Day: May 22, 2022

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Constructed by: Taylor Johnson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Welcome to the Big Leagues

Themed answers are common phrases with the prefix “PRO-” added to one word:

• 24A Shout to an FBI agent investigating the wrong fellow? : DON’T PROBE THAT GUY! (from “don’t be that guy”)
• 38A “The polygraph is rigged!,” e.g.? : LIE DETECTOR PROTEST! (from “lie detector test”)
• 60A “RuPaul’s Drag Race” prize money? : PROFIT FOR A QUEEN (from “fit for a queen”)
• 80A Like philosophers who can’t find their way home? : LOST AND PROFOUND (from “lost and found”)
• 103A Hype that just goes on and on and on? : PERPETUAL PROMOTION (from “perpetual motion”)
• 121A Put off fulfilling a campaign promise? : PROLONG TERM GOALS (from “long-term goals”)

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 13m 56s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

14 Kudos at a poetry slam : SNAPS

A poetry slam is a competition in which poets read their own work (usually), with winners being chosen by members of the audience. Apparently the first poetry slam took place in Chicago in 1984. Now there is a National Poetry Slam that takes place each year, with representatives from the US, Canada and France.

19 Batgirl garment : CAPE

Batgirl’s alter ego was Barbara Gordon, the librarian daughter of Commissioner Gordon. Yvonne Craig played Batgirl in the television series “Batman” from the sixties.

20 Glazer of “Broad City” : ILANA

Ilana Glazer is a comedian from Long Island, New York. Along with comedian Abbi Jacobson, she is the co-creator of the Comedy Central sitcom “Broad City”.

“Broad City” is a sitcom shown on Comedy Central that started out life as a web series on the Internet. It’s about two young Jewish American women having misadventures in New York City.

21 Chicago MLS team : FIRE

The Chicago Fire are the city’s Major League Soccer (MLS) team. The Fire were founded in 1997, and are named for the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

22 __ noir : PINOT

The pinot noir wine grape variety takes its name from the French for “pine” and “black”. The grapes grow in tight clusters shaped like pine cones, and are very dark in color. The pinot noir grape is most closely associated with Burgundy wines in France, although in recent years the popularity (and price) of California pinot noir wine has soared after it featured so prominently in the wonderful 2004 movie “Sideways”. Grab a bottle of pinot, and go rent the movie …

27 Cherry-topped dish : SUNDAE

There’s a lot of speculation about how the dessert called a sundae got its name, but there seems to be agreement that it is an alteration of the word “Sunday”.

34 Long who plays Steve on “PEN15” : CHAU

“PEN15” is a TV comedy about two middle schoolers who are social outcasts. The interesting twist is that the actors playing the 13-year-olds are actually in their 30s, while the children around them in the school are all about 13 years of age. “PEN15” is described as “cringe” comedy.

38 “The polygraph is rigged!,” e.g.? : LIE DETECTOR PROTEST! (from “lie detector test”)

We are most familiar with the word “polygraph” as the generic name for a lie detector instrument. This usage began in 1921, although the term had been around since the end of the 18th century. Back then, a polygraph was a mechanical device used to make multiple copies as something was written or drawn. Famously, Thomas Jefferson used a polygraph to preserve copies of letters that he wrote to correspondents.

43 NAACP co-founder __ B. Wells : IDA

Ida B. Wells was an African-American journalist and leader of the civil rights movement. She published a pamphlet in 1892 called “Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases”, which publicized the horrors of lynching of African Americans by white mobs in the South.

44 Informal meeting? : SESH

Session (abbreviated to “sess.” formally, and “sesh” informally)

45 Piggy bank opening : SLOT

The word “pig” can be used for earthenware, or an earthenware shard. From this usage there evolved the term “pig jar” that described an earthenware pot that could be filled with water for use as a bed-warmer. Crockery pots were also used to collect coins and these were also termed “pig jars”. By the 1700s, these pig jars had evolved into the first “piggy banks”.

