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Constructed by: Joseph Marquez
Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Reveal Answer: Bucket Hat
Today’s grid includes four HATS spelled out with circled letters in the shape of BUCKETS:
- 65A Headwear featured four times in this puzzle : BUCKET HAT
The four “BUCKET” HATS are:
BEANIE
A beanie is a knitted, close-fitting hat with no brim. The name probably comes from the slang term “bean” meaning “head”.
FEDORA
A fedora is a lovely hat, I think. It is made of felt, and is similar to a trilby, but has a broader brim. “Fedora” was a play written for Sarah Bernhardt and first performed in 1889. Bernhardt had the title role of Princess Fedora, and on stage she wore a hat similar to a modern-day fedora. The play led to the women’s fashion accessory, the fedora hat, commonly worn by women into the beginning of the twentieth century. Men then started wearing fedoras, but only when women gave up the fashion …
PANAMA
Panama hats are traditional headgear from Ecuador, and have never been made in volume in Panama. The “panama” moniker came about as many of the hats were shipped to the Isthmus of Panama for transportation by sea to the rest of the world. Authentic panama hats are made from the leaves of a palm-like plant known locally as the jipijapa palm.
BOWLER
The bowler hat is so called because it was originally designed, in 1849, by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler. The Bowlers created it as an alternative for the top hats then worn by gamekeepers. The gamekeepers needed a tight-fitting hat with a low and rounded crown so that it would stay on their heads as they rode by horseback through woodland with low-hanging branches.
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Bill’s time: 8m 16s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
5 Caramel custard : FLAN
Flan (also “crème caramel”) is a delicious dessert comprising a molded custard topped with a clear caramel sauce. The related crème brûlée is a dessert made from molded custard with a hard, burnt caramel layer on top.
15 Country great McEntire : REBA
Reba McEntire is a country music singer and television actress. McEntire starred in her own sitcom “Reba” that aired on the WB and the CW cable channels from 2001 to 2007. She is sometimes referred to as “The Queen of Country”.
16 “Feliz año nuevo” month : ENERO
In Spanish, coming up to midnight on New Year’s Eve, one might hear “cinco, cuatro, tres, dos, uno!” (five, four, three, two, one) and then “Feliz Año Nuevo!” (Happy New Year!).
17 Ballpark figures : ESTIMATES
A ballpark figure is an estimated quantity. The original “ballpark figure” was an estimate of the number of people attending a baseball game, the size of the crowd in the “ballpark”.
24 Chromebook maker : ACER
A netbook is in effect a stripped-down laptop. It is a small machine without a hard drive that is intended for use with an Internet connection. Netbooks were largely pushed out of the market by tablet computers. Google’s Chromebooks have really taken over the netbook concept, and have proven to be very successful in recent years. I love my Chromebook …
28 Mythological event depicted in a 2017 “Thor” film : RAGNAROK
“Ragnarök” is the name given to a set of events in Norse mythology that resulted in the deaths of many famous gods, including Odin and Thor.
“Thor: Ragnarok” is a 2017 superhero film in the “Thor” series. Not my cup of tea …
35 “Xanadu” rock 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.
37 Baghdad currency : DINAR
The dinar is the official currency in many countries, such as Iraq, Tunisia, Bahrain and Serbia. The gold dinar dates back to the early days of Islam, with the name deriving from the Roman currency called “denarius” meaning “ten times” (as it was originally a coin worth ten asses).
43 __-switching : CODE
The linguistic term “code-switching” refers to the practice of a speaker switching between languages or dialects while in the same conversation.
44 Gold-loving king : MIDAS
King Midas of Greek mythology might be termed an alchemist as he had the power to turn everything he touched into gold i.e. the Midas touch. That power became a curse, as everything he touched turned to gold, including his food and drink, and even his children.
48 Home of the world’s tallest building, briefly : UAE
Burj Khalifa is a spectacular skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the tallest man-made structure in the world, and has been so since the completion of its exterior in 2009. The space in the building came onto the market at a really bad time, during the global financial crisis. The building was part of a US$20 billion development of downtown Dubai that was backed by the city government which had to go looking for a bailout from the neighboring city of Abu Dhabi. The tower was given the name Burj Khalifa at the last minute, apparently as a nod to UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan who helped to broker the bailout.
55 California wine region : NAPA
“Wine Country” is a name used to describe the wine-growing region of Northern California located north of the San Francisco Bay area. Although the term “Wine Country” is informal, it generally equated to the combined counties of Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, and Solano. The area is home to over 1700 wineries.
56 __ choy : BOK
Bok choy is a variety of Chinese cabbage. “Bok choy” translates as “white vegetable”.
60 JD-to-be’s hurdle : LSAT
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
The law degree that is abbreviated to “J.D.” stands for “Juris Doctor” or “Doctor of Jurisprudence”.
