Constructed by: Bruce Haight
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
Quicklink to comments
Theme: I’ve L Shifted
Today’s themed answers each start with words formed from the letters I-V-E-L:
- 17A. Tendency to explode in anger : VILE TEMPER
- 25A. Demons and such : EVIL SPIRITS
- 36A. Cover for mysterious doings : VEIL OF SECRECY
- 49A. Blue jeans pioneer : LEVI STRAUSS
- 59A. Real-time media transfer : LIVE STREAM
Bill’s time: 6m 32s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Bun or beehive : HAIRDO
That distinctive “beehive” hairstyle is also called a B-52, because the round, beehive-shape also resembles the bulbous nose of a B-52 bomber! The style originated in 1958, and is credited to Margaret Vinci Heldt, the owner of a hair salon in downtown Chicago. I’m not a fan of the beehive, but I do have to say that Audrey Hepburn carried it off in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, as did Dusty Springfield in her heyday.
7. Faux __: social goof : PAS
The term “faux pas” is French in origin, and translates literally as “false step” (or “false steps”, as the plural has the same spelling in French).
14. Free from stress by heating, as metal : ANNEAL
One anneals glass or metal by exposing to a very specific temperature profile, resulting in a tougher or less brittle product.
15. Theater chain initials : AMC
The AMC theater chain used to go by the name American Multi-Cinema Inc., hence the initialism “AMC”.
16. Golfer’s mulligan, e.g. : REDO
There doesn’t seem to be a definitive account for the origin of the term “Mulligan”, most often used for a shot do-over in golf. There are lots of stories about golfers named Mulligan though, and I suspect one of them may be true …
19. Banjo ridge : FRET
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.
The instrument that we know today as the banjo is a derivative of instruments that were used in Africa.
23. Genetic letters : RNA
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.
28. Graduates : ALUMNI
An “alumnus” (plural … alumni) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural … alumnae). The term comes into English from Latin, in which alumnus means foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or an alumnus.
49. Blue jeans pioneer : LEVI STRAUSS
Levi Strauss was the founder of the first company in the world to manufacture blue jeans. Levi Strauss & Co. opened in 1853 in San Francisco. Strauss and his business partner were awarded a patent in 1873 for the use of copper rivets to strengthen points of strain on working pants.
53. Roman goddess of peace : PAX
Pax was the Roman goddess of peace, and was the daughter of Jupiter (the god of the sky and thunder) and Justitia (the goddess of justice). The Greek equivalent to Pax was Eirene.
54. Wash. neighbor : IDA
Idaho has the nickname the Gem State, mainly because almost every known type of gemstone has been found there. Idaho is also sometimes called the Potato State as potatoes are such a popular crop in the state. I’d go for the potatoes over the gems, but that’s probably just me …
56. Beaujolais or Burgundy : WINE
Beaujolais is a red wine made from the Gamay grape that is produced in the Beaujolais historical province that is part of the Burgundy wine-making region.
57. Red __: spicy candies : HOTS
Red Hots are cinnamon-flavored candy pieces. I just found out that Red Hots are sometimes used in apple sauce …
62. “The Mammoth Hunters” novelist Jean : AUEL
As Jean Auel prepared her first book in the “Earth’s Children” series, she did a lot of research about the Ice Age, the setting for her stories. She went as far as taking a survival course in cold conditions, learning to build an ice cave and how to make fire, tan leather and knap stone.
“The Mammoth Hunters” is the third title in Jean Auel’s “Earth’s Children” series of historical fiction novels.
63. Dictator Amin : IDI
Idi Amin received most of his military training in the British armed forces, eventually achieving the highest rank possible for a Black African in the British Colonial Army in 1959, that of Warrant Officer. On his return to Uganda Amin joined his country’s military and quickly rose to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Army. During that time he was quite the athlete. He was a noted rugby player and swimmer, and for nine years held the Ugandan national light-heavyweight boxing title. By the early seventies, Amin was commander of all the armed forces of Uganda and in 1971 seized power in a military coup, displacing the country’s president Milton Obote. There followed seven years of brutal rule by Amin during which it is estimated that between 100,000 and 500,000 people were murdered. Amin was ousted from power in 1979 after a war with Tanzania, and fled to Libya where he stayed for a year. He then moved to Saudi Arabia, where he was financially supported by the Saudi Royal Family for the remainder of his life. Amin died in 2003.
66. Broadband option, briefly : DSL
The abbreviation “DSL” originally stood for Digital Subscriber Loop, but is now accepted to mean (Asymmetric) Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is the technology that allows Internet service be delivered down the same telephone line as voice service, by separating the two into different frequency signals.
