Day: December 9, 2023

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Constructed by: Enrique Henestroza Anguiano
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 21m 40s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

14 Features of “Step by Step” and “Sister, Sister” : BLENDED FAMILIES

“Step by Step” is a sitcom that originally aired from 1991 to 1998. It is about two single parents who get married and form a blended family. The mom and dad are played by Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers.

“Sister, Sister” is a sitcom that originally aired from 1994 to 1999 starring identical twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry. Tia and Tamera play two sisters who were separated at birth, one being adopted by a single mother, and the other by a single father. The sisters happen upon each other 14 years later, and hilarity ensues …

23 “Save it for the honeymoon!” : GET A ROOM!

The concept of a honeymoon vacation only started in the early 1800s. In Britain, wealthy couples would take a “bridal tour” together after the wedding, visiting those friends and relatives who could not attend the ceremony. The etymology of “honeymoon” isn’t very clear, and may even have a negative derivation as it might suggest that the sweetness (honey) of love is doomed to wane like a passing phase of the moon. The equivalent terms in other languages are “moon of honey” (French), “honey month” (Welsh) and “tinsel week” (German).

26 Vietnamese garment : AO DAI

The áo dài national garment in Vietnam that can be worn by both men and women. It is a long tunic, split at both sides, that is usually worn over silk trousers.

27 Small bucks and does : RABBITS

An adult male rabbit is a buck, and an adult female is a doe. A young rabbit is a kitten or kit.

30 Play a proper noun in Scrabble, say : ERR

Here’s a little Scrabble trivia … “Pizzazz” is the only 7-letter word in English that cannot be played in Scrabble. You can get close by using the Z-tile with the two blank tiles to get to three of the required four Zs, but there’s no way to get to that fourth letter-Z.

36 Honor for David Oyelowo: Abbr. : OBE

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry in the UK that was established in 1917 by King George V. There are five classes within the order, which are in descending seniority:

• Knight Grand Cross (GBE)
• Knight Commander (KBE)
• Commander (CBE)
• Officer (OBE)
• Member (MBE)

British actor David Oyelowo really hit the big time when he landed the role of Martin Luther King in the 2014 film “Selma”. Oyelowo was born to Nigerian parents, and he spent much of his youth living in Lagos. He comes from royalty, and is an “omoba” (prince) of the Yoruba people from West Africa.

45 Craft goods that might be barrel-aged : MICROBREWS

Originally, the term “microbrewery” applied to smaller breweries. In contemporary usage, a microbrewery really describes a brewery that competes in the market on the basis of quality and diversity, rather than on the basis of price and advertising. The really small brewing operations are now referred to as “nanobreweries”.

48 Classified letters : OBO

Or best offer (OBO)

49 Resident of Number One Observatory Circle since 2021 : HARRIS

Kamala Harris was a US Senator for California starting in 2017, after serving for six years as the Attorney General of California. In early 2019, Harris announced her run for the Democratic nomination for US president in the 2020 election. Although she dropped out of the race, she was chosen by eventual nominee Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate. When the Biden-Harris ticket won the election, Harris became the first female US vice president, and the highest-ranking female politician in the history of the nation.

The US Naval Observatory was founded in 1830 as the Depot of Charts and Instruments. It is responsible for producing data for the Department of Defense for navigation, geopositioning and timekeeping. The US Naval Observatory campus, located in Northwest Washington, D.C., is home to an astronomical observatory, as well as the official residence of the US vice president (at Number One Observatory Circle).

56 No-goodnik : LOUSE

The suffix “-nik” is of Slavic origin. It is somewhat like the suffix “-er” in English. By adding “-nik” to a noun, the new word describes a person related to what that noun describes. Examples of the use of “-nik” in mainstream English are “beatnik” and “”refusenik”. Examples of more casual “-nik” terms are “neatnik” and “peacenik”.

Down

3 “Grey Girl” poet Sharon : OLDS

Poet Sharon Olds won a Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2013. She was also the first American woman to win the T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry.

4 Bumbling sort? : BEE

Bumblebees aren’t very aggressive, but they can sting if they deem it necessary. Unlike honey bees, bumblebees survive the stinging action as their stinger has no barb. There are a few misconceptions about bumblebees. One is that a bumblebee should be incapable of flight based on the laws of aerodynamics, but this isn’t true. Another misconception is that the bee’s buzzing sound is caused by the beating of its wings. In fact, the sound comes from the vibration of its flight muscles. The bee can decouple those muscles from its wings, and so can make a buzzing sound without the wings moving at all.

6 Anti-mimetic position held by Oscar Wilde : LIFE IMITATES ART

The philosophical concept of anti-mimesis is often referred to as “life imitating art”. Oscar Wilde used the latter expression in his 1889 essay “The Decay of Lying”, asserting that “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life”. Wilde promoted anti-mimesis with the example of the all too common fog seen in London. Fog hung over the city periodically for centuries, but it only came to be considered a thing of beauty after artists and poets convinced us of its loveliness. The beauty of fog did not exist until “Art” invented it.

7 Largest Ohio city that doesn’t start with “C” : TOLEDO

Toledo, Ohio lies in the northwest of the state, at the western end of Lake Erie. Toledo was founded as a result of the prosperity that hit the area when the Miami and Erie Canal was constructed in the 19th century connecting Cincinnati to the Great Lakes. Toledo is known as the Glass City as several glass companies originated there, including Owens Corning and Pilkington North America. There is a large exhibition of glass art at the Toledo Museum of Art.

