Day: August 25, 2024

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Constructed by: Kenneth Cortes
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Family Matters

Themed answers each have two words starting with either MA- or PA-, they are MA-MAs and PA-PAs:

• 122A Half of a 1960s pop group, and what’s found in half of this puzzle’s long answers : MAMAS
• 125A Half of a 1960s pop group, and what’s found in half of this puzzle’s long answers : PAPAS

• 27A NCAA basketball tournament nickname : MARCH MADNESS
• 40A Artistic form for Degas : PASTEL PAINTING
• 47A Sherwood Forest resident : MAID MARIAN
• 64A Works on a car’s alignment? : PARALLEL PARKS
• 72A Broad appeal to all possible consumers : MASS MARKETING
• 84A Chess piece with a clear path to promotion : PASSED PAWN
• 94A Sailors qualified to captain any ship : MASTER MARINERS
• 107A Decoration for a tropical cocktail : PAPER PARASOL

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

Bill’s time: 13m 53s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Pool equipment : RACKS

The more correct name for the game of pool is “pocket billiards”. The designation “pool” arose after pocket billiards became a common feature in “pool halls”, places where gamblers “pooled” their money to bet on horse races.

6 __ Romeo : ALFA

The “Alfa” in “Alfa Romeo” is actually an acronym, one standing for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (“Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company”). ALFA was an enterprise founded in 1909 and which was taken over by Nicola Romeo in 1915. In 1920 the company name was changed to Alfa Romeo.

14 Part of a flight : STAIR

A landing is the area at the top and bottom of a staircase. Apparently, we called the steps between the landings a “flight” of stairs, because one “flies” between landings! Can that be true?

20 Prom invitee : TEEN

A prom is a formal dance held upon graduation from high school (we call them “formals” over in Ireland). The term “prom” is short for “promenade”, the name given to a type of dance or ball.

21 Oscar winner Malek : RAMI

Actor Rami Malek’s big break came with the leading role in the television series “Mr. Robot”. In 2018, Malik gave an Oscar-winning performance playing Freddie Mercury in the hit biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”. That marked the first time that an actor of Egyptian descent won an Academy Award for Best Actor.

22 Potion-making goddess of myth : CIRCE

Circe was a minor goddess in Greek mythology. The goddess of magic, she was fond of transforming those who did not please her into animals by using magical potions. In Homer’s “Odyssey”, Odysseus was given the herb called “moly” to protect him from the magical powers of Circe.

24 Baker’s fat : LARD

Fat, when extracted from the carcass of an animal, is called suet. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be rendered, purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call lard. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as tallow.

25 Muslim wedding officiant : IMAM

An imam is a Muslim leader, and often the person in charge of a mosque and/or perhaps a Muslim community.

27 NCAA basketball tournament nickname : MARCH MADNESS

“March Madness” is the name given to the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Championship (among others), that is held in the spring each year. Another name is “the Big Dance”.

30 Last qualifier? : NOT LEAST

Last, but not least.

32 Baby goats : KIDS

Male goats are bucks or billies, although castrated males are known as wethers. Female goats are does or nannies, and young goats are referred to as kids.

36 Vardalos of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” : NIA

Not only is Nia Vardalos the star of the 2002 hit movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, she also wrote the screenplay. The film never made it to number one at the box office, but it still pulled in more money than any other movie in history that didn’t make it to number one. That record I think reflects the fact that the film wasn’t a blockbuster but rather a so-called “sleeper hit”, a movie that people went to see based on referrals from friends. The big fat mistake came when a spin-off TV show was launched, “My Big Fat Greek Life”. It ran for only 7 episodes. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” hit movie theaters in 2016.

40 Artistic form for Degas : PASTEL PAINTING

A “pastel” is a crayon made from a “paste” containing a powdered pigment in a binder. The term “pastel” can also be used to describe a work created using pastels.

Edgar Degas was a French artist who was famous for both his paintings and his sculptures. Some of Degas’ most beautiful works feature female ballet dancers, and others depict women bathing.

