Constructed by: Shannon Summer
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
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Theme: Towed, Toed, Toad
Today’s themed answers start with words that rhyme, namely TOWED, TOED and TOAD:
- 20A…Brought in for repair, as a disabled car..TOWED TO THE SHOP
- 35A…Obeyed strictly..TOED THE LINE
- 52A…Milne play about an amphibian..TOAD OF TOAD HALL
Bill’s time: 5m 28s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
9…Hood’s bank job..HEIST
“Hood” is a slang term for “gangster”, a shortening of “hoodlum”.
14…Author __ Stanley Gardner..ERLE
I must have read all of the Perry Mason books when I was in college. I think they kept me sane when I was facing the pressure of exams. Author Erle Stanley Gardner was himself a lawyer, although he didn’t get into the profession the easy way. Gardner went to law school, but got himself suspended after a month. So, he became a self-taught attorney and opened his own law office in Merced, California. Understandably, he gave up the law once his novels became successful.
17…Roman love god..AMOR
Cupid, the Greek god of desire, was also known as Amor. “Cupido” is Latin for “desire” and “amor” is Latin for “love”.
18…Bird sacred to Tut..IBIS
The ibis is a wading bird that was revered in ancient Egypt. “Ibis” is an interesting word grammatically speaking. You can have one “ibis” or two “ibises”, and then again one has a flock of “ibis”. And if you want to go with the classical plural, instead of two “ibises” you would have two “ibides”!
King Tut is a name commonly used for the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen. Tutankhamen may not have been the most significant of the pharaohs historically, but he is the most famous today largely because of the discovery of his nearly intact tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter. Prior to this find, any Egyptian tombs uncovered by archaeologists had been ravaged by grave robbers. Tutankhamen’s magnificent burial mask is one of the most recognizable of all Egyptian artifacts.
23…Dublin’s land: Abbr…IRE
The city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is known as Baile Átha Cliath in Irish (“town of the hurdled ford”). The English name “Dublin” is an anglicized form of the older Irish name for the city “Dubh Linn”, meaning “black pool”.
25…Either “T” in “AT&T,” when abbreviated..TEL
The original AT&T Corporation was first known as the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.
26…Jul. and Aug…MOS
Our month of July used to be called “Quintilis” in Ancient Rome. “Quintilis” is Latin for “fifth”, and it was the fifth month of the year back then. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, the Roman Senate renamed Quintilis to Julius, in his honor, which evolved into our “July”. The month of August, originally called “Sextilis” in Latin, was renamed in honor of Augustus.
34…__ Spumante..ASTI
Asti is a sparkling white wine from the Piedmont region of Italy, and is named for the town of Asti around which the wine is produced. The wine used to be called Asti Spumante, and it had a very bad reputation as a “poor man’s champagne”. The “Spumante” was dropped in a marketing attempt at rebranding associated with a reduction in the amount of residual sugar in the wine.
35…Obeyed strictly..TOED THE LINE
The idiomatic expression “to toe the line” means “to obey”. The etymology of the phrase is disputed, although it is likely to come from the Royal Navy. Barefooted sailors were required to stand to attention for inspection lined up along the seams for the wooden deck, hence “”toeing the line”.
42…Bugs for payment..DUNS
“To dun” is to insist on payment of a debt. The etymology of the term is unclear, with one suggestion that it dates back to a famous debt collector in London named Joe Dun.
49…&..AND
Back in the day, when reciting the alphabet it was common to emphasize that some letters could be used as a word in itself. One would say “A per se A, B, C, D … I per se I, J, K, L … denoting that the letters A and I are also their own words. It was common to add the & symbol at the end of the recitation, as if it were a 27th letter. So the alphabet ended with “X, Y, Z, & (and) per se and”. This “and per se and” statement was slurred to “ampersand”, giving the name that we use today for the & symbol.
50…Hindu term of respect..SRI
“Sri” is a title of respect for a male in India.
