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CROSSWORD SETTER: Jerry Edelstein
THEME: Flip Side … each of today’s themed answers contains the hidden word SIDE, but that hidden word is FLIPPED, is reversed to EDIS:
1D. With 57-Down, reverse … and a hint to hidden letters in 6-, 9-, 15- and 21-Down FLIP
57D. See 1-Down SIDE6D. Subject of debate CONTESTED ISSUE
9D. Retail promotion STORE DISPLAY
15D. Shipwreck movie staple DESERTED ISLAND
21D. General Electric co-founder THOMAS EDISON
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 7m 03s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. NFL threes FGS
Field goal (FG)
4. S&L offering ACCT
Savings and Loan (S&L)
13. Waikiki wreath LEI
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, home to the famous Waikiki Beach. The name “Waikiki” means “spouting fresh water” in Hawaiian.
16. Shoulder accessory STOLE
A stole is a lady’s clothing accessory, a narrow shawl. It can be made of quite light decorative material, or it can be heavier especially if made of fur.
18. “Blue Sky” Oscar winner LANGE
The actress Jessica Lange is also an accomplished and published photographer. She was married for ten years to Spanish photographer Paco Grande. After separating from Grande, Lange had three children with the great Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. Those must be some good-looking kids …
“Blue Sky” is a film that was released in 1994, starring Jessica Lange and Tommy Lee Jones and a couple having marital difficulties. The film was actually completed three years earlier but sat on the shelf distribution company, Orion Pictures, went bankrupt. Despite the delay, Lange won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance.
26. ’70s “Laugh-In” regular Ann ELDER
Anne Elder is a Emmy-winning screenwriter who also appeared in front of the camera. She was a panelist on “The Match Game” several times during the seventies, and was also a regular on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”
28. Fat substitute OLESTRA
Olestra is a fat substitute. Naturally-occurring fats are made of of a glycerol molecule holding together three fatty acids. Olestra is made of a sucrose molecule, holding together several fatty acids. Olestra has a similar taste and consistency as natural fat, but has zero caloric impact because it is too large a molecule to cross the intestinal wall and passes right through the body. Personally, I steer clear of it. It is banned in Britain and Canada due to concerns about side effects, but I guess someone knows the right palms to grease (pun intended!) here in America, so it’s in some of our “low fat” food.
30. Panel with gauges DASH
Back in the 1800s, “dashboard” was the name given to a “board” placed at the front of a carriage to stop mud from “dashing” against the passengers in the carriage, mud that was kicked up by the hoofs of the horses. Quite interesting …
36. “Rosanna” band TOTO
Toto is an American rock band dating back to 1977. As well as their famous “Rosanna”, they also sang another good tune called “Africa”.
37. Empire founded by Manco Cápac, in legend INCA
Manco Cápac was the head of the Inca Kingdom of Cusco (also Cuzco). He introduced what we might call some sensible laws, including abolishing human sacrifice and outlawing marriage to one’s sister. That said, Cápac himself managed to marry his own sister and had a son with her who became his successor.
38. Baltic capital RIGA
Riga is the capital city of Latvia. The historical center of Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, declared as such because of the city’s magnificent examples of Art Nouveau architecture.
The natives of modern day Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are sometimes referred to as Balts, a reference to the Baltic Sea on which the three countries lie. The term “Balt” is also used for someone who speaks one of the Baltic languages, a group of languages spoken by people mainly residing within the borders of Latvia and Lithuania, as well as in some immigrant communities around the world.
39. Feints DEKES
A deke, also known as a dangle, is a technique used to get past an opponent in ice hockey. “Deke” is a colloquial shortening of the word “decoy”.
41. Energy measures ERGS
An erg is a unit of energy or mechanical work. “Erg” comes from the Greek word “ergon” meaning “work”. A dyne is a unit of force. The name “dyne” comes from the Greek “dynamis” meaning “power, force”. Ergs and dynes are related to each other in that one erg is the amount of energy needed to move a force of one dyne over a distance of one centimeter.