55 Smidgen : IOTA

Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet, and one that gave rise to our letters I and J. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small, as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

Our word “smidgen” (sometimes shortened to “smidge”) is used to describe a small amount. The term might come from the Scots word “smitch” that means the same thing or “a small insignificant person”.

57 “Broken Arrow” director John : WOO

John Woo is a film director from Hong Kong who is best known for directing action movies. The list of his films made for Hollywood includes “Broken Arrow” (1996), “Face/Off” (1997) and “Mission: Impossible II” (2000).

“Broken Arrow” is a very entertaining 1996 film about the theft of two nuclear weapons after the deliberate downing of new bomber during a test flight. John Travolta plays the bad guy in this one, and the good guy is played by Christian Slater and he is ably assisted by a park ranger played by Samantha Mathis. Interestingly, Travolta was originally chosen to portray the good guy. He makes a great bad guy …

60 “RuPaul’s Drag Race” prize money? : PROFIT FOR A QUEEN (from “fit for a queen”)

RuPaul is a famous drag queen who has developed a diverse career beyond performing on stage. He works as an actor, model, author and a recording artist. Famously, RuPaul doesn’t mind whether one addresses him as “he” or as “she” …

You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don’t care! Just as long as you call me.

He currently hosts his own reality TV show called “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, which is billed as a search for “America’s next drag superstar”.

65 __ Gatos, California : LOS

The town of Los Gatos is in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. The town’s name translates from Spanish to “the Cats” and comes from the old name for the area “Cat’s Corner”. That name is a reference to the cougars that roamed the foothills in which the town is located.

67 London stroller : PRAM

Another word used in Britain and Ireland that’s rarely used over here is “pram”, which in my day was the most common term for what is called a baby carriage in the US. “Pram” is short for “perambulator”.

68 Planet __: gym chain : FITNESS

Planet Fitness is a chain of fitness centers operating around the world and headquartered in Hampton, New Hampshire. About 100 of the Planet Fitness locations are corporate owned, but the balance (about 2,000) are franchises.

69 Intro to typing? : STEREO-

Back in the late 1700s, a stereotype was a method of printing using a plate. About 50 years later, a stereotype was an image reproduced without change. The current meaning of “oversimplified view of characteristics of a group or person” appeared in the early 1920s.

77 Sheet of ice : FLOE

An ice floe is a sheet of ice that has separated from an ice field and is floating freely on the surface of the ocean.

79 Maker of Calling All Goddesses! nail polish : OPI

Opi (originally “Odontorium Products Inc.”) is a manufacturer of nail polish based in North Hollywood, California. One of Opi’s marketing coups was the introduction of a line of Legally Blonde 2 polishes, which featured in the film.

85 Fern-to-be : SPORE

Spores are produced by many bacteria, fungi and non-flowering plants. A spore is a reproductive body encased in a protective shell that is highly resistant to damage, and resistant to heat in particular.

89 Spot-on : APT

Something described as spot-on is exactly correct. The term “spot-on” originated with the Royal Air Force in WII when it described a shot or bomb that was right on target.

90 BBQ side : SLAW

The term “coleslaw” is an Anglicized version of the Dutch term “koolsla”, which in itself is a shortened form of “Koolsalade” meaning “cabbage salad”.

93 Fed. power dept. : ENER

The US Department of Energy (DOE) came into being largely as a result of the 1973 oil crisis. The DOE was founded in 1977 by the Carter administration. The DOE is responsible for regulating the production of nuclear power, and it is also responsible for the nation’s nuclear weapons. The official DOE seal features a lightning bolt and symbols denoting five sources of energy: the sun, an atom, an oil derrick, a windmill and a dynamo.

98 Airbnb alternatives : INNS

Airbnb is a website-based service that matches people wanting to rent out short-term living quarters to people seeking accommodation. The company was founded in 2008 as AirBed & Breakfast. The original concept was renting out an “air bed” and providing “breakfast” to someone looking for cheap, temporary accommodation.

102 Former quarterback Manning : ELI

Eli Manning is a retired footballer who played quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning retired from football as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 2015. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback. Eli, Peyton and Archie co-authored a book for children titled “Family Huddle” in 2009. It describes the Mannings playing football together as young boys.