52…Milne play about an amphibian..TOAD OF TOAD HALL
Mr. Toad is one of the main characters in the children’s novel “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame. A. A. Milne (of “Winnie the Pooh” fame) wrote several plays based on “The Wind in the Willows”, the first of which is “Toad of Toad Hall”. And, Mr Toad’s Wild Ride was (it’s gone now!) one of the original rides at Disneyland when the park opened in 1955.
56…Beat at chess..MATED
In the game of chess, when the king is under immediate threat of capture it is said to be “in check”. If the king cannot escape from check, then the game ends in “checkmate” and the player in check loses. In the original Sanskrit game of chess, the king could actually be captured. Then a rule was introduced requiring that a warning be given if capture was imminent (today we announce “check!”) so that an accidental and early ending to the game doesn’t occur.
57…”If __ $1000000″: Barenaked Ladies song..I HAD
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The somewhat quirky name chosen by the band tends to reflect the group’s concert style. The band is noted for kidding around on stage with lots of banter between songs. They’re also noted for composing and performing the catchy theme song for the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”.
58…List-ending abbr…ET AL
Et alii (et al.) is the equivalent of et cetera (etc.), with et cetera being used in place of a list of objects, and et alii used for a list of names. In fact “et al.” can stand for et alii (for a group of males, or males and females), aliae (for a group of women) and et alia (for a group of neuter nouns, or for a group of people where the intent is to retain gender-neutrality).
59…Doctor on the starship Enterprise..MCCOY
The actor DeForest Kelley is best known for playing Bones McCoy in the original “Star Trek” cast. The show’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, originally offered Kelley the role of Spock, but Kelly refused it and so was given the part of the ship’s medical officer.
60…San __, Italy..REMO
The Italian city of San Remo sits on the Mediterranean, right on the border with France. In Italian the city is named Sanremo, just one word, although the spelling of “San Remo” dates back to ancient times.
61…Shortest Great Lake name..ERIE
Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes by area (Lake Ontario is the smallest). The lake takes its name from the Erie tribe of Native Americans that used to live along its southern shore. Erie is the smallest of the Great Lakes by volume and the shallowest, something for which nearby residents must be quite grateful. Being relatively shallow, much of Erie freezes over part way through most winters putting an end to most of the lake effect snow that falls in the snow belt extending from the lake’s edge.
63…Golda of Israel..MEIR
Golda Meir was known as the “Iron Lady” when she was Prime Minister of Israel, long before that sobriquet came to be associated with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Golda Meir was born Golda Mabovitch in Kiev (in modern-day Ukraine), and when she was a young girl she moved with her family to the United States and settled in Milwaukee. As a teenager she relocated to Denver where she met and married Morris Meyerson, at the age of 19. She and her husband joined a kibbutz in Palestine in 1921, when she was in her twenties. Meir had been active in politics in the US, and continued her political work in Palestine. She was very influential during WWII, and played a leading role in negotiations after the war leading to the setting up of the state of Israel. By the time she was called on to lead the country, Meir had already retired, citing exhaustion and ill health. But serve she did, and led Israel during turbulent times (e.g. the massacre at the Munich Olympics, and the Yom Kippur War). She eventually resigned in 1974, saying that was what the people wanted.
64…Title for Byron..LORD
George Gordon Byron, known simply as “Lord Byron”, was an English poet active in the early 1800s. Byron was equally as famous for his poetry as he was for the wild excesses in his personal life. Byron lived much of that life outside of England, and fought for revolutionaries in both Italy and Greece. He died from a fever contracted while fighting for the Greeks against the Ottomans.
Down
3…Adagio, as compared to allegro..SLOWER
The tempo of a piece of music is usually designated with an Italian word on the score. For example, “grave” is slow and solemn, “andante” is at a walking pace, and “allegro” is fast, quickly and bright.
6…Explorer Sebastian..CABOT
Sebastian Cabot was an explorer from the Venetian Republic in Italy. Sebastian was the son of the more famous explorer John Cabot.