Down
1. “Our Man in __”: Graham Greene novel set in Cuba : HAVANA
“Our Man in Havana” is a marvelously entertaining novel by Graham Greene, first published in 1958. It’s all about a British vacuum cleaner salesman who lives in Havana, Cuba. The salesman is recruited by the British secret service, and then sends fake information to London, just to get paid. The novel was adapted into a fabulous film of the same name in 1959, starring Alec Guinness.
Graham Greene was a writer and playwright from England. Greene wrote some of my favorite novels, including “Brighton Rock”, “The End of the Affair”, “The Confidential Agent”, “The Third Man”, “The Quiet American” and “Our Man in Havana”. Greene’s books often feature espionage in exotic locales. Greene himself worked for MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence agency. In fact, Greene’s MI6 supervisor was Kim Philby, the famed Soviet spy who penetrated high into British intelligence.
3. Instead (of) : IN LIEU
As one might perhaps imagine, “in lieu” comes into English from the Old French word “lieu” meaning “place”, which in turn is derived from the Latin “locum”, also meaning “place”. So, “in lieu” means “in place of”.
4. Film critic Rex : REED
Rex Reed is a film critic who used to co-host “At the Movies”, the show that originally featured Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.
5. “Who __?”: New Orleans Saints fans’ chant : DAT
The entire community of fans of the New Orlean Saints are sometimes referred to as the “Who Dat Nation”. The name comes from a popular chant heard at a Saints game:
Who dat?
Who dat?
Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?
7. Like a visit from the Bishop of Rome : PAPAL
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The term “pope” comes from the Latin “papa”, and ultimately from the Greek “pappas”, with both terms being a child’s word for “father”.
8. Congregational replies : AMENS
The word “amen” translates as “so be it”. “Amen” is said to be of Hebrew origin, but it is also likely to be influenced by Aramaic and Arabic.
9. Paper bits for collages : SCRAPS
A collage is a piece of artwork that is made by assembling pieces of paper and objects that are glued onto paper or canvas. The term “collage” comes from the French “coller” meaning “to glue”.
18. Med. scan : MRI
An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine uses powerful magnetic fields to generate its images so there is no exposure to ionizing radiation (such as X-rays). We used MRI equipment in our chemistry labs at school, way back in the days when the technology was still called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI). Apparently the marketing folks didn’t like the term “nuclear” because of its association with atomic bombs, so now it’s just called MRI.
26. Corleone family head : VITO
Mario Puzo created the Corleone Mafia family in his 1969 novel “The Godfather”. The head of the family is Vito Corleone (whose birth name was Vito Andolini), a native of Corleone in Sicily. He was given the name Corleone by immigration officers at Ellis Island.
29. Rum cocktail : MAI TAI
The mai tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts Orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum. “Maita’i” is the Tahitian word for “good”.
33. White House foreign policy gp. : NSC
The National Security Council (NSC) was created by President Harry S. Truman in 1947. The NSC is chaired by the sitting president and meets in the White House Situation Room.
34. Old Prizm automaker : GEO
Geos were small vehicles manufactured by General Motors mainly in the nineties. Geos were designed to compete head-to-head with the small imports that were gaining market share at the time in the US. Some Geo models that you might remember are the Metro, the Prizm and the Storm. The cars were actually built as joint-ventures with Japanese manufacturers. The Prizm was a GM/Toyota project, the Metro was GM/Suzuki, and the Storm was GM/Isuzu.
38. Taxpayer ID users : CPAS
Certified public accountant (CPA)
40. Bloody Mary’s solo : BALI HA’I
The song “Bali Ha’i” is from the musical “South Pacific” by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Bali Ha’i is the name of a volcanic island that neighbors the island on which the story takes place. The matriarch of Bali Ha’i is a character named Bloody Mary, and it is Bloody Mary who sings the song in the musical.
43. Chinese food additive : MSG
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of a naturally-occurring,non-essential amino acid called glutamic acid. It is used widely as a flavor enhancer, particularly in many Asian cuisines. Whether or not it is harmful seems to be still under debate. I say that something produced in a test tube shouldn’t be in our food …
47. Island verandas : LANAIS
A lanai is a type of veranda, and a design that originated in Hawaii. A kind blog reader tells me that the etymology of “lanai” seems unclear, but that the island name of “Lana’i” is not related.
51. Analgesic brand : ADVIL
Advil is Wyeth’s brand of ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug.
56. Birdhouse singer : WREN
A wren is a small songbird belonging to the family troglodytidae and the genus troglodytes. Wrens are known for making dome-shaped nests.