63 Dogpatch name : ABNER
Cartoonist Al Capp set his classic comic strip “Li’l Abner” in the fictional community of Dogpatch. According to one of the “Li’l Abner” strips, Dogpatch is located somewhere in the state of Kentucky.
65 Headwear featured four times in this puzzle : BUCKET HAT
Bucket hats are soft items of headgear with downward-sloping, narrow brim. They also go by the name fisherman’s hat and Irish country hat. They are often made from hard-wearing material, like cotton, and can have metal eyelets in the crown for ventilation.
69 Like one of Picasso’s periods : BLUE
Picasso’s Blue Period comprises works completed between 1901 and 1904. All his paintings in the era were basically monochromatic, using different shades of blue. HIs best-known work from the period is “The Old Guitarist”, which you can see at the Art Institute of Chicago.
70 Trickster of Asgard : LOKI
Loki is a trickster god in Norse mythology known for continually creating chaos. Loki is the father of sons with his wife Sigyn. Because Loki is also a shape-shifter, he gave birth to children “himself” by assuming the shape of the opposite sex.
Down
1 Civil War POTUS : ABE
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the US, elected in 1860 as the first president from the Republican Party. Lincoln’s electoral support came almost exclusively from the north and west of the country, winning only 2 out of 996 counties in the Southern slave states. Lincoln led the country through the Civil War, and then was assassinated in 1865 just a few days after Robert E. Lee surrendered his army of Northern Virginia. President Lincoln was succeeded in office by Vice President Andrew Johnson.
2 “Abbott Elementary” actress __ Ann Walter : LISA
Actress and comedian Lisa Ann Walter is perhaps best known to TV audiences for playing second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti on the mockumentary sitcom “Abbot Elementary”. Movie audiences might know her for playing housekeeper Chessy in the 1998 romcom “The Parent Trap”. Walter also wrote a 2011 comic memoir “The Best Thing About My Ass Is That It’s Behind Me”.
4 Staple of some plant-based diets : SEITAN
Seitan is a foodstuff made from wheat gluten that is often used as an alternative to meat. “Seitan” is a word that was coined in Japanese in 1961 by George Ohsawa, the founder of the macrobiotic diet.
5 Title for a monk : FRA
The title “Fra” (brother) is used to address Italian monks.
7 One of Eve’s sons : ABEL
According to the Bible, Adam and Eve had several children, although only the first three are mentioned by name: Cain, Abel and Seth.
11 Self-identifier such as “ze” or “hir” : NEOPRONOUN
Neopronouns are third person personal pronouns that are coined as alternatives to the existing pronouns. They are usually used by non-binary individuals to reflect their gender identity more faithfully than the pronouns accepted by convention.
12 “My Soft Machine” singer Parks : ARLO
“Arlo Parks” is the stage name of British singer and poet Anaïs Marinho. Parks seems to have hit the big time early in her career, with her first studio album “Collapsed in Sunbeams” (2021) garnering a lot of positive attention.
13 Played scissors against rock, say : LOST
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people, at least here in North America. Back in Ireland we called the game “scissors-paper-stone”, and another name encountered around the English-speaking world is “roshambo”. The game is often used as a way to choose between two options or two individuals.
18 Book between Jonah and Nahum : MICAH
The Book of Micah is one of twelve books in the Bible written by the so-called minor prophets. The name “Micah” translates into English from Hebrew as “Who is like God?”
28 Paper orders : REAMS
A ream is 500 sheets of paper. As there were 24 sheets in a quire, and 20 quires made up a ream, there used to be 480 sheets in a ream. Ever since the standard was changed to 500, a 480-sheet packet of paper has been called a “short ream”. We also use the term “reams” to mean a great amount, evolving from the idea of a lot of printed material.
29 Classic TV’s “Kate & __” : ALLIE
The sitcom “Kate & Allie” ran from 1984 to 1989, starring Susan Saint James as Kate, and Jane Curtin as Allie. Jane Curtin won two Emmy awards for her work on the series, while Susan Saint James … did not.
31 Turtlelike Mario Bros. foe : KOOPA
Koopa Troopas are turtle-like creatures that appear in the Mario video game franchise. “Koopas” are known in Japan as “Nokonoko”.
33 Nobelist Anwar : SADAT
Anwar Sadat was the third President of Egypt right up to the time of his assassination in 1981. Sadat won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978, along with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, for the role played in crafting the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1978 at Camp David. It was this agreement that largely led to Sadat’s assassination three years later.
34 Forest denizens : TREES
Nowadays we use “denizen” to mean simply “resident”, but historically a denizen was an immigrant to whom certain rights had been granted, somewhat like today’s resident alien.
41 Hairstyle with a uniform length : BLUNT CUT
In a blunt cut hairstyle, the hair is cut to the same length all around, with straight ends. Blunt cuts can be worn on all hair lengths. I guess that’s what I do when I trim what hair I have left using a number-one setting on my hair clipper. Or, maybe not …
42 Streets of Rage game company : SEGA
“Streets of Rage” is a series of video games released by Sega starting in 1991. Described as a “beat ‘em up” game, it features ex-cop vigilantes taking out a crime syndicate in a fictional American city. The game is sold in Japan under the title “Bare Knuckle”.
