Rastafarianism. I do know that a “Rasta”, like Bob Marley, is a follower of the movement. Some say that Rastafarianism is a religion, some not. I also know that it involves the worship of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.
Dreadlocks are matted coils of hair nowadays usually formed intentionally, although if one lets hair grow out without grooming then it naturally forms twisted and matted dreadlocks. The hairstyle is associated with the Rastafarian movement in which “dread” is a very positive term meaning “fear of the Lord”.
45. “Monty __ and the Holy Grail” PYTHON
“Monty Python and the Holy Grail” was released as a movie in 1975, and was a great success. Some thirty years later the film’s storyline was used as inspiration for the hit musical “Spamalot”. I saw “Spamalot” on stage not that long ago and wasn’t that impressed. But, mine was very much a minority opinion …
48. Where Noah landed ARARAT
Mount Ararat is in Turkey. Ararat is a snow-capped dormant volcano with two peaks. The higher of the two, Greater Ararat, is the tallest peak in the country. Ararat takes its name from a legendary Armenian hero called Ara the Beautiful (or Ara the Handsome). According to the Book of Genesis, Noah’s ark landed on Mount Ararat as the Great Flood subsided.
51. “Raw” pigment UMBER
Umber is an earthy, brown shade, and originally described a pigment made from earth found in Umbria, the region in central Italy. In its natural form, the pigment is referred to as “raw umber”. The heated form of the pigment has a more intense color and is called “burnt umber”.
52. Jalopies HEAPS
The origins of our word “jalopy” meaning “dilapidated old motor car” seem to have been lost in time, but the word has been around since the 1920s. One credible suggestion is that it comes from Jalapa, Mexico as the Jalapa scrap yards were the destination for many discarded American automobiles.
57. Pennant race mo. SEPT
The last few weeks of the baseball season are known as “a pennant race”. Before 1969, the term was perhaps more apt, as the pennant winner (league champion) would be the team with the best win-loss record at the end of the season. Starting in 1969, when both the National and American Leagues formally split into East and West divisions, the pennant has been awarded to the winner of a best-of-five series of games played by the division winners each October. The pennant winners then go on to the best-of-seven World Series, also played in October.
61. Investigator’s pronoun WHO
The Five Ws (or “Five Ws and one H”) is a journalistic concept used for gathering information. For a story to be complete, six questions need to be answered:
– Who is it about?
– What happened?
– Where did it take place?
– When did it take place?
– Why did it happen?
– How did it happen?
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Barroom fisticuffs BRAWL
6. Triangular pelvic bones SACRA
11. Soldier under Stonewall Jackson REB
14. YouTube upload VIDEO
15. Code of conduct ETHIC
16. Hustle and bustle ADO
17. Betrayal DOUBLE CROSS (hiding “OLEO”)
19. Spiky plant part that sticks to your clothes BUR
20. Pilfers STEALS
21. Pen filler INK
22. Clock front FACE
23. Mailroom device POSTAGE METER (hiding “PATE”)
26. “Yay!” YIPPEE!
