Day: August 8, 2023

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Constructed by: Rebecca Goldstein
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Creature Feature

Themed answers each FEATURE a CREATURE:

• 60A Monster movie, and what the answer to each starred clue has? : CREATURE FEATURE

• 43A *Bookmark, in a way : DOG-EAR
• 46A *Frame style of some vintage glasses : CAT EYE
• 3D *Speaker at a protest? : BULLHORN
• 7D *Spout shape for some kettles : GOOSENECK
• 11D *Fan-shaped breakfast pastry : BEAR CLAW

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

Bill’s time: 5m 45s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Copperfield field : MAGIC

“David Copperfield” is the stage name used by illusionist David Kotkin. Copperfield is incredibly successful as a magician. He has grossed over $3 billion in ticket sales in his career, which is more than any other solo entertainer in any field. Copperfield actually owns his own chain of islands in the Bahamas.

14 Grad : ALUM

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 an alumnus is a foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or alumnus.

16 “Drag Me to Dinner” judge __ Patrick Harris : NEIL

Neil Patrick Harris (NPH) got his big break very early in his career, playing the title role in television’s “Doogie Howser, M.D.” More recently, he played a lead role on the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother”, portraying the shallow womanizer Barney Stinson. Harris is also quite the magician and serves on the Board of Directors of Hollywood’s Magic Castle, a nightclub for magicians and magic enthusiasts.

“Drag Me to Dinner” is a reality TV show featuring two drag artists competing against each other, trying to host the best themed party. The show is hosted by Murray Hill, and the judges include drag queen Bianca Del Rio and actor Neil Patrick Harris.

17 Grocery section : DELI

The word “delicatessen” (or “deli” for short) came into English from the German “Delikatessen”. The Germans borrowed the word from French, in which language “délicatesse” means “delicious things (to eat)”. The term’s ultimate root is “delicatus”, the Latin for “giving pleasure, delightful”.

20 Oft-torn knee pt. : ACL

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee. It is located in the center of the knee and connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone).

21 Pattern with teardrop shapes : PAISLEY

The Paisley pattern features a twisted-teardrop motif that originated in Iran and India. However, the pattern is named for the Scottish town of Paisley, where a lot of textiles were produced that included the design.

29 Pitchfork projection : PRONG

A “pitchfork” is so called because it is primarily a “fork” for lifting and “pitching” hay.

30 Gasteyer of “American Auto” : ANA

Ana Gasteyer is an actress best known for being a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) from 1996 to 2002. Gasteyer was famous on SNL for playing Martha Stewart … topless!

“American Auto” is a sitcom that originally aired from 2021 to 2023. The show is set in a Detroit auto manufacturer, with Ana Gasteyer playing the company’s new CEO. The new boss just left as CEO of a pharmaceutical company, and has no automotive experience. Hilarity ensues …

31 God of Islam : ALLAH

The name “Allah” comes from the Arabic “al-” and “ilah”, meaning “the” and “deity”. So, “Allah” can be translated as “God”.

33 Civil offenses : TORTS

“Tort” is a French word meaning “mischief, injury or wrong”. In common law, a tort is a civil wrong that results in the injured party suffering loss or harm, and the injuring party having a legal liability. Tort law differs from criminal law in that torts may result from negligence and not just intentional actions. Also, tort lawsuits may be decided on a preponderance of evidence, without the need of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

34 Mario Bros. console : NES

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to 1995. It was the biggest selling gaming console of the era. Nintendo replaced the NES with Wii, which is also the biggest-selling game console in the world.

35 Item held by Lady Justice : SCALE

Lady Justice is a personification of the judicial system. When depicted in art, she usually carries a set of scales and a sword, is blindfolded and wears a toga. The scales represent the impartiality of a court’s decision, and the sword symbolizes the power of justice. Today, the blindfold is seen as a reminder that justice is applied without regard to wealth or power. The toga is the garment that was worn by Justitia, the ancient Roman goddess of justice and law.