103 Hype that just goes on and on and on? : PERPETUAL PROMOTION (from “perpetual motion”)

“Perpetual motion” is a term used for motion that continues without any external source of energy. In practical terms, perpetual motion is impossible because friction causes the loss of energy as heat.

111 Penélope Cruz’s birthplace : SPAIN

Penélope Cruz is an actress from Madrid, Spain. She was the first Spanish actress to win an Oscar, and the first to be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

113 Fingers-crossed thought : WISH

The crossed-fingers hand gesture is used as a wish for good luck, or sometimes as an excuse for telling a white lie. The gesture originated in the early Christian church when crossing of the fingers invoked the protection of the Christian cross. Crossed fingers were also used by Christians as a secret sign of recognition during the days of persecution by the ancient Romans.

116 Ice cream brand : EDY’S

Dreyer’s ice cream sells its products under the name Dreyer’s in the Western United States, and Edy’s in the Eastern states. The company’s founders were William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.

118 Database systems giant : ORACLE

Oracle is a huge software company with headquarters in Redwood City, California. Oracle’s main product is enterprise software, software that meets the needs of an organization rather than an individual user. Oracle was co-founded in 1977 by Larry Ellison, who is now one of the richest business people in the world.

127 33-Down animal who loses because of a nap : HARE
(33D Storyteller whose tales usually feature talking animals : AESOP)

“The Tortoise and the Hare” is perhaps the most famous fable attributed to Aesop. The cocky hare takes a nap during a race against the tortoise, and the tortoise sneaks past the finish line for the win while his speedier friend is sleeping.

128 “Four Quartets” poet : ELIOT

T. S. Eliot was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948, largely because of his “Four Quartets”, a set of four poems that Eliot himself considered to be his life’s masterpiece. He also won a Tony Award in 1950 for Best Play, for “The Cocktail Party”, as well as two posthumous Tony Awards in 1983 for his poems that are used in the musical “Cats”.

Down

1 Quietly keeps in the loop : BCC’S

A blind carbon copy (bcc) is a copy of a document or message that is sent to someone without other recipients of the message knowing about that extra copy.

2 Waimea Bay island : OAHU

Waimea Bay is located on the north shore of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands.

6 “Xanadu” gp. : ELO

The title song of the 1980 movie “Xanadu” was performed by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and Olivia Newton-John (who starred in the film). Despite the popularity of ELO around the world, the song “Xanadu” was the band’s only number-one hit back in their homeland of the UK.

“Xanadu” is a 1980 musical film starring Olivia Newton-John. The film is largely remembered for its soundtrack, which features number-one hits “Xanadu” by Newton-John and ELO, and “Magic” by Newton-John. The movie itself was so poorly received that it inspired publicist John J. B. Wilson to inaugurate the annual Golden Raspberry Awards.

7 Leslie of “This Is 40” : MANN

“This Is 40” is a 2012 comedy written and directed by Judd Apatow and starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. “This Is 40” is a sequel to the 2007 Apatow movie “Knocked Up”.

Leslie Mann is an actress whom I saw recently in the 2022 movie “Blithe Spirit”, in which she played Elvira, the “spirit”. Mann married director and producer Judd Apatow in 1997.

9 Lyric poet of Lesbos : SAPPHO

Sappho was an Ancient Greek poet born on the Greek island of Lesbos. Sappho was much admired for her work, although very little of it survives today. She was renowned for writing erotic and romantic verse that dealt with the love of women as well as men. It was because of this poetry that the word “lesbian” (someone from Lesbos) is used to describe a gay woman.

10 Corp. money exec : CFO

Chief financial officer (CFO)

12 Cookie used as a froyo topping : OREO

Frozen yogurt (“froyo” or “fro-yo”)

13 Took care of a boxer? : PET-SAT

The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful combination. Our current family dog is a boxer/pug mix, and is another gorgeous animal.

16 __ hair pasta : ANGEL

Capellini is a pasta that is like thin spaghetti. An even thinner version of the pasta is known as “capelli d’angelo”, which translates as “angel hair”.