45 Baseballs and basketballs, but not rugby balls : SPHERES
In the game of rugby, a try is scored by grounding the ball behind the opposition’s goal line. A try is similar to a touchdown in American football, although in rugby the ball must be manually placed on the ground by the player making the score. The term “try” is used as originally that act of touching the ball to the ground simply qualified a team for a “try at goal”, an opportunity to kick the ball at goal to make the score.
52 Nabe south of Pasadena : EAST LA
East Los Angeles (usually “East LA”) is the most populous census-designated place in California, and is home to over 125,000 people.
54 Bar mitzvah figure : RABBI
A Jewish girl becomes a bat mitzvah at 12 years of age, the age at which she becomes responsible for her actions. Boys become bar mitzvahs at 13. The terms translate into English as daughter and son of the commandments.
57 Clarinet kin : OBOE
The clarinet is a lovely-sounding instrument, isn’t it? The name “clarinet” comes from the Italian word “clarino” meaning “trumpet”, with the “-et” suffix indicating “small”.
61 Nautical call : AHOY!
“Ahoy!” is a nautical term used to signal a vessel. When the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell, he suggested that “ahoy” be used as a standard greeting when answering a call. However, Thomas Edison came up with “hello”, and we’ve been using that ever since.
64 Subj. for some citizenship applicants : ESL
English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
66 __ lime pie : KEY
The species of citrus fruit called a key lime is so named due to its association with the Florida Keys.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 “Such a pity!” : ALAS!
5 Caramel custard : FLAN
9 Championship game : FINAL
14 Quick meal : BITE
15 Country great McEntire : REBA
16 “Feliz año nuevo” month : ENERO
17 Ballpark figures : ESTIMATES
19 Adulated ones : IDOLS
20 Climactic beginning? : ANTI-
21 Challenge for 64-Down students : SLANG
23 Garden vessel : POT
24 Chromebook maker : ACER
26 Reclusive one : LONER
28 Mythological event depicted in a 2017 “Thor” film : RAGNAROK
32 Share on social media : REPOST
35 “Xanadu” rock gp. : ELO
36 Saintly ring : HALO
37 Baghdad currency : DINAR
38 Heaps and heaps : A LOT
40 Gross figures : SLOBS
43 __-switching : CODE
44 Gold-loving king : MIDAS
46 Courtroom entry : PLEA
48 Home of the world’s tallest building, briefly : UAE
49 Blind dates, e.g. : SETUPS
51 Enhances : AUGMENTS
53 Different : OTHER
55 California wine region : NAPA
56 __ choy : BOK
58 Like some change : EXACT
60 JD-to-be’s hurdle : LSAT
63 Dogpatch name : ABNER
65 Headwear featured four times in this puzzle : BUCKET HAT
68 Baggy : LOOSE
69 Like one of Picasso’s periods : BLUE
70 Trickster of Asgard : LOKI
71 Cries like a kitten : MEWLS
72 Barely noticeable : ITTY
73 All those in favor : AYES
Down
1 Civil War POTUS : ABE
2 “Abbott Elementary” actress __ Ann Walter : LISA
3 Memo abbr. : ATTN
4 Staple of some plant-based diets : SEITAN
5 Title for a monk : FRA
6 “Time to go!” : LET’S ROLL!
7 One of Eve’s sons : ABEL
8 Sounding congested : NASAL
9 Pretended : FEIGNED
10 Third-party abbr. : IND
11 Self-identifier such as “ze” or “hir” : NEOPRONOUN
12 “My Soft Machine” singer Parks : ARLO
13 Played scissors against rock, say : LOST
18 Book between Jonah and Nahum : MICAH
22 Neither partner : NOR
25 Notable times : ERAS
27 Awesome : EPIC
28 Paper orders : REAMS
29 Classic TV’s “Kate & __” : ALLIE
30 “Thanks for the info” : GOOD TO KNOW
31 Turtlelike Mario Bros. foe : KOOPA
33 Nobelist Anwar : SADAT
34 Forest denizens : TREES
39 Not slack : TAUT
41 Hairstyle with a uniform length : BLUNT CUT
42 Streets of Rage game company : SEGA
45 Baseballs and basketballs, but not rugby balls : SPHERES
47 Substantial : AMPLE
50 Health class topic : SEX
52 Nabe south of Pasadena : EAST LA
54 Bar mitzvah figure : RABBI
56 Application to chapped lips : BALM
57 Clarinet kin : OBOE
59 Fringe group : CULT
61 Nautical call : AHOY!
62 Swipe : TAKE
64 Subj. for some citizenship applicants : ESL
66 __ lime pie : KEY
67 Poetic contraction : ‘TIS
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