44. Throw down the gauntlet DARE
Gauntlets are gloves, usually with an extended cuff that extends to cover the forearm. Gauntlets were often made of metal and were used as part of a suit of armor. In days of yore a knight might “throw down the gauntlet”, tossing one of his gauntlets to the ground symbolizing that he has issued a challenge. The prospective opponent would pick up the gauntlet if he accepted that challenge.
52. Bacall’s love, informally BOGIE
Humphrey “Bogie” Bogart’s breakthrough movie was “The Petrified Forest” from 1936, but for me, nothing beats “Casablanca”. Although, if you haven’t seen it, check out the original “Sabrina” from 1954. It’s a real delight.
What a bombshell Lauren Bacall was, with that husky voice and her quiet, suggestive manner. Bacall was born in New York City to Jewish immigrant parents from Europe. She was actually a first cousin of Shimon Peres, the former President and Prime Minister of Israel. Famously, Bacall was married to Humphrey Bogart, from 1945 until his passing in 1957.
54. Ward of “Sisters” SELA
The actress Sela Ward turns up in crosswords a lot. Ward played Teddy Reed in the TV show “Sisters” in the nineties, and was in “Once and Again” from 1999-2002. I don’t know either show, but I do know Ward from the medical drama “House” in which she played the hospital’s lawyer and Greg House’s ex-partner. That was a fun role, I thought. After “House”, Ward played a lead role on “CSI: NY” and was a very welcome and much-needed addition to the cast …
“Sisters” was a groundbreaking TV drama that aired for six seasons in the nineties. It was the first primetime show to focus on the lives of women, and key to its success was its strong female viewership.
63. Choosing word EENIE
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch the tiger/monkey/baby by the toe.
If it hollers/screams let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, you are it!
65. Colleague of Ruth and Sonia ELENA
Elena Kagan was the Solicitor General of the United States who replaced Justice John Paul Stevens on the US Supreme Court. That made Justice Kagan the fourth female US Supreme Court justice (there have been 108 men!). I hear she is a fan of Jane Austen, and used to reread “Pride and Prejudice” once a year. Not a bad thing to do, I’d say …
Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg serves on the US Supreme Court. Justice Ginsburg was the second woman to join the Court, nominated by President Bill Clinton. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. During that time she did not miss one day on the bench. In 2009 Justice Ginsburg had surgery for pancreatic cancer, and was back to work 12 days later.
Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic justice on the US Supreme Court, and the third female justice. Sotomayor was nominated by President Barack Obama to replace the retiring Justice David Souter.
66. Blissful place EDEN
According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve lived in a garden “in” Eden, with Eden being geographically located by reference to four rivers including the Tigris and the Euphrates. Some scholars hypothesize that Eden was located in Mesopotamia, which encompasses much of modern-day Iraq.
67. Emmy-winning scientist NYE
That would be “Bill Nye the Science Guy”. Bill’s show ran on Disney for 4 years from 1993-97.
Down
2. Italian port GENOA
Genoa is a seaport in the very north of Italy, in the region known as Liguria. One of Genoa’s most famous sons was Christopher Columbus.
3. Paranasal space SINUS
In anatomical terms a sinus is a cavity in tissue. Sinuses are found all over the body, in the kidney and heart for example, but we most commonly think of the paranasal sinuses that surround the nose.
4. Gp. in a historic 1970 sports merger AFL
The American Football League (AFL) merged with the National Football League (NFL) in 1969. After the merger, the AFL teams (largely) became the NFL’s American Football Conference, whereas most of the old NFL’s teams became the National Football Conference.
5. Actress Danes CLAIRE
Claire Danes is an actress from New York City who played the title role in the HBO movie “Temple Grandin”. More recently, she has been starring as Carrie Mathison in the excellent Showtime drama series “Homeland”.