47 Sherwood Forest resident : MAID MARIAN

Robin Hood is a figure from English folklore who is celebrated in story and song. Some stories suggest that Robin Hood the outlaw was actually a real nobleman, the Earl of Huntingdon. Robin Hood’s famous companion was Maid Marian. Interestingly, the legend of Maid Marian (full name Lady Marian of Leaford) had been around for centuries before she became associated with Robin Hood starting in the 1700s.

Even though Robin Hood is a character from legend, Sherwood Forest does really exist. It is located in Nottinghamshire in England, and has been around since the last ice age.

52 Ishmael’s captain : AHAB

Ishmael is the narrator and protagonist in the Herman Melville novel “Moby-Dick”.

56 Texting tech : SMS

Short Message Service (SMS) is the name for the text messaging service that many of us still use on our cell phones to contact friends and family.

57 Alma mater of Prince Harry and Prince William : ETON

The British laws of royal succession changed in 2013. The centuries old law dictated that males in a family were ranked higher than all females, regardless of age. The current line of succession is:

1. Prince William (Charles’ eldest son)
2. Prince George (William’s eldest child)
3. Princess Charlotte (William’s second-oldest child)
4. Prince Louis (William’s third-oldest child)
5. Prince Harry (Charles’ second-oldest son)

Under the old system, when Prince William and his wife had Prince Louis, the male child would have bumped Princess Charlotte down one rung of the ladder. Under the new system, Princess Charlotte gets to “hold her ground”.

58 BBC sitcom, to fans : ABFAB

“Absolutely Fabulous” (sometimes shortened to “AbFab”) is a cult-classic sitcom produced by the BBC. The two stars of the show are Jennifer Saunders (Edina Monsoon) and Joanna Lumley (Patsy Stone). “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” hit the screens in 2016. I haven’t seen it yet, but my wife did and really enjoyed it. She said that there’s a veritable cavalcade of British stars that make an appearance …

61 Very muscular, informally : SWOLE

“Swole” is an informal term meaning “very muscular”. Yeah, I hear that word all the time …

70 IV part : INTRA-

Intravenous (IV) drip

76 Like the legend of Ragnarok : NORSE

“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.

82 C-SPAN figs. : SENS

C-SPAN is a privately-funded, nonprofit cable channel that broadcasts continuous coverage of government proceedings. The acronym stands for “Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network”.

83 Campground letters : KOA

Kampgrounds of America (KOA) was founded in 1962 by Montana businessman Dave Drum, who opened up his first property along the Yellowstone River. His strategy was to offer a rich package of services including hot showers, restrooms and a store, which he hoped would attract people used to camping in the rough. The original campground was an immediate hit and Drum took on two partners and sold franchises all over the country. There are about 500 KOA sites today.

84 Chess piece with a clear path to promotion : PASSED PAWN

In the game of chess, the pawns are the weakest pieces on the board. A pawn that can make it to the opposite side of the board can be promoted to a piece of choice, usually a queen. Using promotion of pawns, it is possible for a player to have two or more queens on the board at one time. However, standard chess sets come with only one queen per side, so a captured rook is often used as the second queen by placing it on the board upside down.

87 Wash. neighbor : IDA

Idaho borders six states, and one Canadian province:

• Montana
• Wyoming
• Nevada
• Utah
• Washington
• Oregon
• British Columbia

100 Brest friend : AMI

Brest is a port city in northwest France, and is the second largest military port in the country. Brest was an important base for German U-boats during WWII when France was occupied by the Nazis. Brest is the most westerly city in the whole country.

101 “The Simpsons” disco guy : STU

On “The Simpsons”, the character Disco Stu is voiced by Hank Azaria, although the original intent was for him to be voiced by Phil Hartman. Disco Stu is described as “a black, wrinkly John Travolta”.

103 Electronics giant : SONY

Sony was founded by Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation). The two partners met in the Japanese Navy during WWII.