9…Red tape, e.g…HASSLE
Back in the days of yore in England, official documents were bound in bundles with red ribbon. So, getting through all the paperwork required “cutting through the red tape”.
10…O.T. book named for a woman..ESTH
Esther was a Jewish queen, wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus, and the heroine of the Book of Esther in the Bible. By the way, Esther is the only book in the Bible that doesn’t mention the word “God”.
22…”Lo, How a Rose __ Blooming”: carol..E’ER
“Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” is a German Christmas carol, the title of which translates as “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”.
30…Thai money..BAHTS
The baht is the currency of Thailand, and is subdivided into 100 satang.
36…Dog believed to have originated in Newfoundland..LABRADOR
The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814, and the chocolate Labrador appeared over a century later in the 1930s. The name “Labrador Retriever” is simply a reference to the breed’s origin and behavior. Labs originally “retrieved” from the “Labrador Sea”.
38…__ Beta Kappa..PHI
Phi Beta Kappa was the first collegiate Greek fraternity in the US, founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary. The organization served as a model for future collegiate fraternities and sororities, although in the 19th century Phi Beta Kappa distanced itself from the fraternal focus and transformed into the honor society that it is today, recognizing academic excellence. The initials Phi Beta Kappa stand for “philosophia biou kybernētēs”, which translates into “philosophy is the guide of life”. The symbol of the Phi Beta Kappa Society is a golden key.
39…It’s “read” during a reprimand..RIOT ACT
The Riot Act was a British law that was in force from 1715 to 1967. According to the Riot Act, government entities could declare any gathering of twelve or more people “unlawful”. Our expression “read the Riot Act” is derived from the requirement for the authorities to read out the Riot Act proclamation to an unlawful assembly before the Act could be enforced.
42…Beatnik’s bro..DADDY-O
The term “beatnik” was coined by journalist Herb Caen in 1958 when he used it to describe the stereotypical young person of the “beat generation” that was oft associated with the writer Jack Kerouac. That stereotypical beatnik would be playing the bongos and rolling his or her own cigarettes. Male beatniks also tended to sport goatees and wear berets.
43…Game with Draw Two cards..UNO
In my youth I remember being taught a great card game, by a German acquaintance of mine, called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that’s used for Mau Mau. I hear that Mau Mau is derived from the game called Crazy Eights.
46…Cream-filled pastry..ECLAIR
The name for the pastry known as an “éclair” is clearly French in origin. The French word for lightning is “éclair”, but no one seems to be too sure how it came to be used for the rather delicious bakery item.
50…”Ditto”..SO AM I
“Ditto” was originally used in Italian (from Tuscan dialect) to avoid repetition of the names of months in a series of dates. So, “ditto” is just another wonderful import from that lovely land …
55…Cad..HEEL
Our word “cad”, meaning “a person lacking in finer feelings”, is a shortening of the word “cadet”. “Cad” was first used for a servant, and then students at British universities used “cad” as a term for a boy from the local town. “Cad” took on its current meaning in the 1830s.
56…Sra., in France..MME
The equivalent of “Mrs.” in French is “Mme.” (Madame), in Spanish is “Sra.” (Señora) and in Portuguese is also “Sra.” (Senhora).
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1…Monster party..BASH
5…Cooled with cubes, as tea..ICED
9…Hood’s bank job..HEIST
14…Author __ Stanley Gardner..ERLE
15…Dress that reaches the ankles..MAXI
16…According to..AS PER
17…Roman love god..AMOR
18…Bird sacred to Tut..IBIS
19…Animal shelter arrival..STRAY
20…Brought in for repair, as a disabled car..TOWED TO THE SHOP
23…Dublin’s land: Abbr…IRE
24…__ bran..OAT
25…Either “T” in “AT&T,” when abbreviated..TEL
26…Jul. and Aug…MOS
28…Oppressive ruler..TYRANT
30…Cause of much yawning..BORE
31…Really bug..IRK
32…Playground plank for two..SEESAW
34…__ Spumante..ASTI
35…Obeyed strictly..TOED THE LINE
38…Coll. staff member..PROF
40…”Finally!”..AT LAST!
