Constructed by: Gareth Bain
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
Theme: None
Bill’s time: 15m 09s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1…Indian state bordering Bhutan..ASSAM
Assam is a state in the very northeast of India, just south of the Himalayas. Assam is noted for its tea as well as its silk.
Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia located between China to the north and India to the south, east and west. Bhutan has been a constitutional monarchy since 2008, and has been ranked by “Businessweek” as the “happiest” country in Asia.
6…Lab glassware eponym..PETRI
Julius Richard Petri was a German bacteriologist and was the man after whom the Petri dish is named. The petri dish can have an agar gel on the bottom which acts a nutrient source for the specimen being grown and studied, in which case the dish plus agar is referred to as an “agar plate”.
An eponym is a name for something derived from the name of a person, as in the “sandwich” named for the Earl of Sandwich.
11…AOL, e.g…ISP
An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is just what the name indicates, a company that provides its customers with access to the Internet.
AOL was a leading Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the 1980s and 1990s. The company does still provide dial-up access to the Internet for some subscribers, but most users now access AOL using faster, non-AOL ISPs.
15…Hamal’s constellation..ARIES
Hamal is the brightest star in the constellation of Aries the Ram, and is one of the brightest stars in the night sky. The name “Hamal” comes from the Arabic “ras al-hamal” meaning “head of the ram”.
16…Indianapolis’ __ Dome..RCA
The RCA Dome was probably better known as the Hoosier dome, home to the Indianapolis Colts from 1984-2007. It was torn down in 2008, but the inflated roof was put to good use afterwards. The material was re-purposed by local artisans, creating wallets, messenger bags etc. These can still be purchased, with proceeds going to charity.
17…2008 Jack Black title role..KUNG FU PANDA
“Kung Fu Panda” is a 2008 animated film from DreamWorks. It’s all about a panda who is expert in kung fu, as one might guess …
The actor Jack Black was born in Santa Monica, California and is the son of two satellite engineers who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope program.
19…Shipping nickname..ARI
Aristotle Onassis was born to a successful Greek shipping entrepreneur in Smyrna in modern-day Turkey. However, his family lost its fortune during WWI and so Aristotle worked with his father to build up a new business empire centered on the importation of tobacco. In 1957, Aristotle founded the Greek national airline, what is today called Olympic Air, and he also got into the business of shipping oil around the world. He married Athina Livanos in 1946, the daughter of a wealthy shipping magnate. They couple had two children together, with one being the famous Christina Onassis. Livanos divorced Onassis on discovering him in bed with the opera singer Maria Callas. Onassis ended his affair with Callas in order to marry Jackie Kennedy in 1968.
21…Spoke quietly?..SIGNED
It’s really quite unfortunate that American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) are very different, and someone who has learned to sign in one cannot understand someone signing in the other.
23…Sch. with a Riverhead campus..LIU
Long Island University (LIU) in Brooklyn, New York is a private school that was chartered in 1926. LIU’s focus has always been on providing moderately-priced, effective education to people from all walks in life. To that end, LIU opened a second campus in 1951 in Brookville in the suburbs of New York City, recognizing the need to serve families that were living outside of the metropolis. The athletic teams of LIU’s Brooklyn campus are known as the Brooklyn Blackbirds, and the teams of the Brookville campus are called the Post Pioneers.
25…Film for which Anthony Quinn won an Oscar..VIVA ZAPATA!
“Viva Zapata!” is a 1952 film directed by Elia Kazan. The film is based on the life the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, with a screenplay written by John Steinbeck.
Anthony Quinn was a Mexican-born American actor who is perhaps best known for playing the title role in the 1964 film “Zorba the Greek”. Off the screen, Quinn was an accomplished artist, with his works being exhibited both domestically and internationally.
30…Author Morrison..TONI
The writer Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Amongst other things, Morrison is noted for coining the phrase, “our first black President”, a reference to President Bill Clinton.
