Constructed by: Gail Grabowski
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
Quicklink to comments
Theme: None
Bill’s time: 17m 52s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1…Prepares to strike, in a way..COILS
That would be like a snake coiled, ready to strike.
6…Where many leading males may be seen?..BALLROOMS
Our use of the word “ball” to mean a round object comes from the OLd Norse “bollr” meaning the same thing. However, the usage of “ball” to mean “dancing party” comes from the Late Latin “ballare” meaning “to dance”, which in turn derives from the Greek “ballizein” meaning the same thing.
15…Nocturnal problem, usually..APNEA
Sleep apnea (“apnoea” in British English) can be caused by an obstruction in the airways, possibly due to obesity or enlarged tonsils.
19…Chic modifier..TRES
“Très chic” is a French term meaning “very stylish”.
20…Advertisers say it sells..SEX
Back in 1871, Pearl Tobacco featured an image of a naked maiden on the outer packaging and in print advertisements. Apparently, this is the earliest known use of sex appeal in advertising.
21…Mother of Huey, Dewey and Louie..DELLA
Della Duck is the twin sister of Donald Duck, and mother of Huey, Dewey and Louie.
Donald Duck’s nephews are identical triplets called Huey, Dewey and Louie, and they first appeared on the screen in 1938. Once in awhile due to errors in production, a fourth duck can be seen in the background. This little “mistake” is affectionately called “Phooey Duck” by folks in the industry.
24…Hall of Fame NHL coach Roger..NEILSON
Roger Neilson was former NHL coach from Canada, who coached several teams both north and south of the US-Canada border. One of Neilson legacies was the introduction of videotape to analyze strategies and tactics used by other teams. As a result, he was sometimes known as “Captain Video”.
27…Paragon..MODEL
A paragon is an model of excellence, a peerless example. Ultimately the term derives from the Greek “para-” meaning “on the side” and “akone” meaning “whetstone”. This derivation comes from the ancient practice of using a touchstone to test gold for its level of purity by drawing a line on the stone with the gold and comparing the resulting mark with samples of known purity.
29…Sticks..BOONDOCKS
“Boondocks” is a term used in North America for a remote, usually rural area. Often the term is used derogatively, implying that a remote location is unsophisticated. “Boondocks” was first used by American soldiers stationed in the Philippines in the early 1900s. The word evolved from the Tagalog “bundok” meaning “mountain”.
33…Google goal..HIT
The search engine “Google” was originally called “BackRub” would you believe? The name was eventually changed to Google, an intentional misspelling of the word “googol”. A googol is a pretty big number, 10 to the power of 100. That would be the digit 1 followed by 100 zeros.
34…”Semper Fidelis” composer..SOUSA
John Philip Sousa was a composer and conductor from Washington, D.C. Sousa was well known for his patriotic marches and earned himself the nickname “The American March King”. He served as a member of the US Marine Band from 1868 to 1875, and after leaving the Marines learned to conduct and compose. One of the Sousa compositions that is well-known around the world is called “The Liberty Bell”, a tune used as the musical theme for BBC Television’s “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”. Sousa also wrote “Semper Fidelis”, which is the official march of the US Marine Corps.
36…Encouragement before a shot..SAY CHEESE
Photographers often instruct us to say “cheese”, to elicit a smile-like expression. Even Japanese photographers use the word “cheese” for the same effect. Bulgarians use the word “zele” meaning “cabbage”. The Chinese say “eggplant”, the Danish “orange”, the Iranians “apple” and the most Latin Americans say “whiskey”.
39…Millions can play it at once..LOTTO
Originally “Lotto” was a type of card game, with “lotto” being the Italian for “a lot”. We’ve used “lotto” to mean a gambling game since the late 1700s.
41…Frequent Greenstreet co-star..LORRE
The marvelous actor Peter Lorre was born in what is now modern-day Slovakia. Lorre’s real name was Laszlo Lowenstein. He started acting in Vienna when he was quite young, only 17 years old. When Hitler came to power, the Jewish Lowenstein headed to Paris and then London, eventually ending up in Hollywood. Lorre found himself typecast as the wicked foreigner in American movies, but I think he sneered and snarled his way to the bank.
