Constructed by: Jeffrey Wechsler
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
Quicklink to comments
Theme: Jack’s Inside
Today’s themed answers are common phrases with the word JACK inserted:
- 16A…Item on a certain thief’s rap sheet?..PAST CARJACKING (past caring + Jack)
- 32A…Dinner for a lottery winner?..JACKPOT ROAST (pot roast + Jack)
- 39A…Mural of a wild canine?..JACKAL FRESCO (alfresco + Jack)
- 56A…Last of a $140 stack?..SEVENTH JACKSON (seventh son + Jack)
Bill’s time: 18m 37s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1…City NE of Odessa..MIDLAND
Midland, Texas was founded as a city in 1881 as the midway point between Fort Worth and El Paso on the Texas and Pacific Railroad. Midland is noted in recent years as the birth city of former First Lady Laura Bush, as well as being former home to both President George W. Bush and President George H. W. Bush and their families.
The city of Odessa, Texas has as its symbol the jack rabbit. This is because from the thirties through the seventies the city hosted a rodeo for roping rabbits. The Humane Society applied pressure and the city did away with the tradition in 1977.
8…American Pharoah accoutrement..BRIDLE
American Pharaoh was the twelfth winner of the Triple Crown, achieving the feat in 2015. The horse’s name was inspired by that of his parents: Pioneerof the Nile (dam) and Yankee Gentleman (sire).
16…Item on a certain thief’s rap sheet?..PAST CARJACKING (past caring + Jack)
A rap sheet is a criminal record. “Rap” is a slang term dating back to the 1700s that means “blame, responsibility” as in “to take the rap” and “to beat the rap”. This usage morphed into “rap sheet” in the early 1900s.
18…Party planner’s compilation..E-LIST
An “e-list” is a group mailing list.
19…Big Island entertainment..UKES
The ukulele (uke) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.
The largest island in the state of Hawaii is named Hawaii, and nicknamed “the Big Island”. Of the Hawaiian islands that I’ve had the pleasure to visit, the Big Island is definitely my favorite.
20…Tour stop..GIG
Musicians use “gig” to describe a job, a performance. The term originated in the early 1900s in the world of jazz.
22…Put down..DIS
“Dis” is a slang term meaning “insult” that originated in the eighties. It is a shortened form of “disrespect” or “dismiss”.
23…Sequential exercise..SCALES
Those would be musical scales, on a piano perhaps.
26…Name on the 1983 album “More Music for Films”..ENO
Brian Eno produced a 1978 album titled “Music for Films”. The work comprises short tracks intended as a soundtrack for imaginary films. Eno followed up with “More Music for Films” in 1983, and “Music for Films, Volume 3” in 1988.
27…Long-distance calling org.?..SETI
SETI is the name given to a number of projects that are searching for extraterrestrial life. The acronym stands for “search for extraterrestrial intelligence”. One of the main SETI activities is the monitoring of electromagnetic radiation (such as radio waves) reaching the Earth in the hope of finding a transmission from a civilization in another world.
29…Linguistic ending..-ESE
Chinese, Burmese, Portuguese, etc.
30…Graceful wader..EGRET
Egrets are a group of several species of white herons. Many egret species were faced with extinction in the 1800s and early 1900s due to plume hunting, a practice driven by the demand for egret plumes that could be incorporated into hats.
32…Dinner for a lottery winner?..JACKPOT ROAST (pot roast + Jack)
The term “jackpot” dates back to the 1800s and is from the game of poker. In some variants there are progressive antes, meaning that players have to “ante up” when no player has a pair of “jacks” or better … building a “jackpot”.
36…”C U When U Get There” rapper..COOLIO
Coolio is the stage name of rapper Artis Leon Ivey, Jr. In 2009, Coolio joined fellow-American Le Toya Jackson as one of the house guests in “Celebrity Big Brother” (UK version) and apparently he created quite a stir on the show with some outrageous comments. But Coolio also showed a softer side with a spontaneous and emotional reaction to the election of Barack Obama to the office of US President as he watched the election results coming in live in the Big Brother house.
38…Cans on a Lowe’s shelf..PAINTS
Lucius S. Lowe opened the first Lowe’s hardware store in 1921, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Lucius only knew the one store, as it was family who expanded the company after he passed away in 1940.
39…Mural of a wild canine?..JACKAL FRESCO (alfresco + Jack)
Jackals are small omnivorous predators and scavengers that are related to the wolf and dog. Jackals have been deliberately crossbred with certain species of dog. One example is the Russian Sulimov dog, a breed developed by crossing Lapponian herder dogs with Turkmen golden jackals. Sulimov dogs are used in Russia for airport security as sniffer dogs.