7. Roman robe TOGA
In Ancient Rome the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae”) was usually worn over a tunic. The tunic was made from linen, and the toga itself was a piece of cloth about twenty feet long made from wool. The toga could only be worn by men, and only if those men were Roman citizens. The female equivalent of the toga was called a “stola”.
8. Big name in Syrian politics ASSAD
Dr. Bashar al-Assad is the current President of the Syrian Arab Republic and the son of the former President Hafez al-Assad whom he replaced in 2001. President Assad is a medical doctor, speaks fluent English and conversational French. Assad was studying ophthalmology in London when he met his wife, who is an Englishwoman.
11. Charles Lamb pen name ELIA
Charles Lamb published a famous collection of essays simply entitled “Essays of Elia”. Elia was actually a clerk and co-worker of Charles Lamb, whereas Lamb was the author.
12. Great American Ball Park team REDS
Great American Ball Park is named after Great American Insurance Group. It seems a pity that the name is so mercenary, as it is such a grand name for a baseball field. Oh, and it is home to the Cincinnati Reds baseball team.
21. General Electric co-founder THOMAS EDISON
The General Electric Company is usually referred to simply as “GE”. One of the precursor companies to GE was Edison General Electric, founded in 1890 by the inventor Thomas Edison. What we know today as GE was formed two years later when Edison merged his company with Charles Coffin’s Thomson-Houston Electric Company. In 1896, GE was selected as one of the 12 companies listed on the newly formed Dow Jones Industrial Average. GE is the only one of the original 12 that is still on that list. I spent over ten years with GE at the beginning of my working career, and in fact it was GE that asked me to transfer to the US back in the 1980s …
27. Thailand neighbor LAOS
The official name for the country of Laos is the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In the Lao language, the country’s name is “Meuang Lao”. The French ruled Laos as part of French Indochina, having united three separate Lao kingdoms. As there was a plural of “Lao” entities united into one, the French added the “S” and so today we tend to use “Laos” instead of “Lao”.
29. Evidence of esteem? TOKEN
Please accept this blog post as a token of my esteem (for example!).
31. Do a cashier’s job SCAN
The first UPC-marked item to get scanned in a store was on June 26, 1974 at 08:01 a.m. at Marsh’s supermarket in Troy, Ohio. It was a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum. UPC stands for Universal Price Code or Universal Product Code.
32. Roxie __, Zellweger’s “Chicago” role HART
The wonderful 1975 musical “Chicago” is based on a 1926 play of the same name written by a news reporter called Maurine Dallas Watkins. Watkins had been assigned to cover the murder trials of Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the “Chicago Tribune”, and used the story that unfolded as the basis for her play. Annan became the character Roxie Hart, and Gaertner became Velma Kelly. I’ve only ever seen the movie version of “Chicago” and never a live performance …
Renée Zellweger’s big break came in the 1996 movie “Jerry Maguire”. A few years later, Zellweger followed that up with a string of successes in “Bridget Jones Diary” (2001), “Chicago” (2002) and “Cold Mountain” (2003). My wife and I love watching her play Bridget Jones, and as someone coming from the British Isles, I have to say that Zellweger does a remarkable job with the accent. She worked hard to perfect that accent, and of course she had a voice coach. She also went “undercover” and worked as a temp in an office for three weeks fine-tuning her skills.
33. Barney’s friend FRED
Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble are pals on “The Flintstones” cartoon series. I once had the privilege of spending an afternoon in the room (Bill Hanna’s den) where Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera came up with the idea of “The Flintstones” …
34. Capital of Turkey LIRA
The word “lira” is used in a number of countries for currency. “Lira” comes from the Latin for “pound” and is derived from a British pound sterling, the value of a Troy pound of silver. For example, the lira (plural “lire”) was the official currency of Italy before the country changed over to the euro in 2002.
39. Old phone booth user’s need DIME
The term “dime”, used for a 10-cent coin, comes from the Old French word “disme” meaning “tenth part”.