107 Decoration for a tropical cocktail : PAPER PARASOL

A parasol is a light umbrella that is used as a sunshade. The term “parasol” ultimately comes from Latin “para-” meaning “defense against”, and “sol” meaning “sun”.

113 Classic wafermaker : NECCO

Necco Wafers were the best-known product line of the candy manufacturer called the New England Confectionery Company. The firm’s name was abbreviated to “NECCO”, an acronym that became synonymous with the wafers.

114 Red Cross supplies : SERA

Back in 1859, a Swiss businessman called Henri Dunant went to meet French emperor Napoleon III, to discuss making it easier to conduct commerce in French-occupied Algeria. The Emperor was billeted at Solferino, where France and Austria were engaged in a major battle. In one day, Dunant witnessed 40,000 soldiers die or get wounded on the battlefield without any organized medical care. Dunant abandoned his business agenda and instead spent a week caring for the sick and wounded. Within a few years he had founded the precursor to the Red Cross, and in 1901 he was awarded the first ever Nobel Peace Prize.

119 Shakespearean king : LEAR

Shakespeare was inspired to write his famous drama “King Lear” by the legend of “Leir of Britain”, the story of a mythological Celtic king.

120 Currier’s partner : IVES

Currier and Ives was a printmaking concern in New York City run by Nathaniel Currier and his partner James Merritt Ives from 1834 to 1907. The firm specialized in making affordable, hand-colored black and white lithographs.

121 River to the North Sea : MEUSE

The Meuse is a 575-mile long river that rises in France and flows through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea. The river is known as the Mouze in Belgium, and the Maas in the Netherlands.

122 Half of a 1960s pop group, and what’s found in half of this puzzle’s long answers : MAMAS
125 Half of a 1960s pop group, and what’s found in half of this puzzle’s long answers : PAPAS

The folk group called the Magic Circle renamed itself to the Mamas and the Papas in the early sixties. Sadly, the Mamas and the Papas weren’t a happy bunch, always fighting over who was getting credit for songs and whose voice was getting mixed out of recordings, so they split up, twice. While they were together though, they wrote and recorded some great songs, songs which really do epitomize the sound of the sixties. “Monday, Monday” was written by John Phillips, one of “the Papas”, and it was to become the only number one hit for the group. Here’s a shocker … when it hit number one in 1966, it was the first time that a group made up of both sexes topped the American charts!

Down

1 Copier insert : REAM

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.

2 Chapati flour : ATTA

Chapati is an unleavened flatbread that is associated with India. The name of the bread comes from the Hindi word “chapat” meaning “flat”.

3 One-named “Mermaids” star : CHER

“Mermaids” is a 1990 film based on a 1986 novel of the same name by Patty Dann. The movie stars Cher as the carefree single mother of a neurotic 15-year-old played by Winona Ryder. Also, Christina Ricci makes her film debut playing the 9-year-old daughter of Cher’s character. I haven’t seen this film …

4 Got to work, with “down” : KNUCKLED …

The verb “to knuckle” was coined in the 18th century to describe the motion of kneeling down with a knuckle on the ground to play the game of marbles. The derivative phrasal verb “to knuckle down” came to mean “to apply oneself earnestly”, as in the game. The related verb phrase “to knuckle under”, meaning “to submit, give in”, seems also to refer back to the game, and refers to the action of kneeling.

5 Title role for Meryl : SOPHIE

“Sophie’s Choice” is a novel by William Styron. The title character is a Polish survivor of Nazi concentration camps. The tragic “choice” which Sophie had to make was forced on her by a sadistic German doctor during the war. Sophie had to decide which of her two young children would be immediately gassed, and which would be allowed to live in a camp. Famously, Sophie was played on the big screen by actress Meryl Streep.

7 Malleable metal : LEAD

Something malleable is capable of being shaped by beating with a hammer. “Malleable” comes from the Latin “malleus” meaning “hammer”. We mainly use the term figuratively these days, to describe something or someone capable of being altered by outside influences.