60. Sunscreen letters : SPF
In theory, the sun protection factor (SPF) is a calibrated measure of the effectiveness of a sunscreen in protecting the skin from harmful UV rays. The idea is that if you wear a lotion with say SPF 20, then it takes 20 times as much UV radiation to cause the skin to burn than it would take without protection. I say just stay out of the sun …
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1. Bun or beehive : HAIRDO
7. Faux __: social goof : PAS
10. Keep __: persevere : AT IT
14. Free from stress by heating, as metal : ANNEAL
15. Theater chain initials : AMC
16. Golfer’s mulligan, e.g. : REDO
17. Tendency to explode in anger : VILE TEMPER
19. Banjo ridge : FRET
20. Surrounded by : AMID
21. Rushed toward : RAN AT
23. Genetic letters : RNA
24. Scottish denial : NAE
25. Demons and such : EVIL SPIRITS
28. Graduates : ALUMNI
30. Deem necessary : SEE FIT
31. Performing : ACTING
35. Issue a ticket to : CITE
36. Cover for mysterious doings : VEIL OF SECRECY
40. Surprise “from the blue” : BOLT
41. Sharpshooters’ aiming devices : SCOPES
42. Top squads : A-TEAMS
45. Media revenue source : AD SALE
49. Blue jeans pioneer : LEVI STRAUSS
53. Roman goddess of peace : PAX
54. Wash. neighbor : IDA
55. Needles : GOADS
56. Beaujolais or Burgundy : WINE
57. Red __: spicy candies : HOTS
59. Real-time media transfer : LIVE STREAM
62. “The Mammoth Hunters” novelist Jean : AUEL
63. Dictator Amin : IDI
64. Rain or snow, briefly : PRECIP
65. Wee : ITSY
66. Broadband option, briefly : DSL
67. Most elegant : FINEST
Down
1. “Our Man in __”: Graham Greene novel set in Cuba : HAVANA
2. Creature : ANIMAL
3. Instead (of) : IN LIEU
4. Film critic Rex : REED
5. “Who __?”: New Orleans Saints fans’ chant : DAT
6. Spanish cheer : OLE!
7. Like a visit from the Bishop of Rome : PAPAL
8. Congregational replies : AMENS
9. Paper bits for collages : SCRAPS
10. Response to “Speak!” : ARF!
11. Wonderful : TERRIFIC
12. Modern theft target : IDENTITY
13. How food may be seasoned : TO TASTE
18. Med. scan : MRI
22. Even score : TIE
25. Ltr. insert : ENCL
26. Corleone family head : VITO
27. School break : RECESS
29. Rum cocktail : MAI TAI
32. “No __, ands or buts!” : IFS
33. White House foreign policy gp. : NSC
34. Old Prizm automaker : GEO
36. Removed from office via election : VOTED OUT
37. Lifts : ELEVATES
38. Taxpayer ID users : CPAS
39. 56-Across choices : REDS
40. Bloody Mary’s solo : BALI HA’I
43. Chinese food additive : MSG
44. Unemotional : STOLID
46. Separately : APIECE
47. Island verandas : LANAIS
48. Not subject to jury duty, say : EXEMPT
50. Fridge forays : RAIDS
51. Analgesic brand : ADVIL
52. Put to work : USE
56. Birdhouse singer : WREN
58. Furtive : SLY
60. Sunscreen letters : SPF
61. Prefix with cycle : TRI-
So, I am the first ??? What, all you’all must have overslept through the eclipse and all. ( I didn’t see any eclipse, but I didn’t try very hard either,
…. and I’ll take your word for it. )
Thank you Mike, and Willie – I learnt that the moon does not revolve, merely rorates around the earth …. and follows a single axis or plane ,…… and goes from WEST to EAST ( now, that’s important ! )
Thank you, Carrie, for your kind words – as always.
Now, what to do about those over priced eclipse viewing glasses …. hmmm … maybe we could use them the next time we are doing some electrode welding or oxy-acetylene metal cutting.
More in my next.
I saw on Facebook there is a charity you can send your eclipse glasses to and they will give them to schools in other nations to view their eclipse.
15:48. Only had a vague idea of the theme when I finished. Then I realized that’s pretty much all there was to it – those 4 letters. Decent Tuesday challenge.
I don’t know if “Our Man in Havana” is a comedy, but it certainly sounds amusing.
Eclipse was about as I expected it yesterday. A little darker than normal for a bit. Not much else. Curious how dark it seemed outside in areas with closer to 100% coverage. Anyone?
Best –
10 minutes, 2 dumb errors on this.
@Jeff
Twilight dark pretty much for the maximum section – about equivalent to a night with a full moon. Animals reacting as if it were dark, people running headlights and night time outdoor lights (sensors) and the like.
The puzzle was a little more challenging than yesterdays. But I had a good time, and enjoyed the experience.