A “fresco” is a painting created on a moist plaster, usually on a wall or ceiling. The plaster is “freshly” laid when the image is created, and “fresco” is the Italian for “fresh”.
Our word “alfresco” means outdoors, in the fresh air. The term derives from the Italian “al fresco”, which translates as “in the fresh (air)”.
41…Flew like a birdie..ARCED
“Birdie” is another name for a shuttlecock, the projectile used in the sport of badminton.
42…Minn. neighbor..ONT
The Canadian province of Ontario takes its name from the Great Lake. In turn, Lake Ontario’s name is thought to be derived from “Ontari:io”, a Huron word meaning “great lake”. Ontario is home to the nation’s capital of Ottawa as well as Toronto, Canada’s most populous city (and the capital of the province).
43…Zachary Taylor, e.g…WHIG
The Whig Party (in the US) was active from 1833 to 1856, and was the opposition party to the Democrats at that time. One of the tenets of the Whig Party was the supremacy of Congress over the Executive branch. Prominent members of the party included Presidents Zachary Taylor and John Tyler. Abraham Lincoln was also a Whig while he served a two-year term as a US Representative for the state of Illinois. By the time he became President, Lincoln was a member of the Republican Party.
Zachary Taylor won the 1848 election to become the 12th US president, and the first president to hold office without a political resume. Taylor was a career military man, known as “Old Rough and Ready” Taylor. He died only 16 months into his term, apparently of gastroenteritis. Given that rumors of poisoning persisted over the decades, his body was exhumed in 1991 and tissue samples were checked for signs of foul play. Nothing out of order was discovered, although rumours still persist.
47…Affected denial..MOI?
“Moi” is the French word for “me”. One might say “Moi?” when feigning innocence.
53…Prominent feature of “Twilight” films?..FANG
“The Twilight Saga” is a series of films based on the “The Twilight” series of books by Stephenie Meyer. They’re all about vampires. I don’t do vampires …
54…Query in Matthew..IS IT I?
At the Last Supper, Jesus told his apostles that one of them would betray him that day. According to the Gospel of Matthew:
And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
56…Last of a $140 stack?..SEVENTH JACKSON (seventh son + Jack)
The 20-dollar bill is called a “Jackson” as it bears the portrait of President Andrew Jackson on the front side of the bill. Jackson’s image replaced that of President Grover Cleveland in 1928, and there doesn’t seem to be any record documenting just why that change was made. Over one-fifth of all notes printed today are 20-dollar bills, and the average life of a “Jackson” is a little over 2 years, after which it is replaced due to wear.
According to folklore, the seventh son of a seventh son has special powers. Tradition dictates that the seven sons in each family must be born sequentially, with no daughters intervening.
61…”The Little Prince” author Saint-Exupéry..ANTOINE
“Le Petit Prince” is a celebrated French novella written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and first published in 1943. “Le Petit Prince” (The Little Prince) is the most read book in France, and the book most translated from French. The philosophical tale recounts the story of a stranded pilot meeting a young prince who falls to Earth from an asteroid. Saint-Exupéry was himself a pioneering aviator. He wrote “Le Petit France” while living in exile in the US due to the German occupation of France during WWII.
Down
1…Economical bikes..MOPEDS
The word “moped” was coined in 1952, by a Swedish journalist called Harald Nielsen. The term is a portmanteau of “motor” and “pedal”.
4…Pullover beneficiaries..LATS
The muscles known as the “lats” are the latissimi dorsi, the broadest muscles in the back. “Latissimus” is the Latin for “broadest” and “dorsum” is Latin for “back”.
6…Gp. with many arms..NRA
The NRA is the National Rifle Association, an organization that has been around since 1871. The NRA has had some celebrity presidents, including US President Ulysses S. Grant. It’s often said that the NRA is the most powerful lobbying group in Washington.
7…Strauss’ “__ Rosenkavalier”..DER
“Der Rosenkavalier” is a comic opera composed by Richard Strauss, with the title translating as “The Knight of the Rose”.
13…Avant-garde quality..EDGINESS
People described as avant-garde are especially innovative. “Avant-garde” is French for “advance guard”.
17…Aromatic cocktail..JULEP
The mint julep is a bourbon-based cocktail that is associated with the American South, and with the Kentucky Derby in particular. If you’d like to make yourself a mint julep, one recipe is:
- 3 oz of Bourbon
- 4-6 sprigs of mint
- granulated sugar to taste
21…Düsseldorf deity..GOTT
“Gott” is German for “god”.