8 Houseplant with spores : FERN

Ferns are unlike mosses in that they have xylem and phloem, making them vascular plants. They also have stems, leaves and roots, but they do not have seeds and flowers, and reproduce using spores. Spores differ from seeds in that they have very little stored food.

9 Thumbelina creator : ANDERSEN

“Thumbelina” is a Hans Christian Andersen story that was first published in 1835 as part of his collection “Fairy Tales Told for Children”. The title character is a tiny little girl born from a grain of barley.

10 Wham-O toy : FRISBEE

The Frisbee concept started back in 1938 with a couple who had an upturned cake pan that they were tossing between each other on Santa Monica Beach in California. They were offered 25 cents for the pan on the spot, and as pans could be bought for 5 cents, the pair figured there was a living to be earned.

Wham-O was founded in 1948, with the company’s first product being the Wham-O slingshot. Since then, Wham-O has marketed a string of hit toys including the Hula Hoop, Frisbee, Slip ‘N Slide, Silly String, Hacky Sack and Boogie Board.

12 Arabian Sea nation : OMAN

The Arabian Sea is an arm of the Indian Ocean that lies off the coasts of Oman, Yemen, Pakistan and Iran. It is bounded in the west by Somalia, and in the east by India.

13 Brunch cocktail : MIMOSA

Where I come from, the cocktail known in North America as a mimosa is called a buck’s fizz, with the latter named for Buck’s Club in London where it was introduced in 1921. The mimosa came along a few years later, apparently first being served in the Paris Ritz. If you want to make a mimosa, it’s a 50-50 mix of champagne and orange juice, and it is very tasty …

16 Italian fashion brand : ARMANI

Giorgio “Gio” Armani is an Italian fashion designer and founder of the company that has borne his name since 1975. Although Armani is famous for his menswear, the company makes everything from jewelry to perfume.

17 Traps at a chalet, perhaps : ICES IN

“Chalet” is a Swiss-French name for an alpine cottage.

29 Jedi foe : SITH

The Sith are characters in the “Star Wars” universe who use the “dark side” of “the Force”, and as such are the antithesis of the Jedi Knights. Members of the Sith use the title “Darth” before their name, as in Darth Vader. The last made of the six “Star Wars” movies is called “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”.

31 Three-tone chord : TRIAD

A triad is a group of three and, specifically in music, a chord made up of three notes.

34 Camera letters : SLR

Single-lens reflex (SLR) camera

38 Start and end of Popeye’s credo : I YAM

“I yam what I yam …” are words oft spoken by Popeye.

41 “I’m an open book” session, briefly : AMA

Ask me anything (AMA)

45 “You can’t sit here” sign : SRO

Standing room only (SRO)

48 Rendezvous request : MEET ME?

A rendezvous is a meeting. The noun used in English comes from the French phrase “rendez vous” meaning “present yourselves”.

49 Bamboozled : AT SEA

It’s thought that the lovely word “bamboozle” came into English from the Scottish “bombaze” meaning “perplex”. We’ve been using “bamboozle” since the very early 1700s.

51 Company that operates London river boats : UBER

Thames Clippers is a commuter and tourist river bus service that has operated on the River Thames in London since 1999. After a partnership arrangement with the ride-sharing company Uber, the river buses were rebranded as “Uber Boat by Thames Clippers”.

53 Composition of some violin bows : HORSEHAIR

Many stringed instruments are played by drawing a bow against the strings. A bow is a stick holding hair along its length under tension. The hair used usually comes from the tail of a horse. The hairs are coated in rosin, a solid resin, in order to create the friction necessary to cause vibrations of the instrument’s strings.

54 __-Seltzer : ALKA

Alka-Seltzer is a brand of fizzy antacid that has been marketed since 1931. In terms of ingredients, it is a mix of sodium bicarbonate, aspirin and anhydrous citric acid.

58 “The Sopranos” restaurateur : ARTIE

In the celebrated crime-drama TV show “The Sopranos”, The character Artie Bucco is an old school friend of Tony Soprano who became a chef and restaurant owner. Bucco is played by actor John Ventimiglia.