Sydney Greenstreet was an English actor, most noted for his appearances in the movies “The Maltese Falcon” and “Casablanca” alongside Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre. Greenstreet was a portly gentleman and has been cited as partial inspiration for the Jabba the Hutt character in the “Star Wars” movie “Return of the Jedi”.
42…Olympics competitor since 1896..FENCER
Fencing was introduced as an Olympic sport in 1896, at the first Games held in the modern era. There are three fencing events in the modern Olympics, distinguished by the weapon used:
- Foil
- Épée
- Sabre
49…Pic Sans Nom, par exemple..ALPE
Pic Sans Nom is a peak in the French Alps. The name “Pic Sans Nom” translates from French as “Peak Without Name”, which is odd, as I think it’s named “Pic Sans Nom” …!
54…Russian Orthodox church feature..ONION DOME
The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second-largest of Christian religious tradition in the world, after Roman Catholicism. Many Orthodox churches identify themselves along national lines, such as Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox and Serbian Orthodox, etc.
55…”Christie Johnstone” novelist..READE
Charles Reade was an English author who came to public attention with a two-act comedy play called “Masks and Faces”. Reade turned the play into a prose story in 1852 that he called “Peg Woffington”. Reade also wrote a historical novel called “The Cloister and the Hearth” about a married man who becomes a Dominican friar on hearing that his wife has died. Years later he discovers that his wife is in fact still living and a struggle develops between the man’s obligation to family and his obligation to the Roman Catholic Church.
Down
1…Courses around courses..CART PATHS
Those would be cart paths on a golf course.
2…Bellini’s “Casta diva,” for one..OPERA ARIA
“Norma” is an opera written by Vincenzo Bellini, first performed in 1831. One aria from the work is “Casta diva”, which is one of the most popular arias of the 1800s.
5…Nordic carrier..SAS
SAS was formerly known as Scandinavian Airlines System and is the flag carrier of three countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. SAS is based at Stockholm Arlanda Airport located just north of the Swedish capital.
8…MD’s employee..LPN
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
9…George Washington received an honorary one from Harvard U…LLD
The honorary degree of Legum Doctor (LL.D.) translates from the Latin as Doctor of Laws, a plural. This practice of using the plural originated in Cambridge University in England, as one was awarded an LL.D. after having been taught both Canon Law and Civil Law.
Harvard College gave the school’s first LL.D (an honorary law degree) to General George Washington, doing so in April 1776, less than a month after the Continental Army had driven the British from Boston.
11…Play that inspired an opera..OTHELLO
Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Otello” was first performed in 1887 at La Scala Theater in Milan. The opera is based on Shakespeare’s play “Othello” and is considered by many to be Verdi’s greatest work.
13…__ Park, Calif…MENLO
Menlo Park is a town in the San Francisco Bay Area. The town was built around land previously owned by two Irish immigrants. The pair called their property “Menlo Park”, naming it for Menlo in County Galway, which is where the Irishmen came from.
14…Impala, e.g…SEDAN
The Chevrolet Impala was first introduced in 1957, and you can still buy one today. “Impala” is the Zulu word for “gazelle”.
20…Subj. of some “Bossypants” chapters..SNL
“Saturday Night Live” (SNL)
Tina Fey’s 2011 humorous autobiography “Bossypants” topped the New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks.
24…Ominous oater symbol..NOOSE
The term “oater” that is used for a western movie comes from the number of horses seen, as horses love oats!
25…”Hairspray” mom..EDNA
In the musical “Hairspray”, Edna Turnblad is one of the main characters. “Hairspray” was originally a John Waters movie, from 1988. In that film Edna was played by Divine, a famous drag queen who featured in many Waters films. In the stage musical that opened in 2002, the original Broadway cast featured Harvey Fierstein as Edna. The 2007 movie adaptation of the musical had John Travolta in the role.