The city of Düsseldorf lies in the west of Germany, fairly close to the border with France. It is located on the River Rhine.
24…Director DeMille..CECIL
Cecil B. Demille was a movie director and producer who started his professional career in the silent era. DeMille’s movies were often epic works, such “Cleopatra” (1936), “Samson and Delilah” (1949), “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952) and “The Ten Commandments” (1956). The Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award is named in his honor, and indeed he was its first recipient.
25…”I’ll kneel down / And ___ thee forgiveness”: King Lear..ASK OF
Shakespeare was inspired to write his famous drama “King Lear” by the legend of “Leir of Britain”, the story of a mythological Celtic king.
30…Former attorney general Holder..ERIC
Eric Holder was the Attorney General of the United States from 2009 to 2015, the first African American to hold the position. Holder was close to President Obama during the presidential campaign. Holder was the campaign’s legal advisor and was also one of the three members on the Obama vice-presidential selection committee that recommended future Vice President Joe Biden.
31…Moody Blues hit with an exclamation point in its title..GO NOW!
The song “Go Now” was written by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett, and first recorded by Larry’s wife Bessie Banks in 1962. The most famous version of the song was recorded by the Moody Blues, and released in the US in 1965 as “Go Now!” The exclamation point in the Moody Blues title wasn’t on the original song.
The Moody Blues are an English rock band that was formed in 1964. The Moody Blues were noted in the early days for fusing classical musical with rock and released a famous 1967 album in that style called “Days of Future Passed”.
33…”When I was __ … “: “H.M.S. Pinafore” lyric..A LAD
“H.M.S. Pinafore” is one of my favorite of the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas (a production we staged at high school, many moons ago). “Pinafore” was one of the first big hits for Gilbert & Sullivan (in their native Britain, and in America), and they followed it up with “The Pirates of Penzance” and “The Mikado”.
37…West..OCCIDENT
Geographically speaking, the world is sometimes divided into the Orient in the east, and the Occident in the west.
39…Hinge holder..JAMB
A door or window jamb is the vertical portion of the frame. The term “jamb” comes from the French word “jambe” meaning “leg”.
44…Sauce served with mu shu pork..HOISIN
Hoisin sauce is named for the Chinese word for “seafood”. However, hoisin sauce contains no seafood, and nor is it served with seafood!
Moo shu pork (also “mu shu pork”) is a traditional dish from northern China, with the main ingredients being shredded pork and scrambled egg.
49…Not at all calm..ANTSY
The word “antsy” embodies the concept of “having ants in one’s pants”, meaning being nervous and fidgety. However, “antsy” has been used in English since the 1830s, whereas “ants in the pants” originated a century later.
50…Judge’s decrees..DICTA
“Dictum” (plural “dicta”) is a legal term describing a statement by a court as part of a judgment.
55…Candy bar with a Nordic name..SKOR
Skor is a candy bar produced by Hershey’s. “Skor” is Swedish for “shoes”, and the candy bar’s wrapping features a crown that is identical to that found in the Swedish national emblem. What “shoes” have to do with candy, I don’t know …
57…Sch. near the Appomattox River..VSU
Virginia State University (VSU) in Ettrick, Virginia was founded in 1882 as the nation’s first state-supported university for African Americans.
The Appomattox River in Virginia is a named for the Appomattoc tribe that resided along its banks.
58…Noisy bird..JAY
The bird known as a “jay” is sometimes called a “magpie”, although the terms are not completely interchangeable.
59…Chemical suffix..-ANE
The “smaller” alkanes are gases and are quite combustible. Methane (CH4) is the main component of natural gas with ethane (C2H6) being the second largest component. Propane (C3H8) is also found in natural gas and is heavy enough to be readily turned into a liquid by compression, for ease of transportation and storage. Butane (C4H10) is also easily liquefied under pressure and can be used as the fuel in cigarette lighters or as the propellant in aerosol sprays. The heavier alkanes are liquids and solids at room temperature.