8 Film with a boy named Anakin, familiarly : EPISODE I

Anakin “Ani” Skywalker is the principal character in the first six of the “Star Wars” movies. His progress chronologically through the series of films is:

• Episode I: Anakin is a 9-year-old slave boy who earns the promise of Jedi training by young Obi-Wan Kenobi.
• Episode II: Anakin is 18-years-old and goes on a murdering rampage to avenge the killing of his mother.
• Episode III: Anakin is 21-years-old and a Jedi knight, but he turns to the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader. His wife Padme gives birth to twins, Luke and Leia Skywalker.
• Episode IV: Darth Vader, comes into conflict with his children, Luke Skywalker and the Princess Leia.
• Episode V: Darth Vader attempts to coax his son Luke over to the dark side, and reveals to Luke that he is his father.
• Episode VI: Luke learns that Leia is his sister, and takes on the task of bringing Darth Vader back from the Dark Side in order to save the Galaxy. Vader saves his son from the Emperor’s evil grip, dying in the process, but his spirit ends up alongside the spirits of Yoda and Obi-Wan. They all live happily ever after …

10 House of Commons reps : MPS

The UK Parliament is divided into two houses, with the upper house known as the House of Lords and the lower house as the House of Commons. The members of the House of Commons (MPs) are elected, but most new members of the House of Lords are appointed. Historically, a large proportion of the membership of the upper house were hereditary peers, but recent legislative changes are reducing the numbers who can sit in the House of Lords by virtue of birthright.

11 Garam masala ingredient : CLOVE

Cloves are the flower buds of the tree Syzygium aromaticum. Until a couple of centuries ago, clove trees were only found in the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Because they were a rich source of cloves, mace and nutmeg, the Moluccas were referred to historically as the Spice Islands.

Garam masala is a mixture of ground spices that is particularly associated with Indian cuisine. A typical composition of garam masala includes:

• black and white peppercorns
• cloves
• cinnamon
• black and white cumin seeds
• black, brown, and green cardamom pods

All of the ingredients are toasted, and then ground together.

12 Grounds crew’s roll : TARP

Originally, tarpaulins were made from canvas covered in tar that rendered the material waterproof. The word “tarpaulin” comes from “tar” and “palling”, with “pall” meaning “heavy cloth covering”.

13 Hit home? : SIDE-A

That would be the A-side of a record.

14 WordPress.com offering : BLOG

At its heart, WordPress is a blog-publishing system. And, that’s what I use to manage the content for this blog …

22 Dumpster __ : FIRE

“Dumpster fire” is an informal term that was coined in the early 2000s to describe a catastrophically bad situation. The phrase uses the image of the fire that can start in large trash bins.

“Dumpster” is one of those words that we use generically, even though it is actually a brand name. The original “Dumpster” was patented by the Dempster Brothers of Knoxville, Tennessee. “Dumpster” is derived from “dump” and “Dempster”.

24 Talk Like a Pirate Day sound : ARR!

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19th every year, a “holiday” that was created in 1995. The event started out as an inside joke between John Baur and Mark Summers of Albany, Oregon, but when they shared the notion with columnist Dave Barry, he promoted the idea and it took off.

25 “Hair Love” voice actress : RAE

Issa Rae is a Stanford University graduate who created a YouTube web series called “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl”. Rae also plays the title role in the series, a young lady named “J”. “Awkward Black Girl” was adapted into an HBO comedy-drama called “Insecure”, in which Issa Rae stars.

“Hair Love” is a 2019 animated short about a man who has to style his daughter’s hair for the first time. It is a poignant piece, as the father and daughter must use a tutorial video made by the girl’s mother. At the end of the film, the father and daughter visit the mother in hospital, and the latter removes her scarf to reveal that she has lost her hair due to chemotherapy.

32 Curt “Duh” : OBVI

“Obvi” is a slang term, a clipping of the word “obvious” that has the same meaning

35 Reasons for WRs to dance : TDS

In American football, a quarterback (QB) might throw to a wide receiver (WR).

40 “Solar Power” singer-songwriter : LORDE

“Solar Power” is a 2021 song co-written and recorded by New Zealand singer Lorde. She also recorded a Maori version of the song, under the title “Te Ao Marama”.

46 Cosabella product : BRA

Cosabella is a supplier of lingerie that was founded in 1983 in Italy by Valeria Campello.

47 Moreno in two “West Side Story” films : RITA

Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress Rita Moreno is one of the few performers to have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony (EGOT). Moreno got her big break, and won her Oscar, for playing Anita in the 1961 screen adaptation of “West Side Story”. And, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2004.

Leonard Bernstein’s musical “West Side Story” is based on William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. The musical is set in New York City and features two rival gangs: the Sharks from Puerto Rico and the Jets with working-class, Caucasian roots. Tony from the Jets (played by Richard Beymer) falls in love with Maria (played by Natalie Wood) from the Sharks. All this parallels Romeo from the House of Montague falling for Juliet from the House of Capulet in the Italian city of Verona. The stage musical was adapted into a very successful 1961 movie with the same title.

52 __ provençale : A LA

A dish that is prepared “à la provençale” features ingredients commonly used in Provençe in the South of France. Such dishes typically incorporate tomatoes, onions, garlic and olives.

53 Artist Dutch whose name became a fashion brand : VON

Despite the name, Von Dutch is a fashion brand based in Los Angeles that was founded in 1999. The brand was named for artist Kenny Howard, who went by the names “Dutch” and “Von Dutch”. Howard passed away in 1992, and his daughters gave permission for the name to be used.

54 Cell service letters : LTE

In the world of telecommunications, the initialism LTE stands for Long-Term Evolution, and is wireless broadband communication standard. In general terms, LTE improves broadband speeds. As I understand it, LTE technology allows a 3G network to perform almost as well as a true 4G network, and so LTE is sometimes marketed as 4G LTE, even though it’s really “3G plus”.

55 Former NBAer Jeremy : LIN

Jeremy Lin is a professional basketball player who was raised in the city of Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lin is the first American of Chinese descent to play in the NBA.