27…Logitech product..MOUSE
Most of Logitech’s products are computer peripherals, such keyboards, mice, microphones and webcams. Logitech is a Swiss company, founded in 1981 by two Stanford graduates and a former Olivetti engineer.
29…Transvaal settlers..BOERS
“Boer” is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for “farmer”, a word that was used to describe the Dutch-speaking people who settled parts of South Africa during the 1700s.
In geographic terms, the Transvaal is an area in modern-day South Africa that lies north of the Vaal River. “Transvaal” translates as “across the Vaal”.
31…Bag lady?..KATE SPADE
Kate Spade fashion design house was founded as a supplier of handbags in 1993. The brand is named for founder Kate Brosnahan Spade. The equivalent male brand is called Jack Spade.
34…Shot contents..SERA
Blood serum is the clear, yellowish part of blood i.e. that part which is neither a blood cell or a clotting factor. Included in blood serum are antibodies, the proteins that are central to our immune system. Blood serum from animals that have immunity to some disease can be transferred to another individual, hence providing that second individual with some level of immunity. Blood serum used to pass on immunity can be called “antiserum”.
37…Maker of AgeDefy products..CLAIROL
Clairol had been around since 1931 selling hair coloring products to salons, and then hit the big time with the introduction of a one-step hair coloring product for use at home. As famous as the product was the “does she … doesn’t she” advertising campaign. Six years after the launch of the campaign, 70% of women in the US were coloring their hair.
38…Insulin, for one..HORMONE
The hormone insulin is secreted by structures in the pancreas called the islets of Langerhans, named for their island-like appearance under a microscope and for their discoverer Paul Langerhans. The hormone is named for the “islets”, as the Latin for island is “insula”.
44…It flows through Troyes and Melun..SEINE
The Seine is the river that flows through Paris. The Seine empties into the English Channel to the north, at the port city of Le Havre.
The city of Troyes is located on the River Seine just under 100 miles southeast of Paris. The popular board game called “Troyes” was released in 2010 and is named for the historic city.
Melun is suburb of Paris, located about 25 miles from the center of the city.
45…Prima __: self-evident..FACIE
“Prima facie” is Latin for “first encounter” or “at first sight”. In the world of the law, a prima facie case is one in which the evidence is deemed to be sufficient for a judgment to be made unless the evidence is contested.
46…Ostrich, for example..BIPED
The ostrich is a flightless bird that is native to Africa. It is extensively farmed, mainly for its feathers but also for its skin/leather and meat. Famously, the ostrich is the fastest moving of any flightless bird, capable of achieving speeds of over 40 mph. It is also the largest living species of bird, and lays the largest eggs.
51…Agcy. concerned with drug-resistant bacteria..CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC started out life during WWII as the Office of National Defense Malaria Control Activities. The CDC worries about much more than malaria these days …
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1…Prepares to strike, in a way..COILS
6…Where many leading males may be seen?..BALLROOMS
15…Nocturnal problem, usually..APNEA
16…Source of some sauce..APPLE TREE
17…Lets..RENTS
18…Help..LEND A HAND
19…Chic modifier..TRES
20…Advertisers say it sells..SEX
21…Mother of Huey, Dewey and Louie..DELLA
22…Service providers..PARSONS
24…Hall of Fame NHL coach Roger..NEILSON
26…Small power source..AA CELL
27…Paragon..MODEL
28…Took a shot at..TRIED
29…Sticks..BOONDOCKS
33…Google goal..HIT
34…”Semper Fidelis” composer..SOUSA
35…”I like that!”..AAH!