37 Knight clubs : MACES

A mace is a relatively simple weapon in essence. It is a heavy weight on the end of a handle that is used to deliver powerful blows on an opponent’s body.

39 Parliament members : OWLS

Here are some colorful collective nouns:

• A pride of lions
• A shrewdness of apes
• A cloud of bats
• A bench of bishops
• A parliament of owls
• A clowder of cats
• A waddling of ducks
• An army of frogs
• A knot of toads

43 *Bookmark, in a way : DOG-EAR

The folded-down corner of the page of a book, a temporary placeholder, is known as a “dog-ear”. I suppose that’s because it looks like the ear of a dog …

46 *Frame style of some vintage glasses : CAT EYE

Cat eye spectacles have frames that have an upsweep beside the lenses where the arms hinge with the frame front. The lens shapes resemble a cat’s eyes, hence the name. Such a design was very popular in the fifties and sixties, particularly with women.

50 Charlottesville sch. : UVA

The University of Virginia (UVA) was founded by Thomas Jefferson, who then sat on the original Board of Visitors alongside former US Presidents James Madison and James Monroe. In fact, the original UVA campus was built on land near Charlottesville that was once a farm belonging to President Monroe.

The city of Charlottesville, Virginia was named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of King George III. George’s queen consort also lent her name to the city of Charlotte, North Carolina.

54 Org. that issues Challenge America grants : NEA

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an agency funded by the federal government that offers support and financing for artistic projects. The NEA was created by an Act of Congress in 1965. Between 1965 and 2008, the NEA awarded over $4 billion to the arts, with Congress authorizing around $170 million annually through the eighties and much of the nineties. That funding was cut to less than $100 million in the late nineties due to pressure from conservatives concerned about the use of funds, but it is now back over the $150 million mark.

59 Michelangelo’s “The Creation of __” : ADAM

“The Creation of Adam” is a fresco by Michelangelo that is part of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Famously, “The Creation of Adam” features Adam and God reaching towards each other, with hands very nearly touching.

65 Preserves in brine : CORNS

Corned beef is beef that has been cured with salt. “Corn” is a term describing a grain of salt, giving the dish its name. Corned beef is also known as “salt beef”, and “bully beef” if stored in cans (from the French “bouilli” meaning “boiled”).

Down

2 Subatomic particle in a cloud : ELECTRON

The informal term “electron cloud” describes where electrons are located as they orbit an atomic nucleus. According to the electron cloud model, developed by Erwin Schrödinger and Werner Heisenberg in 1925, we cannot pinpoint the exact location of electrons at any time. The varying “density” of the electron cloud reflects the probability of finding electrons in a specific area.

3 *Speaker at a protest? : BULLHORN

A megaphone is also known as a loudhailer or bullhorn. It was probably Thomas Edison who coined, or at least popularized, the term “megaphone” in 1878. He created a megaphone that was intended to benefit those who were hard of hearing. Edison’s device was relatively clumsy, and far from portable. However, it allowed a person speaking in a normal voice to be heard about two miles away!

4 “No more details pls” : TMI

Too much information (TMI)

5 Tortilla dough : MASA

“Masa” is the Spanish word for “dough”, with the term often used as an abbreviated form of “masa de maíz”. Masa is used to make tortillas and tamales, for example.

9 Suffix with suit or brief : -CASE

A briefcase is a bag or case mainly designed for carrying papers. The name “briefcase” comes from the practice of lawyers carrying “briefs” to court in such a case. The term “brief”, in this context, applies to a written legal document presented in court as an argument in a legal process. “Brief” comes from the Latin “brevis” meaning “short”. So, I guess those arguments were originally meant to be short, concise.

10 “Life of Pi” director Lee : ANG

Ang Lee made history at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002 when he won the Best Director award for “Brokeback Mountain.” He became the first Asian person to win the award and the first non-white person to win in the category.