Re: Idaho as the gem state – I thought it was Montana – famous for the Yogo ( light blue – ) cornflower blue sapphires.
Thank you Bill, for the ‘Our man in Havan’ …. I also took the opportunity to read about Juan Pujol Garcia ( Wiki) nicknamed Garbo, who was a double agent in WW II, and the only person (?) who got both an MBE from UK, and an Iron Cross from Germany, for his supposed exploits ….
Some form of spying can actually be a form of comedy.
Have a nice day folks.
IN MY PREVIOUS POST – a major correction ….. The moon revolves around the earth – but does not rotate around its own axis …. that is what I learnt yesterday …. so. meybe we see the same face of the moon. and the dark side of the moon is never seen, except by flying around it. via spacecraft.
This grid came together pretty easily without any final errors. As a Tuesday CWP ought to! Anyone get last Friday’s WSJ meta answer correct? I took a WAG which was so far out of the strike zone it sailed over the heads of the batter, the catcher and the ump!
No, just picked up 2 of the 3 things and couldn’t even hazard a guess.
After I noticed the missing 30s and 1975s (the latter from Google, of course), I then Googled using “missing 30 1975”, the name “Jimmy Hoffa” and the date of his disappearance popped up, and I realized that “July” was missing from the clues. (All this occurred in 5-minute segments spread out over about 36 hours.)
9:53, no errors. Easy puzzle, but the on-line interface (or, perhaps, my clumsy use of it) really got in the way this morning.
@Vidwan … Relative to the stars, the moon does rotate around its own axis, by just enough to keep basically the same face toward the earth at all times. (Actually, it appears to wobble a bit, so that, over time, we get to see a little more than half of its surface.) This effect is not just a coincidence; it was locked in by eons of tidal effects.
And, as for your original question: During a solar eclipse, an observer at 40 degrees north latitude is moving about 700 miles an hour from west to east due to the rotation of the earth; the moon’s shadow is also moving from west to east, but it’s moving a lot faster.
The rotation of the earth makes both the sun and the moon appear to rise in the east and set in the west but, if you look at them at the same time of day on successive days, each day the sun will appear to have moved about 1 degree east on the celestial sphere, while the moon will appear to have moved about 15 degrees east on the celestial sphere. The apparent change in the position of the sun is caused by the motion of the earth in its orbit around the sun, while the apparent change in the position of the moon is mostly caused by the motion of the moon in its orbit around the earth.
I need a blackboard … ? …
(And I would have mentioned the word “libration”, but then Jeff would have needed a drink … ? … )
@Vidwan … In lieu of a blackboard …
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SH2h3K5YtJA
(A pointer to this YouTube video just serendipitously showed up in my email. It’s a bit tedious to watch, but it does illustrate what I tried to say above. It also looks as if there are quite a few other videos of interest out there.)
@Dave –
I”m not sure if you’re referring to the astronomical phenomenon of libration or of what I call a bartender – i.e. a “libarian”….
Yes! Libarian! A provider of libations! I like it! (Actually, there’s another pun lurking here, if I were smart enough to work it out: something about libration and libations both being related to wobbling … ? )
I forgot to mention my eclipse experience: I was so tempted to get in the car and head for Wyoming (at 10PM on the 20th and again at 2AM on the 21st), but I resisted and instead viewed a 93% eclipse from here in Colorado, using glasses that I had managed to acquire on Friday instead of my old oatmeal-box pin-hole viewer. I did get some nice pictures of shadow effects underneath my golden-rain trees. Maybe I’ll catch the next one, in 2024; I’ll only be 81 … ?
I took a quick peek at our measly 63% (or there about) here in LA when I got to the Dr.’s office (my yearly physical) on my bicycle. It would have been great to see a total, but maybe in my next life. (J/k)
You can see total in 2014! Cloudy north of Chicago yesterday…boo!
So lucky – the guy fixing my garage door let me look thru his welding helmet at the eclipse! @Kennison – I’ll be 80.
Never heard of AMC – we had RKO. Also had tinY before ITSY and SightS before SCOPES.
Hi gang! ?
This was a bit challenging for a Tuesday, IMO (I guess because of the setter) but no errors and a fun solve. Saw the theme letters about halfway through.
Again with OLÉ!! I speak fluent Spanish, and I’ve NEVER heard anyone from Latin America or Spain say OLÉ.
Re: MSG — I’ve never had any ill effects from eating food with MSG . Y’all remember that seasoning called “Accent!”? It was popular in the 70s. Colorfully designed salt-shaker thing, and you’d have it on the table. Well, someone recently told me that it was just MSG. 100%. I’ll bet that product had an impressive profit margin.
Be well~~™?✌