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1…City NE of Odessa..MIDLAND
8…American Pharoah accoutrement..BRIDLE
14…Like many lots..ONE-ACRE
15…Like bad butter..RANCID
16…Item on a certain thief’s rap sheet?..PAST CARJACKING (past caring + Jack)
18…Party planner’s compilation..E-LIST
19…Big Island entertainment..UKES
20…Tour stop..GIG
22…Put down..DIS
23…Sequential exercise..SCALES
26…Name on the 1983 album “More Music for Films”..ENO
27…Long-distance calling org.?..SETI
29…Linguistic ending..-ESE
30…Graceful wader..EGRET
32…Dinner for a lottery winner?..JACKPOT ROAST (pot roast + Jack)
36…”C U When U Get There” rapper..COOLIO
38…Cans on a Lowe’s shelf..PAINTS
39…Mural of a wild canine?..JACKAL FRESCO (alfresco + Jack)
41…Flew like a birdie..ARCED
42…Minn. neighbor..ONT
43…Zachary Taylor, e.g…WHIG
47…Affected denial..MOI?
48…Held up..PAUSED
51…With 48-Down, judging with others..ON A …
52…Sign of spring..BUD
53…Prominent feature of “Twilight” films?..FANG
54…Query in Matthew..IS IT I?
56…Last of a $140 stack?..SEVENTH JACKSON (seventh son + Jack)
60…Follows..ENSUES
61…”The Little Prince” author Saint-Exupéry..ANTOINE
62…Like hunks..STUDLY
63…Ached (for)..YEARNED
Down
1…Economical bikes..MOPEDS
2…Not a good way to be caught..IN A LIE
3…Call it off..DESIST
4…Pullover beneficiaries..LATS
5…Bookkeeper’s concerns: Abbr…ACCTS
6…Gp. with many arms..NRA
7…Strauss’ “__ Rosenkavalier”..DER
8…Slow down..BRAKE
9…Hurries..RACES
10…Tattoo parlor supplies..INKS
11…Roman 601..DCI
12…Not hurry home from..LINGER AT
13…Avant-garde quality..EDGINESS
17…Aromatic cocktail..JULEP
21…Düsseldorf deity..GOTT
24…Director DeMille..CECIL
25…”I’ll kneel down / And ___ thee forgiveness”: King Lear..ASK OF
28…”Kidding”..I JOKE
30…Former attorney general Holder..ERIC
31…Moody Blues hit with an exclamation point in its title..GO NOW!
33…”When I was __ … “: “H.M.S. Pinafore” lyric..A LAD
34…Starts the day..OPENS
35…Sample..TASTE
36…Whoops it up..CAROUSES
37…West..OCCIDENT
39…Hinge holder..JAMB
40…Like stormy seas..ROUGH
44…Sauce served with mu shu pork..HOISIN
45…Chant..INTONE
46…Profited..GAINED
48…See 51-Across.. … PANEL
49…Not at all calm..ANTSY
50…Judge’s decrees..DICTA
53…It might be resolved through mediation..FEUD
55…Candy bar with a Nordic name..SKOR
57…Sch. near the Appomattox River..VSU
58…Noisy bird..JAY
59…Chemical suffix..-ANE
This one was a real stinker for me, and the theme eluded me until I read Bill’s blog. I initially thought it was one of those game show “before and after” questions. You know – jackpot, pot roast). This does not bode well, I’m afraid, for Saturday’s grid. Perhaps because I’m down with something, the entire week seemed to a bit harder than usual.
To me, a pullover is a sweater. Does it benefit the lats by keeping them warm, or is it another word for a pull-up or a chin-up?
TGIF, Right?
Agree completely. Makes sense that a pullover is some kind of exercise but I wouldn’t know about that, I thought like you did. Lots of cheating for me to finish this one.
Drabble is perfect today…
http://www.gocomics.com/drabble/2016/10/7
You cheat?
Yeah, it’s either that or not finish.
Oh, I’m not the Bill who writes this blog!
I kept filling words into this grid only about 50% certain I was right. It was very tricky for me in that sense. SEVENTHJACKSON was the first major breakthrough. I kept wanting to put VMI instead of VSU which held me up for a long time. I finally had to look up COOLIE in order for everything else to fall. I think we should ban rappers from these grids. They get me every time.
Lots of interesting info in the blog as usual e.g. the origin of the term “jackpot”. New to me.
Dumbell pullovers are done lying down on a bench with your arms stretched out over your head supinely (is that a word??) holding a dumbell. You then pull the dumbell up while keeping your arms straight over your body until it’s more or less directly over your face. Repeat…. Advice – when the dumbell is over your face, don’t drop it.
TGIF – an aromatic cocktail sounds good for this evening, but I’m not a fan of juleps. I’ll think of something else.
Best –
@Jeff Thanks for the clarification on “pullover. Never was much for dead weight exercises, so it’s no surprise that I didn’t know the term. I’m am (remotely) familiar with the excersize you described. And have you considered a mojito for tonight’s well-deserved cocktail? The mint’s there, like a julep, but it’s rum and lime instead of bourbon. Well, whatever you decide upon, let me know, ’cause I’m getting really tired of greyhounds!