32…Benz finish..-ENE
Benzene is a remarkable chemical compound, from a molecular standpoint anyway. It is made up of six carbon atoms arranged in a ring, with one hydrogen atom attached to each carbon. Benzene is a significant component of gasoline, and is also very carcinogenic.
33…Tender in Warsaw..ZLOTY
The zloty is the currency of Poland, with word “zloty” translating into English as “golden”. The zloty has been around since the Middle Ages.
The name “Warsaw” in Polish means “belonging to Warsz”. Legend has it that Warsz, was a fisherman who fell in love with a mermaid called Sawa. It’s a nice story, but actually Warsz was a nobleman from the 12th or 13th century who owned a local village.
35…Georgia of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”..ENGEL
Georgia Engel is a very funny comedy actress who is best known for playing Georgette Baxter, wife of Ted Baxter, on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. Engel’s father was a Vice Admiral in the Coast Guard, and her sister was Miss Hawaii for 1967.
37…Bapt., e.g…REL
The Baptist denominations of the Christian tradition embrace the doctrine of believer’s baptism as opposed to infant baptism.
38…Austrian composer Webern..ANTON
Anton Webern was a composer and conductor from Austria. In his compositions, Webern used the twelve-tone technique devised by Arnold Schoenberg, which means that I find his music a tad difficult to appreciate …
39…Pet problem?..PEEVE
The phrase “pet peeve”, meaning “thing that provokes one most”, seems to be somewhat ironic. A “peeve” is a source of irritation, and the adjective “pet” means “especially cherished”.
42…Grill guard : U.S. :: __ bar : Australia..ROO
A grill guard is fitted to the front of a vehicle as protection in the event of a collision. They are commonly seen on vehicles. Grill guards are also referred to as bullbars in the US, moose bumpers in Canada and roo bars in Australia.
43…Span. title..SRTA
Señorita (Srta.) is Spanish and mademoiselle (Mlle.) is French for “Miss”.
44…Holder of an affectionate message..CANDY HEART
The forerunner to Sweethearts candy was introduced in 1866, with the famous sayings written on the candy tailored for use at weddings. One of the original expressions was, “Married in pink, he will take a drink”. The original candy was a lot bigger, to fit all those words! The smaller, heart-shaped candy hit the shelves in 1901. We’ve been able to buy Sweethearts with the words “Text me” since 2010.
46…Destructive type..VANDAL
A “vandal” is someone who destroys something beautiful or valuable. The term comes from the Germanic tribe called the Vandals who sacked Rome in the year 455. Our contemporary term “vandalism” was coined by Henri Grégoire in 1794, when he was describing the destruction of artwork during the French Revolution.
48…JFK, for one..DEM
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) was the son of Joe Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald, hence the president’s double-barreled name.
50…Most like a dive..SEEDIEST
We use the word “seedy” to mean “shabby”. The usage probably arose from the appearance of a flowering plant that has gone to seed.
55…Richard __..III
Richard III ruled England for just two years, and was the last king of the House of York. Richard’s reign came to an early close with his defeat and death at the Battle of Bosworth Field, which brought an end to the Wars of the Roses and the start of the Tudor Dynasty. His death at the hands of Henry Tudor made him the last English king to die in battle. Richard’s remains were hastily buried in a friary in Leicester in the midlands of England. The friary was demolished in the mid-1500s, and Richard’s remains went missing for centuries. Famously, the friary and the king’s remains were discovered in an archeological dig in 2012 under a city car park, and reinterred in Leicester Cathedral in 2015.
56…Genre of Madonna’s “Ray of Light” album..ELECTRONICA
Madonna’s full name is Madonna Louise Ciccone. Born in Bay City, Michigan, Madonna was destined to become the top-selling female recording artist of all time.
58…Longtime Elton John label..MCA
Elton John’s real name is Reginald Dwight. Sir Elton was knighted in 1998, not for his music but for his charitable work. He founded his own Elton John AIDS Foundation back in 1992.
62…Fluid accumulation..EDEMA
Both animals and plants can suffer from edema, a swelling caused by excessive accumulation of fluid.