48. Davis of “A League of Their Own” GEENA
As well as being a successful Hollywood actress, Geena Davis is an accomplished archer and came close to qualifying for the US archery team for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Davis is also a member of American Mensa. She is quite the lady …
“A League of Their Own” is a comedy drama film released in 1992 that tells a tale about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League active during WWII. The lead actors were Tom Hanks and Geena Davis. The film spawned one of the most famous quotes in movie history: “There’s no crying in baseball!”
50. Wyoming’s __ Range TETON
Grand Teton National Park is located just south of Yellowstone NP, and a must-see if you are visiting the latter. The park is named after the tallest peak in the magnificent Teton Range known as Grand Teton. The origins of the name “Teton” is not very clear, although my favorite story is that it was named by French trappers, as the word “tetons” in French means “breasts”!
52. Tiny tot, in Toledo BEBE
In Spanish, a madre’s (mother’s) treasure is her bebe (baby).
Toledo is a city in central Spain.
55. Parrier’s tool EPEE
In competitive fencing, a parry is a maneuver that blocks and attack by an opponent. There are actually nine defined ways to execute a parry.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. NFL threes FGS
4. S&L offering ACCT
8. Daisylike flower ASTER
13. Waikiki wreath LEI
14. Overwhelm in abundance FLOOD
16. Shoulder accessory STOLE
17. Place for the night INN
18. “Blue Sky” Oscar winner LANGE
19. Reliable SOLID
20. Wear a long face POUT
22. “Take __ a sign” IT AS
23. Geometric products AREAS
24. Having left the water ASHORE
26. ’70s “Laugh-In” regular Ann ELDER
28. Fat substitute OLESTRA
30. Panel with gauges DASH
33. Love interest FLAME
36. “Rosanna” band TOTO
37. Empire founded by Manco Cápac, in legend INCA
38. Baltic capital RIGA
39. Feints DEKES
40. Leave a lasting mark on SCAR
41. Energy measures ERGS
42. Picked out of a lineup IDED
43. Used SPENT
44. Throw down the gauntlet DARE
45. Barely enough MINIMAL
47. Barely bests EDGES
49. Staid SEDATE
52. Bacall’s love, informally BOGIE
54. Ward of “Sisters” SELA
56. Some raised hands YEAS
58. Clear in class ERASE
59. __ about: recuperating UP AND
61. Pent- minus two TRI-
62. You might pass one in a race BATON
63. Choosing word EENIE
64. Like too many jokes OLD
65. Colleague of Ruth and Sonia ELENA
66. Blissful place EDEN
67. Emmy-winning scientist NYE
Down
1. With 57-Down, reverse … and a hint to hidden letters in 6-, 9-, 15- and 21-Down FLIP
2. Italian port GENOA
3. Paranasal space SINUS
4. Gp. in a historic 1970 sports merger AFL
5. Actress Danes CLAIRE
6. Subject of debate CONTESTED ISSUE
7. Roman robe TOGA
8. Big name in Syrian politics ASSAD
9. Retail promotion STORE DISPLAY
10. Permissible variation TOLERANCE
11. Charles Lamb pen name ELIA
12. Great American Ball Park team REDS
15. Shipwreck movie staple DESERTED ISLAND
21. General Electric co-founder THOMAS EDISON
25. Bullfight cheer OLE!
27. Thailand neighbor LAOS
29. Evidence of esteem? TOKEN
31. Do a cashier’s job SCAN
32. Roxie __, Zellweger’s “Chicago” role HART
33. Barney’s friend FRED
34. Capital of Turkey LIRA
35. Combined AGGREGATE
39. Old phone booth user’s need DIME
43. __ sack SAD
46. Nasty sort MEANIE
48. Davis of “A League of Their Own” GEENA
50. Wyoming’s __ Range TETON
51. Ahead of time EARLY
52. Tiny tot, in Toledo BEBE
53. __ exam ORAL
55. Parrier’s tool EPEE
57. See 1-Down SIDE
60. Place to solve a puzzle DEN
Decent puzzle for a Thursday. 0 errors, 2 lookups (26-Across, 11-Down).