18 Eye ailment : STYE

A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.

33 Storyteller whose tales usually feature talking animals : AESOP

Aesop is remembered today as a fabulist, a writer of fables. Aesop lived in ancient Greece, probably around the sixth century BC. Supposedly he was born a slave, somehow became a free man, but then met with a sorry end. Aesop was sent to the city of Delphi on a diplomatic mission but instead insulted the Delphians. He was tried on a trumped-up charge of stealing from a temple, sentenced to death and was thrown off a cliff.

37 Tempe sch. : ASU

Arizona State University (ASU) has a long history, and was founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885. The athletic teams of ASU used to be known as the Normals, then the Bulldogs, and since 1946 they’ve been called the Sun Devils.

Tempe is a city in the metropolitan area of Phoenix. The city is named for the Vale of Tempe in Greece.

38 Stitch’s human companion : LILO

“Lilo & Stitch” was released by Disney in 2002. Compared to other Disney feature-length cartoons, “Lilo & Stitch” was relatively cheaply produced, using the voices of lesser-known actors. One interesting change had to take place in the storyline during production, when Lilo was meant to fly a Jumbo Jet through downtown Honolulu in one sequence. This was replaced with a sequence using a spaceship instead, as the producers were sensitive to public sentiment after the September 11 attacks.

40 Cricket sound : CHIRP

The sound made by crickets is usually referred to as chirping, although the scientific term is “stridulation”. The sound is made by male crickets as they rub the top of one wing along a serration on the other wing.

41 Place for solar panels : ROOF

Solar panels are arrays of solar cells that make use of what’s known as the photovoltaic effect. We are more likely to have learned about the photoelectric effect in school, in which electrons were ejected from the surface of some materials when it was exposed to light or other forms of radiation. The photovoltaic effect is related but different. Instead of being electrons ejected from the surface, in the photovoltaic effect electrons move around in the material creating a difference in voltage.

42 Cleveland Browns great __ Graham : OTTO

Not only was Otto Graham a professional football player for the Cleveland Browns, but he also played professional basketball for the Rochester Royals (now the Sacramento Kings).

48 Fine-grained soil : LOESS

Loess is a wind-blown accumulation of silt. The word “loess” is German in origin and was first used to describe silt along the Rhine Valley.

53 “Julie & Julia” writer/director Ephron : NORA

Nora Ephron had many talents, including writing film scripts and novels. Many of the movies that she wrote, she also directed. These would include some of my favorite movies of all time like “Sleepless in Seattle”, “You’ve Got Mail” and most recently, the wonderful “Julie & Julia”. And, did you know that Nora Ephron’s second marriage was to journalist Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame? She wrote an autobiographical novel based on her life with Bernstein, which deals in particular with Bernstein’s affair with the daughter of British Prime Minister James Callaghan.

“Julie & Julia” is a wonderful 2009 Nora Ephron film that juxtaposes the lives of celebrity chef Julia Childs and home cook/blogger Julie Powell. Childs is played by Meryl Streep, and Powell by Amy Adams. Ephron’s screenplay is based on two nonfiction books: Child’s autobiography “My Life in France”, and Powell’s memoir “Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously”. Highly recommended …

54 Cookware brand : T-FAL

Tefal (also “T-Fal”) is a French manufacturer of cookware that is famous for its nonstick line. The name “Tefal” is a portmanteau of TEFlon and ALuminum, the key materials used in producing their pots and pans.

56 Kennel racket : ARFS

Our word “kennel” meaning “doghouse” comes from the Vulgar Latin word “canile” meaning the same thing. A sheep (“ovus”) was kept in an “ovile”, a horse (“equus”) in an “equile”, and a dog (“canis”) in a “canile”.

62 “Chilombo” Grammy nominee Jhené __ : AIKO

Singer Jhené Aiko is the sister of singer and rapper Mila J.

63 Cotton swabs : Q-TIPS

Cotton swabs were originally marketed under the name “Baby Gays”. This was changed in 1926 to “Q-Tips”, with the Q standing for “quality”.