63…Ridges on the neck..FRETS
A fret is a metal strip embedded in the neck of a stringed instrument, like a guitar perhaps. The fingers press on the frets, shortening a string and hence changing the note played. The note increases by one semitone as a finger shortens a string by one fret.
Down
2…Like flax..SPUN
Flax is mainly grown for its seeds (to make oil) and for its fibers. Flax fibers have been used to make linen for centuries, certainly back as far as the days of the Ancient Egyptians. Flax fibers are soft and shiny, resembling blonde hair, hence the term “flaxen hair”.
4…German chancellor Merkel..ANGELA
The formidable politician Angela Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany, the country’s head of state. Merkel is the first female German Chancellor and when she chaired the G8 in 2007 she became only the second woman to do so, after the UK’s Margaret Thatcher. Merkel grew up in East Germany under Communist rule.
5…”The Magic School Bus” teacher..MS FRIZZLE
“The Magic School Bus” is a children’s cartoon show that originally aired on PBS in the nineties. The show was based on a series of books of the same name by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen.
7…Proof word..ERAT
QED is used at the end of a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument. The QED initialism stands for the Latin “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “that which was to be demonstrated”.
8…Element in some solder..TIN
Solder is a metal alloy that is used to join pieces of a work together using the principle that the melting point of the alloy is below the melting point of the workpieces.
9…Site of a major part of the Bible?..RED SEA
The Red Sea (sometimes called the Arabian Gulf) is a stretch of water lying between Africa and Asia. The Gulf of Suez (and the Suez Canal) lies to north, and the Gulf of Aden to the south. According to the Book of Exodus in the Bible, God parted the Red Sea to allow Moses lead the Israelites from Egypt.
11…1980s scandal..IRAN-CONTRA
The Iran-Contra affair (also called “Irangate”) came to light in 1986. The “Iran” part of the scandal was the sale of arms to Iran by the Reagan administration, initially to facilitate the release of US hostages. This was done in secret largely because there was ostensibly a US arms embargo in place against Iran. The “Contra” part of the scandal arose when the man in charge of the operation, Oliver North, took funds from the arms sales and funneled the cash to the Contra militants who were fighting to topple the government in Nicaragua.
22…”__ Morgen!”..GUTEN
“Guten Tag” is German for “hello, good day”. “Guten Morgen” means “good morning” and “guten Abend” means “good evening”.
25…Nixon and Ford..VEEPS
Richard Nixon was US Vice President from 1953 to 1961, under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Gerald Ford was US Vice President from 1973 to 1974, under President Nixon.
27…Flier’s request..VEGETARIAN
Someone might request a vegetarian meal on a flight.
28…Classical entrance..PORTAL
The Latin word for “gate” is “porta”, giving us words like “portal” and “port”.
36…Novak’s TV partner..EVANS
Journalists Robert Novak and Rowland Evans teamed up in 1963 to write the political column “Inside Report” starting in 1963.
41…Its first truck was a Ford Model A..RYDER
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.
The Ford Model A was the original car produced by the Ford Motor Company. The first production run lasted from 1903 to 1904, when it was replaced by the Model C. The name “Model A” was brought back in 1927 and used for the successor to the Model T.
45…Key of Sibelius’ First Symphony..E MINOR
Jean Sibelius is the most famous Finnish classical composer, and shall forever be linked with his wonderful symphonic poem, “Finlandia”. Sibelius composed many lovely pieces of music right up until the mid 1920s when he was in his fifties. Despite all his efforts, he wasn’t able to produce any noted works for the last thirty years of his life.
47…Big name on the farm..DEERE
John Deere invented the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837. Prior to Deere’s invention, farmers used an iron or wooden plow that constantly had to be cleaned as rich soil stuck to its surfaces. The cast-steel plow was revolutionary as its smooth sides solved the problem of “stickiness”.
51…Peak west of the Ionian Sea..ETNA
Mt. Etna is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy. Mt Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. The third of Italy’s famous volcanoes is Stromboli.
The Ionian Sea is that part of the Mediterranean that lies between Greece and the southern part of Italy (under the sole of the “boot”). The Ionian Sea is one of the most seismically active areas on the planet.