The 2012 movie “Life of Pi” is based on a 2001 novel of the same name by Yann Martel. The “Pi” in the title is an Indian boy named Pi Patel who finds himself adrift for 227 days in a small boat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

13 __ gin fizz : SLOE

By definition, a cocktail known as a “fizz” includes lemon or lime juice and carbonated water. The most popular of the genre is the gin fizz, made from 3 parts gin, 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part sugar syrup and 5 parts soda water. There is also a variant known as a sloe gin fizz.

28 “Little Women” novelist : ALCOTT

The “Little Women” in Louisa May Alcott’s classic (1868) novel are all sisters. The names of the five main characters in the book are a mother and her four daughters:

• Margaret “Marmee” (the mother)
• Margaret “Meg”
• Josephine “Jo”
• Elizabeth “Beth”
• Amy Curtis

29 School fundraising org. : PTA

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

32 The Chiffons’ “__ So Fine” : HE’S

“He’s So Fine” is a great little song that was released by the Chiffons in 1962. Famously, the owners of the rights to the song sued George Harrison in 1971, claiming that he was guilty of plagiarizing “He’s So Fine” in writing his hit “My Sweet Lord”. Harrison was found guilty of “subconscious” plagiarism. In a strange twist, the Chiffons recorded a version of “My Sweet Lord” a year before the case was decided.

37 Actress Henner : MARILU

As an actress, Marilu Henner’s most celebrated role was as Elaine O’Connor Nardo on “Taxi”. Henner has a condition called Superior Autobiographical Memory. This means that she can recall information and events that took place on every day of her life, starting from a very early age.

41 Sandwich meat : HAM

Meats placed between slices of bread was first called a sandwich in the 18th century, named after the Fourth Earl of Sandwich. The earl was fond of eating “sandwiches” while playing cards at his club.

43 __ oven: cast-iron cookware : DUTCH

A Dutch oven is a cooking pot with a tight lid, usually made from cast-iron. Back in Ireland we call them casserole dishes.

45 Cell produced by meiosis : GAMETE

A gamete is a reproductive cell that has half the full complement of genes needed to make a normal cell. In sexual reproduction, it takes two gametes, one from each parent, to fuse into one cell which then develops into a new organism. The female gamete is the ovum, and the male the sperm.

Mitosis is the process by which the complement of chromosomes in a cell nucleus replicates and then divides into two identical sets of new chromosomes. Mitosis is followed by division of the cell itself, resulting in two identical cells. Meiosis is a special type of cell division that results in reproductive cells that have half the full complement of chromosomes. The reproductive cells join together, with one cell coming from each parent, to form a new cell with a full complement of chromosomes. That new cell develops into offspring that have characteristics of both parents.

49 Namesake of an iconic chair : EAMES

Charles and Ray Eames were a husband-wife team of furniture designers. One of the more famous of their designs is the Eames lounge chair that comes with an ottoman. This trendy piece of furniture featured in a late episode of the television show “Frasier”. In the show, Frasier’s Dad remarks that the Eames chair is so comfortable that he might have gotten rid of his tatty old recliner a long time ago.

52 Photocopier brand : XEROX

Xerox was founded in 1906 in Rochester, New York and originally made photographic paper and equipment. Real success came for the company in 1959 when it introduced the first plain-paper photocopier. Xerox named Ursula Burns as CEO in 2009, the first African American woman to head up a S&P 100 company. Burn was also the first woman to succeed another female CEO (replacing Anne Mulcahy).

58 Chromosome part : GENE

A gene is a section of a chromosome that is responsible for a particular characteristic in an organism. For example, one gene may determine eye color and another balding pattern. We have two copies of each gene, one from each of our parents, with each copy known as an allele.

62 2010 healthcare legislation initials : ACA

The correct name for what has been dubbed “Obamacare” is the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (ACA).