41…Joint that may need replacing..HIP
42…Bugs for payment..DUNS
44…Put a worm on..BAITED
48…Electrical particle..ION
49…&..AND
50…Hindu term of respect..SRI
51…Lead-in with car or tourism..ECO-
52…Milne play about an amphibian..TOAD OF TOAD HALL
56…Beat at chess..MATED
57…”If __ $1000000″: Barenaked Ladies song..I HAD
58…List-ending abbr…ET AL
59…Doctor on the starship Enterprise..MCCOY
60…San __, Italy..REMO
61…Shortest Great Lake name..ERIE
62…Culture: Pref…ETHNO-
63…Golda of Israel..MEIR
64…Title for Byron..LORD
Down
1…”Scram!”..BEAT IT!
2…Weapons facility..ARMORY
3…Adagio, as compared to allegro..SLOWER
4…”You can have it”..HERE
5…Mimicked..IMITATED
6…Explorer Sebastian..CABOT
7…Interstate highway sign word..EXIT
8…One hanging near the kitchen sink..DISHTOWEL
9…Red tape, e.g…HASSLE
10…O.T. book named for a woman..ESTH
11…”Scout’s honor!”..I PROMISE!
12…City on a harbor..SEAPORT
13…Attempt..TRY
21…Transplant recipient..DONEE
22…”Lo, How a Rose __ Blooming”: carol..E’ER
27…Speed down snowy slopes..SKI
29…Starting with..AS OF
30…Thai money..BAHTS
33…Not give an inch..STAND FIRM
34…Pro’s opposite..ANTI
35…First-class..TOPNOTCH
36…Dog believed to have originated in Newfoundland..LABRADOR
37…Start of a “Come again?” response..I SAID …
38…__ Beta Kappa..PHI
39…It’s “read” during a reprimand..RIOT ACT
42…Beatnik’s bro..DADDY-O
43…Game with Draw Two cards..UNO
45…Italian playhouse..TEATRO
46…Cream-filled pastry..ECLAIR
47…Dressed to kill, with “up”..DOLLED
50…”Ditto”..SO AM I
53…Thousands of years..AEON
54…”With this ring, I __ wed”..THEE
55…Cad..HEEL
56…Sra., in France..MME
Hi Everyone: Would have finished this one really fast but I put ‘Seattle” in for 12D and “Despot” for 28A.
I thought the theme was cute.
Very interesting bit of info about the alphabet recitation and the origin of ampersand.
9:07, no errors, iPad.
@Carrie … Thanks for the comment about the phrase “Genius Bar” … I shall assume you’re right that it’s meant to be tongue-in-cheek; perhaps it’ll give me a better attitude when I walk into the Apple Store … 🙂 . Also, I’m on the same page as you regarding “Soylent” … I can’t separate it from “Green” …
Add me to the list of Soylent Green people. It’s the first thing I thought of the second I saw the word. The drink must be aimed at people too young to remember the movie.
Nice Monday grid. Not overly easy. I always thought it was “towed the line”. I don’t know if I’ve ever written those words, but I’ve been incorrect about it my whole life in my head. But that’s why I come here every day.
Best –
First I completed the Sunday grid before tackling this mornings puzzle. I thought the Sunday grid was pretty easy. My only real difficulty, self administered, was due to putting in “bug-a-boos” for 87 down rather than “bug bears” (which is unfamiliar to me) and that hung up the completion of the southern section.
Today was really typical Monday fare without any real problems. Finished fast and left no real impression.
Hope everyone has a good start to the week.
@ Jeff I always thought “towed the line” was the phrase until I learned it was “toed”
Also thought it was “hold up” instead of “holed up”.
Easy Monday. Never heard of the Toad play.
@ Carrie Eeeww! Soylent green is people!!!
Count me on the list too.
Hello fellows ( including gals ) – had a good time with the puzzle, but could not get the theme…. oh well.