36…Encouragement before a shot..SAY CHEESE
39…Millions can play it at once..LOTTO
41…Frequent Greenstreet co-star..LORRE
42…Olympics competitor since 1896..FENCER
43…To the extent that..AS FAR AS
46…Quaint inn room upright..BEDPOST
47…Adjust one’s sights..REAIM
48…Get even with..TIE
49…Pic Sans Nom, par exemple..ALPE
50…Pet identification aid..MICROCHIP
53…Come up with __..A PLAN
54…Russian Orthodox church feature..ONION DOME
55…”Christie Johnstone” novelist..READE
56…Got back to one’s office?..REELECTED
57…Threw wide, say..ERRED
Down
1…Courses around courses..CART PATHS
2…Bellini’s “Casta diva,” for one..OPERA ARIA
3…Metropolitan area..INNER CITY
4…Muser’s words..LET’S SEE
5…Nordic carrier..SAS
6…Agricultural units..BALES
7…Culmination..APEX
8…MD’s employee..LPN
9…George Washington received an honorary one from Harvard U…LLD
10…Prepared..READIED
11…Play that inspired an opera..OTHELLO
12…Grueling grillings..ORALS
13…__ Park, Calif…MENLO
14…Impala, e.g…SEDAN
20…Subj. of some “Bossypants” chapters..SNL
23…Like some timers?..OLD
24…Ominous oater symbol..NOOSE
25…”Hairspray” mom..EDNA
27…Logitech product..MOUSE
29…Transvaal settlers..BOERS
30…It may have a bell on it..CAT COLLAR
31…Bag lady?..KATE SPADE
32…Cut..SHORTENED
34…Shot contents..SERA
37…Maker of AgeDefy products..CLAIROL
38…Insulin, for one..HORMONE
39…Preceded..LED
40…Theoretically..ON PAPER
42…Lawyer’s charge..FEE
43…Defensive covering..ARMOR
44…It flows through Troyes and Melun..SEINE
45…Prima __: self-evident..FACIE
46…Ostrich, for example..BIPED
48…iPhone display..TIME
51…Agcy. concerned with drug-resistant bacteria..CDC
52…In..HOT
53…Equals..ARE
LAT: DNF (too many errors), but decided to finish it out. After fixing my errors, it went ahead and finished out.
WSJ 21×21: DNF (too many errors). Followed, pretty much, the same pattern as the Saturday LAT.
In general with both, it’s noted that it can be amazing the number of reasonable sounding words you can piece together with these vague, dodgy, and often poorly-written clues to the point you have no clue you have an error or how much of the grid is in error. So it definitely seems one has to get everything right the first time every time in order to solve these.
I didn’t think the grid was “too” bad, especially after a week of Wechsler, Lim and Chen. But I agree that it’s maddening to have to go back and check your work if there’s a wrong grid. Double that if you’re doing the puzzle on paper. +1 for avoided the dreaded “epee.”
The LLD is the modern equivalent of the J.D.. My father earned a LL.D from St. Louis U. in 1960, years before they invented the J.D.. Some day I’ll have to translate his sheepskin from Latin.
Roger NEILSON was most famously known for his “white towel” incident with the Vancouver Canucks (btw, happy belated Canada Day, hosers) video. He was a colo(u)rful guy.
In keeping with the wildlife motif on these posts recently, I had two little (baby?) raccoons walk past my patio while I was doing the puzzle. I chased them away with a hockey stick. I’m having them removed from the area. They are destructive little beasts when they want to be. If they were truly civilized, those raccoons would have respected my property rights so I don’t care what happens to them as long as they’re gone…
Tough puzzle but I did prevail. It came down to guessing the P in KATESPADE/ALPE. I don’t keep up on fashions, and I missed the alpine peak thing. I also had “studied” before READIED, “PhD” before LLD, and “acres” before BALES. Uhh this took me a while.
Bella/Carrie –
Because of your trepidations about MRI’s I won’t mention something called “quenching”. That occurs when something happens to disrupt the super conductivity of the wires creating the magnetic field. The wires heat up, the heat “boils” the liquid helium into a gas (which doesn’t take much heat) thereby expanding it, and the entire machine explodes. Fortunately MRI’s are installed with a duct with a release valve that would carry any gaseous helium harmlessly out of the building. So it will never happen…probably.
Time to show these raccoons who’s boss.