28. Beaver’s structure DAM
29. Old Opry network TNN
30. Minimum-range tide NEAP
33. Uses lidocaine on NUMBS
37. Sandstone, for one SEDIMENTARY ROCK (hiding “MAYO”)
41. Damaged layer OZONE
42. Dreamcast game console developer SEGA
43. Questionnaire choice, in Bordeaux OUI
44. Swiss landscape feature ALP
46. B-flat equivalent A-SHARP
49. Old West reward seeker BOUNTY HUNTER (hiding “BUTTER”)
54. Frosty coating RIME
55. Back-row bowling pin TEN
56. Nome home ALASKA
60. Mass vestment ALB
61. Enthusiastic smorgasbord words … and hint to this puzzle’s circled letters WHAT A SPREAD!
63. Neckline shape VEE
64. Driver’s invitation HOP IN
65. Canada’s official tree MAPLE
66. Be human, so they say ERR
67. Initial appearance ONSET
68. Plural diminutive suffix -ETTES
Down
1. Brand of skivvies BVDS
2. Civil uprising RIOT
3. Both players in unison, musically A DUE
4. Program running in a browser, informally WEB APP
5. Lounge about, in British dialect LOLLOP
6. “Be with you in a __” SEC
7. Sun-brightened lobbies ATRIA
8. Cheech’s buddy CHONG
9. Took a chance on RISKED
10. Bldg. coolers ACS
11. Capital of Morocco RABAT
12. Bring out EDUCE
13. Hole-making insect BORER
18. Reputed Dead Sea Scrolls writer ESSENE
22. Longest human bone FEMUR
24. Cold temperatures TEENS
25. Loads of MANY
26. Santa __ Valley: wine region in which “Sideways” was set YNEZ
27. Prefix with European INDO-
29. Chinese menu general TSO
31. Had breakfast ATE
32. Missionary’s concern PAGAN
34. Keep from floating away MOOR
35. Bra size B-CUP
36. Glide on snow SKI
38. Foolish INANE
39. Soften, as sorbet MELT
40. Dreadlocks wearers RASTAS
45. “Monty __ and the Holy Grail” PYTHON
47. “I need another pair of hands, please” HELP ME
48. Where Noah landed ARARAT
49. Gutsy BRAVE
50. Petroleum transporter OILER
51. “Raw” pigment UMBER
52. Jalopies HEAPS
53. Set free UNTIE
57. Pennant race mo. SEPT
58. Leafy green KALE
59. Fruity drinks ADES
61. Investigator’s pronoun WHO
62. Tiny tunneler ANT
One stupid error (61-Down), other than that, good grid and effort. Hate the cluing on 61-Across. Even seeing the answer, I can't say it makes any sense.
The theme was rather INANE. And so was most of the fill. At least until I got to Monty Python. All I will say is: the first e-mail I ever received over a .edu address in college (1990) was from a friend at Michigan, who sent me a text file of the script. It took 10 minutes to print on a dot-matrix printer…and it was the most popular piece of paper ever printed in the entire school.
I'm smiling right now…but you can't see that.
I found the puzzle quite interesting and since I solved it unaided, very enjoyable. I am aware that the constructor who started in his teens, must be about 19 years old, now.
Bill, continued prayers for a happy and safe journey. My nephew-in-law in Plano, Tx, assures me that 3 of the cities in Texas are in the top 10 US cities, by population. Wow !
A decade back, when I was younger. I was fascinated with Wooden Burr Interlocking puzzles . I have a small collection, and I would be remiss if I did not mention the great American wood puzzle maker/craftsman Stewart Coffin and in the incomparable God, Mr. Jerry Slocum. Google them, if interested.
Just as Crossword puzzle constructors, editors, bloggers ( like our very own, Bill – ) are called cruciverbalists, tangible puzzle (3D – for example – ) constructors and solvers are called metagrobologists.
At one time, Rastafarians claimed ( to the FBI and the DEA) that they were entitled to smoke marijuana as a religious rite. Unfortunately, the U S Supreme court ( SCOTUS) weeded out (pun intended) that claim of religious precedence.
Sorry, for the long note.
I had a difficult time with this by Tuesday standards. I had the same problem yesterday so maybe I'm just slow this week…
I always thought of a PAGAN as one who believes in multiple gods, but I looked it up and that's really an incomplete definition. The broader definition in the blog is more accurate.
Bill – while driving from Austin to Dallas I'd recommend the Dr. Pepper museum in Waco if you have the time and/or a desperate need for Dr. Pepper paraphernalia . I got a kick out of it when I went there.
Best –
I came. I saw. I solved. (g) Not exactly a brain teaser today (as Tuesday puzzles are meant to be…in order that we gain confidence and feel a sense of intelligence that will be sorely tested come Friday and Saturday!).
It's way too humid out here in Southern California. If I wanted to live in Atlanta I'd bloody well move there! (g)
See you all back here tomorrow for "Hump Day" puzzle probing.
I also found today's puzzle somewhat inane, which is probaby why it seemed easier than yesterday's!
Yrs ago my brother ran a mail sorting machine at a regional office for a very large corp. One day he called to tell me that he'd had an envelope jam, and when he released the jam, one of the two crumpled envelopes was my bill. Thousands of envelopes a day, what are the odds?
Bella
Had to smile when Monty Python showed up for Willie D!
LOLLOP, ESSENE, SEGA, RABAT unknown to me.
Bill, thanks for taking a little rest from all that hiking, you were wearing me out 😉
One of my favorite songs is "Hard-Hearted Hannah".
"An evening spent with Hannah sittin' on your knees is like travelin' through Alaska in your BVDs"
My usual bloop – never noticed the theme. Also found puzzle easier than yesterday.
The dead Monty is Graham Chapman, who died of tonsil cancer. Which makes me wonder if there's a cancer for every organ.
@Vidwan – the Rastafarians lost their case for ganja, but maybe they thought they'd win because the American Indians were allowed peyote for religious purposes and the Santarians, in a 9-0 Supreme Court win were allowed to sacrifice animals.
Hi gang!
@Jeff, I also found this puzzle hard, for a Tuesday.
Didn't know RIME or LOLLOP, and I never saw BUR spelled with only one R!
@Vidwan — a woodworker named Coffin?!
@ Bill, perhaps you can drop in on MY sister-in-law as well, in Dallas! Have fun relaxing!:-D
See y'all mañana, God willing and the thing about the crick…