52…The Auld Sod..EIRE
“Auld Sod” (meaning simply “old sod”) is a familiar term for Ireland, especially when referring to the country as one’s homeland from abroad. ‘Tis true …
53…Rabbit’s tail..SCUT
A scut is short erect tail, like that on a rabbit or a deer.
54…Highland tops..TAMS
A tam o’shanter is a man’s cap traditionally worn by Scotsmen. “Tams” were originally all blue (and called “blue bonnets”), but as more dyes became readily available they became more colorful. The name of the cap comes from the title character of Robert Burns’ poem “Tam O’Shanter”.
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1…Indian state bordering Bhutan..ASSAM
6…Lab glassware eponym..PETRI
11…AOL, e.g…ISP
14…Bridges..SPANS
15…Hamal’s constellation..ARIES
16…Indianapolis’ __ Dome..RCA
17…2008 Jack Black title role..KUNG FU PANDA
19…Shipping nickname..ARI
20…Considers with disdain..SNEERS AT
21…Spoke quietly?..SIGNED
23…Sch. with a Riverhead campus..LIU
24…Lure..SEDUCE
25…Film for which Anthony Quinn won an Oscar..VIVA ZAPATA!
30…Author Morrison..TONI
32…Benz finish..-ENE
33…Tender in Warsaw..ZLOTY
34…Proceeds..WENDS
35…Georgia of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”..ENGEL
37…Bapt., e.g…REL
38…Austrian composer Webern..ANTON
39…Pet problem?..PEEVE
40…Some cake layers..TIERS
42…Grill guard : U.S. :: __ bar : Australia..ROO
43…Span. title..SRTA
44…Holder of an affectionate message..CANDY HEART
46…Destructive type..VANDAL
48…JFK, for one..DEM
49…Tidbit..MORSEL
50…Most like a dive..SEEDIEST
55…Richard __..III
56…Genre of Madonna’s “Ray of Light” album..ELECTRONICA
58…Longtime Elton John label..MCA
59…Show shown over..RERUN
60…Discussion venue..FORUM
61…Poetic twilight..E’EN
62…Fluid accumulation..EDEMA
63…Ridges on the neck..FRETS
Down
1…Wants in payment..ASKS
2…Like flax..SPUN
3…Levelheaded..SANE
4…German chancellor Merkel..ANGELA
5…”The Magic School Bus” teacher..MS FRIZZLE
6…Family nickname..PAPA
7…Proof word..ERAT
8…Element in some solder..TIN
9…Site of a major part of the Bible?..RED SEA
10…Start of a repeat..I SAID …
11…1980s scandal..IRAN-CONTRA
12…Bug barrier..SCREEN DOOR
13…Like a pro..PAID
18…Everyday..USUAL
22…”__ Morgen!”..GUTEN
24…Arranged..STYLED
25…Nixon and Ford..VEEPS
26…Angel on one’s shoulder, so to speak..INNER VOICE
27…Flier’s request..VEGETARIAN
28…Classical entrance..PORTAL
29…Used the dining room..ATE IN
31…Tot’s rebuttal..IS NOT!
34…Cleaned..WASHED OFF
36…Novak’s TV partner..EVANS
41…Its first truck was a Ford Model A..RYDER
44…Canceled due to rain, say..CALLED
45…Key of Sibelius’ First Symphony..E MINOR
47…Big name on the farm..DEERE
49…One apparently trapped behind glass..MIME
50…Pond build-up..SCUM
51…Peak west of the Ionian Sea..ETNA
52…The Auld Sod..EIRE
53…Rabbit’s tail..SCUT
54…Highland tops..TAMS
57…”And Venus sets __ Mercury can rise”: Pope..ERE
Good to go now. Back to normal. Great blog..
I wonder what the line in Las Vegas is for whether Pookie even attempts a Gareth Bain Saturday?