I should like to link Sri, and the many interpretations. (wiki) . It may be TMI, but I found it fascinating, and I was not familiar with a lot of uses that it had.
I wonder (a) how long is the Riot Act, (how many pages – ) , and (b) how can it be read (to – ) in a state of total anarchy and calamity, and if one has to read the Riot Act ad verbatim, and the rioters ignore it, does the judge eventually, actually and literally throw a ‘book ‘ at you ? … or (as a rioter – ) could you claim that you never heard the last few lines or paragraphs and thus were not ‘properly and legally informed’ of the consequences of your actions and thus claim some extenuating circumstances, to avoid a penalty ?
( The prudent would have moved along, long since …)
I am soo disappointed to know that there was/is no Mr. Ampers for whom the ‘and’ was named after. I had just assumed that there was a Mr. Ampers, far off relative of Mr. Ampere, and probably a typesetter who had concocted the fascinating symbol. ( and probably had a copyright on the logo ). Bill, great information, that some day, I will plaigarize to impress someone else.
Finally, I have just returned from Denver Co., and cant help but link an old gospel song, from Lawrence Welk – One Toke over the line, Sweet Jesus, one toke over the line . please feel free to ignore it, if it may offend you.
Have a nice day, all.
Loved your post, Vidwan … I had no idea “Sri” was so loaded with meaning … and, as for your musings about the Riot Act and a hypothetical Mr. Ampers, well … how do the kids put it these days? … LOL? … yes, that’s it … 🙂
No more “Mr. Toad’s wild at Disneyland? Bummer!
Oops! “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” is what I meant to type. I used to make sure to ride it, even when I was an adult! Anyone else remember when you had to buy tickets to the rides at Disneyland? The best rides were “e” tickets, and the toddler rides were “a” tickets, if I remember correctly. You got a “book” of tickets with the price of admission, and could then purchase extra tickets at kiosks located throughout the park. Disneyland also used to be relatively inexpensive, but now I think it’s nearly $100 per person!
I can’t find any reference to “Solent” in the grid. I remember watching “Soylent Green” when I was too young to really understand it. But still, ew!
Pardon the self promotion (and please let me know if it’s against the rules) but I have a blog that I’ve recommitted to. If you’re interested in food, please take a few moments and check it out: http://justjoel59.wordpress.com
Sorry, I’m not sure how to post links in a comment; I’ve forgotten the html tag. Senility is just around the corner!
Fascinating to find out where the word “ampersand” comes from. The form it takes is a stylized “et” which is more noticeable in certain type faces.
Well there’s only 10 comments so far so the line hasn’t been crossed for reading the Riot Act, but just to preempt, in case two more show up:
“Our sovereign lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the act made in the first year of King George, for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God save the King.”
or I guess Queen now. Also the riotous group of 12 or more have an hour to disburse. It has actually been incorporated into the Criminal Code of Canada and they only have 30 minutes! Mon Dieu! It was last read at the Stanley Cup Riot in Vancouver 2007! Zut Alors!
re Sri Really interesting that Srinagar should be read as Sri Nagar.
The puzzle took a little longer than usual due to MCCOY AEON and TOAD; I think about :14 on paper.
Hi folks!
@Dave, Jeff, Pookie — thanks so much for confirming I’m not crazy (at least where this Soylent thing is concerned!!) I saw an article in the New Yorker about the guy and his beverage, and he was asked about the name’s association — he didn’t seem to care.
Hey Joel! I brought up “Soylent” yesterday: some entrepreneur has given his drink mix that name, which I found SO STRANGE since it’s associated with a creepy dystopian movie from the 70s, “Soylent Green.” Had to bring it up with this erudite crowd of ours!! I’ll check out your blog too; thanks for the link!
@Vidwan, great little video of those cheery folks!
As often happens since I get here so late, I’m inclined to respond to you-all (or ramble) rather than comment on the puzzle itself. FWIW — good Monday puzzle; only a few items gave me pause. Easy stuff.
See you tomorrow, gang!
Be well~~™?