78 Forest moon that’s home to the Ewoks : ENDOR

The fictional forested moon of Endor features prominently in the “Star Wars” movie “Return of the Jedi”. The moon is home to the race of furry aliens known as Ewoks. Filming for the forest scenes actually took place in Humboldt Redwoods State Park in Northern California.

81 Ballet move : PLIE

The French word for “bent” is “plié”. In the ballet move known as a plié, the knees are bent. A “demi-plié” is a similar move, but with less bending of the knees. A fondu is similar to a plié, except that only one leg remains on the ground.

84 Extinct Mauritian birds : DODOS

The dodo was a direct relative of the pigeon and the dove, although the fully-grown dodo was usually three feet tall. One of the reasons the dodo comes to mind when we think of extinction of a species, is that it disappeared not too long ago (last recorded alive in 1662) and humans were the reason for its demise. The dodo lived exclusively on the island of Mauritius and when humans arrived, we cut back the forests that were its home. We also introduced domestic animals, such as dogs and pigs, that ransacked the dodo’s nests. The dodo was deemed to be an awkward flightless bird and so the term “dodo” has come to mean a dull-witted person.

87 Move for one’s co., say : RELO

Relocate (relo)

88 “The Night Circus” novelist Morgenstern : ERIN

Erin Morgenstern is an author from Marshfield, Massachusetts who published her first novel in 2011. It is a tale of magic and romance called “The Night Circus” that has been compared with the “Harry Potter” series of books.

92 Handles food waste ecologically : COMPOSTS

Composting is the process of decomposing organic matter to make the soil conditioner known as “compost”. The term “compost” ultimately comes from the Latin “com” (together) and “ponere” (to place). Compost is best made by “putting together” green waste that is rich in nitrogen, with brown waste that is rich in carbon, all in the presence of water and air.

95 Sister of Laertes : OPHELIA

In William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, Ophelia is courted by Hamlet, the man himself. Ophelia is the daughter of nobleman Polonius. She dies …

In William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”, Laertes is the son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia. It is Laertes who kills Hamlet using a poisoned sword..

96 Opposite of paleo- : NEO-

The prefix “paleo-” means “prehistoric, primitive”. It comes from the Greek word “palaios” which means “old, ancient”. The prefix “neo-” would be the opposite, meaning “new, recent”.

97 Flood with chocolate syrup, say : DROWN

Yum …

99 “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” cat : SALEM

The hit TV show “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” is based on a comic book series of the same name. The title character is played by actress Melissa Joan Hart. Sabrina lives with her two aunts, Hilda and Zelda, who are both 600 years of age. There’s also a cat called Salem, who has magical powers.

101 T. rex’s “I’m going to eat you!” : ROAR

The Tyrannosaurus rex (usually written “T-rex”) was a spectacular looking dinosaur. “Tyrannosaurus” comes from the Greek words “tyrannos” (tyrant) and “sauros” (lizard) and “rex” the Latin for “king”. They were big beasts, measuring 42 feet long and 13 feet tall at the hips, and weighing 7.5 tons.

106 Bribe for airtime : PAYOLA

Payola is the illegal practice of paying radio stations or disk jockeys to repeatedly play a particular piece of music. The impetus behind the crime is that the more often a song is played, the more likely it is to sell. The term “payola” comes from the words “pay” and “Victrola”, an RCA brand name for an early phonograph.

115 Youngest daughter of Cronus : HERA

In Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus and the goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth. She was noted for her jealous and vengeful nature, particularly against those who vied for the affections of her husband. The equivalent character to Hera in Roman mythology was Juno. Hera was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea.

In Greek mythology, Cronus (also “Kronos”) was one of the Titans. Cronus overthrew his father Uranus and took over rule of the Titans. Eventually, Cronus was ousted by his own son Zeus. The Roman equivalent of Cronus was the deity Saturn.

119 “Future Nostalgia” singer Dua __ : LIPA

Dua Lipa is a singer-songwriter and fashion model from England. She was born in London to Albanian parents, and considers her native language to be Albanian. She also speaks English with a British accent.