Not bad at all. If I had bothered to read or watch “The Magic School Bus”, I would have finished unaided. I just couldn’t put together MSFRIZZLE from crosses. So close. ZLOTY really frustrated me as I should have known it. I knew the Russian word for gold is zolota so I should have recognized the Slavic root. Lots of typical Bain clues – too many to mention here. Richard III really threw me at first.
@Bill
I believe the Iran Contra funds were funneled to the Contras in Nicaragua not Honduras. They were fighting the Sandanistas.
@Mad Anthony
I’m from St. Louis originally. I don’t even have a southern accent after all these years here.
@Carrie
The term “tweener” is used a lot in sports. For example, if an NFL player is maybe too big and slow to play safety but too small to play linebaker, he’s considered a tweener. The term is used a lot when projecting what position a college player might play in the pros. So I think it’s in the public domain now… 🙂
Best –
Thanks, Jeff. I think I made that slip before. All fixed now.
Jeff, I don’t know about Vegas, but in this house there’s a huge groan and a lot of inner turmoil as to even attempting Gareth’s puzzle.
If you drew a diagonal line from the SW to the NE, that’s how much I solved halfway through. Finally finished, but one wrong letter!!!
LaU/ MS FRaZZLE.
No comments yet ? I did the puzzle, vicariously, through Bill’s generous blog and really came here for the explanation of the answers. This has an awful number of proper nouns.
Wikia says that ‘hamal’ , a fairly popular name in Arabia, means ‘lamb’. In India, a hamal is a coolie or a carrier of hand baggage or a pusher of cargo goods – a menial servant or serf (?).
Angela Merkel, whom I personally admire for her common sense and courage, is commonly called ‘mutte’ or mother in domestic politics. That an east german upbringing could still produce a fairly capitalist and free market outlook, speaks a lot about her genes …. she is married to a quantum physicist professor, who is so apolitical, that he refused to attend her inauguration.
Thank you Bill, for all the passion and dedication. Son of the Auld Sod, you do full credit for her.
DNF’d over my complete (utterly frustrating) inability to see “vegetarian” for 27 Down, which also meant I didn’t the “g” in Engel for Georgia on the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Double D’oh!
I’ll try to get my revenge tomorrow on the Sunday puzzle. See you then. Have a good weekend all.
LAT: 10 letter DNF over 25A, 33A, and 5D. Felt like a Friday though, would have easily finished unaided had I known one or more of those.
WSJ and LAT Sun: Don’t know if my brain finally melted (it has been a terrible week for me out of many terrible weeks) or what’s going on, but both are feeling like Sat grids to me. Not very far on either.
A fair challenge today (:19), no real complaints. When I read “Magic Bus,” I kept thinking of the song by The Who.
And of course the stupid ironies of the whole IRANCONTRA scandal include (a) Daniel Ortega, the leader of the FSLN, is once again the President of Nicaragua, and (b) after being implicated and disgraced as an Army officer, Oliver North made a small fortune of his own as a talk show host.
Jeff, when I spent 5 years in Chicaaaago, I never picked up that accent. Nor did I adopt that wretched team as my own, which my friends hated. Ha! Nice try losers!
14:08, no errors. Fun puzzle …
Just completed the WSJ Saturday edition “big” grid. For whatever mental defect I didn’t know I had I changed the right answer to the wrong answer and came up one letter short of a victory! Man, that sucks so bad! (As we used to say in the ’60’s). Not too mention, (but I will anyway just to grind salt into my wound) the change I made was so completely idiotic and clearly wrong. Maybe I better do a self administered “stroke” test as I may have suffered one and not know it.
Okay. Enough self flagellation. I’ll see you all tomorrow hopefully and get back on the right (write?) track.
@Bill I’m getting used to the new format. You did a wonderful job!
I know you’ve been thinking about this for at least a year.
It must have been a huge undertaking to get it to go this smoothly.
Will we still be able to see the blog pictures beside the contributor, like Sfingi or Willie D, or is that a different format?
I am confused over your explanation of 21A “Spoke quietly?” = SIGNED.
Isn’t it ASL, American Sign Language?