A contra opinion.
Difficult puzzle, many errors and many lookups. But, as puzzles go, very enchanting – and I somehow really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed Bill's blog, as always. Learnt a lot.
Now, to find out whether the real capital of Turkey is Ankara or Istanbul (Constantinople …). (It's the former ….)
Bill, regarding Olestra (a synthetic product of Proctor & Gamble) – I must protest (however mildly) about its deridement ( is that a word ?), just because it is synthetic. I consume far too many diet products, in synthetic containers, and which have artificial ( read, synthetic ) sweeteners to be worried about synthetic chemicals, in general. Too much of America, where obesity is an alarming epidemic, people who just can't stop consuming, say, potato chips, – olestra may be an alleviating factor.
Ironically, the TTIP – a comprehensive trade agreement between the US and the European Union has been held up for 15 years, and probably another 5 years more, precisely because of the use of synthetic 'additives' in food. It may never be resolved.
Have a nice day, and nice weekend, all.
to all thanks for the help on getting another site for the crossword. LA Times failed again today but went to the Mensa site and no problem
I thought the upper half of today's puzzle was more like a Tuesday or Wednesday version in terms of difficulty. The bottom half, while being a bit more difficult yielded without too much drama, especially after I replaced "minimum" with the correct "minimal" for 45 Across and changed "serene" to the correct "sedate" for 49 Across.
Hope all my puzzle loving compatriots have a great Thursday and I look forward to seeing what tomorrow brings in the way of "brain strain."
Day-appropriate puzzle according to my own stopwatch. Did this one faster than yesterday's. I got the theme answers before I got the theme so I didn't see it until the blog.
I wonder what gauges those early DASH boards had? Probably just one that showed horsepower…….
Best –
I have NO recollection of Ann ELDER at all.
Goldie Hawn, Ruth Buzzi,Judy Carne, Jo Anne Worley.
Teresa Graves, and Lily Tomlin, whose character was
EDITH ANN.
The NE was awful. Had to get help on two letters.
STORE DISPLAY and TOLERANCE took too long to get.
Theme seemed insignificant compared to the lengthy answers.
Weather has been bearable here, I hope it continues.
Regards to all my fellow solvers!
Just for accuracy – Shimon Peres is no longer president of Israel. Reuven Rivlin replaced him one year ago at the conclusion of his 7 year term. However, even at 92 the indefatigable and eternally optimistic Peres is quite frequently (albeit humorously) touted as a viable candidate to lead the nation again.
@raymond
Thanks for catching that error. I wrote those few lines a couple of years ago and I am afraid that I get a little blase with my copying and pasting late at night sometimes. I appreciate the (much-needed) help.
That one word marred an otherwise enjoyable puzzle. One word. Grr.
BTW, CSI: NY has been off the air for about 2 years now.
Favorite answer…EENIE for 63 across. 🙂
@Willie D
I'll update that "CSI: NY" comment too! Thanks 🙂
@Willie D
What's with the Aflac duck?
Where's Beavis?
Every time EPEE comes up I can hear you Grrrrrr.
Or Yosemite Sam.
YAY! A THURSDAY FINISH!!
@Pookie re: Laugh-In: me too!! I remember all those women except this ELDER person.
I like the cross of EENIE/MEANIE.
I thought the long Down items were relatively easy.
See you solvents for more fun tomorrow! (Grimace – I'm going to peek and see who the setter is.)
I was actually pretty disheartened by this puzzle. As progressively difficult as Tuesday's and Wednesday's puzzles were, I expected this one to be a beast, and was surprised and disappointed at how quickly I finished this one. Nevertheless, still a fun puzzle. There were a number of them I didn't know, but got answered anyway from all the other clues. Been a while since I've posted on here, so hope everyone is doing well.
–CJ