Best –
Some really wrong guesses had my head spinning around like a top for too long. Finally went back and started looking at the clues with “fresh” eyes and mind and pecked away until it was done without any final errors. One of the biggest wrong guesses was putting in France instead of fencer for 42 Across. Man that had me so messed up! Will I ever learn? Doubtful.
“I didn’t think the grid was “too” bad”
For Saturday it wasn’t. Just noting something that’s a constant for me sometimes with these kinds of grids. Very hard to know if I have an error sometimes.
Like for this grid, my major problems in total was having ACRES for [6D-agricultural units], AAAMOVIES for [6A-Where many leading males may be seen?] and FEMALE for [42A-Olympics competitor since 1896]. Of course, the first two led me to RENDERAID for [18A-Help], which pretty much tanked the grid from there. Like I wrote above, once I corrected all of that, I managed a solve of the rest with a little bit of trouble.
Just turns into a no-win when you’re unsure enough about these late week grids to know you’re having trouble because you’re off and not because you can’t do them proficiently (in contrast, I’m okay with the early week grids when I see an error now). I know there’s a web search/cheating thing that some are okay with (and in fact required with meta answers), but I’ve always thought if you had to do that to solve a grid, it really isn’t much of an accomplishment.
That said, not too many spoilers, but the Sun LAT grid went similarly for me as well.
Fun puzzle. My only hangup was KATE SPADE, which doesn’t make a lick of sense to me, but that’s my fault. Anyone care to enlighten?
Bill explained it up above.
Just finished the WSJ Saturday “Big Grid” and it really went well today. My only strike over came when I changed 75 Across from the “h” I had correctly put in for the first letter to an “m” until I saw that I needed to reinstall the “h” and then things went swimmingly after that.
Have a good Saturday everyone and let’s see how the LAT’s treats us tomorrow.
Tried “Ballteams” ouch and. Got it right w/o Google. Good job, Gail.
Re MRI”S
I’ve been thinking abt how they reverse the polarity of my protons, or whatever (if I have that right). That could explain so many things!
Can anyone think of a sentence where “are” could be substituted for “equals”?
Nora –
Welcome to the blog –
2 and 2 are 4. 2 and 2 equals 4. Math uses it that way even though I understand that standard English would not put it that way.
Best –
Yes, I thought about. But where I come from (the Midwest) we’d use a plural verb, either “are” or “equal.” We wouldn’t use the plural form of one verb but the singular form of a different verb. (Well, I wouldn’t!)
Well I wasn’t going to comment on a Euro 2016 match day, plus I didn’t finish anyway. This happens when your team wins and you imbibe a bit, which isn’t necessarily conducive to cross-wording. Still I got the middle and a lot of the bottom. And, the city – well town – that I live in made the crossword. Lovely Menlo Park.
Re racoons When I lived in our southern neighbor, Palo Alto, I lived in a shared house and the tree in our backyard became a favorite amorous hangout, much to the initial amusement of the people living in the back bedrooms. This turned to an annoyance after the novelty wore off. Fortunately I lived in the front bedroom.
On to Sunday…to see who are next opponents are.
Hi y’all! Night Watch gal here! Extremely tired, having spent six hours catching up with old friends. Well worth it, but it left me too weary to handle this grid without extreme and desperate cheating.
@Nora — I’m with you — that ARE clue was pretty bad. Jeff, I take your point, but we also say 2 plus 2 IS four — don’t we?!
This bothers me, because it should be singular. We’re by definition considering the numbers as ONE WHOLE, ie the sum. Should be singular.
JEFF PLEASE DON’T HURT THE BABY RACCOONS!! There are people who will cage and relocate them to suitable environs! I KNOW they are rascals and cause damage but DON’T HURT THEM!!
….Or have you already put them in one of those exploding MRI machines?
Hey Joe: Kate Spade does lovely clean lined slightly retro dresses, usually with a pop of color. Her bags are simple, sturdy, and chic. So, now you must buy one for you wife! (Another option is to disregard this unimportant info…?)
Be well~~™?