Joel –
I’ve actually gotten to the point where I just prefer bourbon neat or ala Frank Sinatra (2 fingers, 3 ice cubes and a splash of water)- especially if I’m out to dinner or something. Beer (which I love), cocktails, and even wine tend to fill me up and make me feel bloated, and I can’t enjoy the meal as much. Maybe it all boils down to me being too cheap to want to waste the food on a bloated stomach….
Best –
Newsflash: “Supinely” is a word, and I even used it correctly. Just checked. First time for everything…..
Best
12:33, no errors, iPad. This one must have played to my strengths, because I thought it was rather easy for a Friday.
I had the same thoughts regarding “pullover”, but apparently it is “a move in gymnastics that consists of pulling oneself up and then over a bar with two hands, so that the arms are straight and the waist is in line with the bar, keeping the body straight and vertical” (found on a Wikipedia site). In other words, an utterly impossible feat … 🙂
Loved the “Drabble” cartoon …
It has been demonstrated that the probability of being gay increases with each older brother that a boy has (something to do with hormonal effects on the mothers of sons). Given that, I can see how the seventh son of a seventh son might, indeed, have special powers … 🙂 As for me: I was only the fourth son of a first son and my special powers don’t amount to much … 🙂
Jeff’s post came in while I was working on mine. “Dumbbell pullovers” are also impossible. Take it from me: All those incredible things you saw Simone Biles and others do in Rio? Mirrors. All done with mirrors … 🙂
Also, I think Jeff’s “dumbbell pullovers”, not my “gymastics pullovers”, are the ones that build lats, as referred to in the clue for 4D, though it looks as if both activities would involve having decent lats (and a whole lot besides). The only time I ever had noticeable lats was when I was doing a lot of bouldering … a long time ago …
Well, I thought I had aced this mess until I saw SETI/I JOKE
Had SETa/ a JOKE.
Another Friday ruined by Wechsler.
Held up- RAISED before PAUSED, which made ROUGH hard to suss.
At least the answer wasn’t ARAGE.
@Hi Carrie!
Finished successfully, but it wasn’t easy or fast. A lot of spilled ink with the last to fall/fill in the SW corner when studly came to mind and the grid was complete. I thought “fang” was tricky for the Twilight clue as it’s always “fangs” in my head (what would it be – a vampire with an egg tooth to chip its way out of the crypt?).
Hope you all have a most excellent Friday. With the level of difficulty for this grid I wonder what is in store for us tomorrow? Pain, I’m sure!
50D: Bill’s explanation is correct, the clue is not. Dicta are contained in judicial decrees, they are not considered the holdings of cases, and hence, not the actual decree. There is a notable difference, especially in terms of citing cases and how one refers to what is contained in a published opinion. That being said, I thought it was a great puzzle, clever and challenging.
Bill. thanks for the cartoon, it made my day a little easier. The puzzle was very tough, as I should know by now.
Pookie, if SETI was your only mistake, you’re batting very well…
Jeff, I feel like having a drink about right now, but all I’ve got is some tequila in my cabinet …. so a mint tequila, it is. Actually, its kinda early, and I still have to prepare dinner for the ole lady…
In other news. I’m looking at some ads that are runing alongside this website, from Chnlove.com and one of my ‘possible’ dates, lists her education as ‘collage’. @#!@ I do wish the advertisers would even just pretend to proofread these submissions. This ad is coming straight out of the third world english challenged country …. onto a L A crossword blog ???
Have a nice day and good weekend, all.
I just lost two submissions to the blog. Am I jinxed ?
Continuing on my comment from above, where the clue at 50D says Judge’s decrees:
ob·i·ter dic·tum
ˌōbidər ˈdiktəm/
noun LAW
a judge’s incidental expression of opinion, not essential to the decision and not establishing precedent; an incidental remark.
Therefore, dicta are most certainly not a judge’s decrees. The other definitions for dicta or dictum don’t apply because the clue included the word judge.
I voice general agreement with this comment. In US and UK jurisprudence, the word “dicta” is usually preceded by the word “mere”, as in “mere dicta”, since it is only something said in passing to the main reasons for the decision, and therefore cannot be relied on in making future decisions.
The opposite of “dicta” is “ratio decidendi”. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratio_decidendi which also explains the difference.
Time for a Negroni tonight (equal parts Gin, Red Vermouth and Campari, with an orange peel garnish. I do use more gin than the other parts) it is a very tasty cocktail!