I’m glad that you’re getting comfortable with the new format, Pookie. I must admit that I am too!
Thanks for catching that ASL/ESL mix-up. I’ll go change that right now. Thanks also for taking the time to read so far into the post!
That’s a good question about “pics” of those commenting who’d like to contribute an image. That might be tough to bring back, but I will take a look. Give me a few days, because I have a long list of clean-up items I’m working on. I only just now got pics of me and my Dad to “reappear” in the “About” page. Even without the pics, I hope you’re enjoying the new commenting format. I like the way we can reply to a prior comment, or to comment on the whole post anew.
For that, you have to get a WordPress account and then link your image through a sister service called Gravatar (I’d have to get into my own WP account to post more specific directions). WordPress does a good job in automating said endeavor, but it’s something that very much requires configuration in a WP account.
Ah, I see. Thanks, Glenn. It doesn’t seem too difficult at my end. I’ll look into it. I also want to try to get rid of the “email” line in the form when commenting. I’ve switched off the requirement to enter an email address, but haven’t yet worked out how to get rid of the email line. I don’t won’t folks not to comment just because they think they need to reveal their email address. Another item on my list …
21A: I also took this to mean ASL – American Sign Language.
Yep. Just fixed it. ESL and ASL come up so often that I copy and paste without thinking. My bad. At least I didn’t put in something about OREO cookies or EPEEs!
“At least I didn’t put in something about OREO cookies or EPEEs!”
Bill, that’s hilarious! LOL
I was just wondering about the pics, no big deal.
Yes, I like the commenting format. I tried it today.
I just saw your picture and your Dad’s.
I thought, “is that a new picture of Bill?” No, it’s a mirror image, or the original was a mirror image. Anyway, I can see both of your pictures more clearly. Love that picture of your father.
Spoke silently would make sense for signed. I dont get the spoke quietly thing.
Like flax = spun. I want some of whatever your smoking!
No one is going to get L.I.U unless they went there. Wich, 99% of us did not.
No one knows irish terminology. Most irish people dont even know.
No one knows spanish titles.
Unless your german, you probably know about 4 german words.
Indian states. Only indians.
We get it. Your a smart guy. But this is a puzzzle, you need to use words that people might actually know. Im not saying dumb it down. I could do a puzzle with clues and answers all relative to lathe tools but no one is going to figure them out if they havent been trained on a lathe.
@Dave
I count 14 errata in your post.
“I could do a puzzle…”
You should have stopped and reconsidered right there. Or perhaps we could introduce you to a gentleman named Barry C. Silk. 😀
Pookie, Bill & others:
I believe you need to create a WordPress account in order to show avatars. I used to have one, but I don’t know where it wandered. In the Blogger format, I posted from a Google account. I only kept it because Jeff said he read my posts as if Beavis was speaking. Which is funny, because Beavis couldn’t spell “cat” if you spottem him the “c” and the “t.” 😀
Related question: can we still embed html links in this format?
Yes, Willie, we can still embed links in our comments.
Crossword puzzles are an amalgam of trivia, vocabulary and the ability to think outside the box. When you get to Friday or Saturday what would be a fairly straight forward clue and answer earlier in the week is now going be leading you down the proverbial rabbit hole many times. But generally, even if you don’t know every answer, you know enough to start filling in the grid, which then gives you more insight into the answers you didn’t have a “clue” about (all pun intended) before you got a letter or two by filling in the crossword answers. Not everyone finds crosswords interesting or satisfying. But I think the folks who come back to Bill’s blog, day after day and week after week, certainly do find them both of those things.
@Tony Michaels
Thanks for the words of wisdom. Take heed, all ye nattering nabobs of negativity!
@Tony: well said!
@Pookie, you may not like Saturday Gareths but you sure aced this one if you were only a letter off! Nicely done 😉
I had to cheat some to finish this thing, but I did okay, all considered.
Hey Jeff, thanks for that info! It reminds me of the expression “twofer,” as when a company hires an Asian American woman to meet (or finesse) internal quotas.
Till tomorrow!
Sweet dreams~~?