60 Color guard’s charge : FLAG

A color guard is a group of soldiers given the task of protecting the national flag and other flags representing the military chain of command.

66 Austrian actress Lenya : LOTTE

Lotte Lenya was an Austrian singer and actress. She was married to composer Kurt Weill, and was noted for her performances of his works. Late in her career she played Rosa Klebb, one of the main villains in the 1963 Bond movie “From Russia With Love”. Klebb was the character who had the knife that popped out from the toe of her shoe.

67 Iowa town west of Cedar Rapids : AMES

The Iowa city of Ames was founded as a stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad in 1864. It was named for US Congressman Oakes Ames from the state of Massachusetts in honor of the role that Ames played in the building of the transcontinental railroad.

Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in the state of Iowa. It is named for rapids on the Cedar River on which the city is located. The river itself was named for the red cedars growing along the river’s banks.

69 Bond villain in a Nehru jacket : DR NO

“Dr. No” may have been the first film in the wildly successful James Bond franchise, but it was the sixth novel in the series of books penned by Ian Fleming. Fleming was inspired to write the story after reading the Fu Manchu tales by Sax Rohmer. If you’ve read the Rohmer books or seen the films, you’ll recognize the similarities between the characters Dr. Julius No and Fu Manchu. By the way, the author Ian Fleming tells us that Julius No attended medical school in Milwaukee.

73 Eucalyptus eater : KOALA

Koalas are not bears, but are marsupials, which means they carry their young in a pouch.They are known for their diet of eucalyptus leaves, which are toxic to most other animals. To cope with this, koalas have a special digestive system that allows them to break down the toxins and extract the nutrients from the leaves. Koalas are one of the sleepiest animals in the world, sleeping up to 20 hours a day. This is because eucalyptus leaves provide very little energy.

77 Lat. and Lith., once : SSRS

The nation of Latvia in Northern Europe is one of the three Baltic States, along with Estonia and Lithuania. Latvia is known for its vast forested areas, which cover more than half of the country’s territory.

The nation of Lithuania is a former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) sitting on the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. The capital of Lithuania is Vilnius, and 16 miles north of Vilnius is a point that is officially recognized as the geographic center of Europe.

78 Burro : ASS

Our word “burro”, meaning “donkey”, comes from the Spanish word for the same animal, namely “burrico”.

81 Serengeti grazers : GNUS

The gnu is also known as the wildebeest, and is an antelope native to Africa. “Wildebeest” is a Dutch word meaning “wild beast”.

The Serengeti is a region in Africa located in northern Tanzania and southwest Kenya. The name “Serengeti” comes from the Maasai language and means “Endless Plains”.

85 __ Lingus : AER

Aer Lingus is my favorite airline! Well, the service isn’t that great, but when I get on board an Aer Lingus plane I feel like I am back in Ireland. Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland, with “Aer Lingus” being a phonetic spelling of the Irish “aer-loingeas” meaning “air fleet”. These days Aer Lingus can only lay claim to the title of Ireland’s oldest airline as it is no longer the biggest. That honor goes to the controversial budget airline Ryanair.

86 Amenity at some McDonald’s restaurants : PLAY AREA

The original McDonald’s restaurant was opened in 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald as a barbecue restaurant. The brothers then moved into fast food hamburgers, eventually selling out to one of their franchise agents, Ray Kroc. It was Ray Kroc who really led the company to its worldwide success. He was played by Michael Keaton in the movie about Ray Kroc’s business life called “The Founder”.

88 Tyrants : DESPOTS

A despot is a ruler with absolute power, and often one who wields that power oppressively. “Despot” is an old French term from the 14th century that is ultimately derived from the Greek “despotes” meaning “master of a household, absolute ruler”.

92 Draft status : ONE-A

The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System (SSS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).

94 PI played by Selleck : MAGNUM

“Magnum, P.I.” is a TV series that aired in the eighties starring Tom Selleck in the title role. The show was incredibly successful, especially during its first five years. Many big names made guest appearances including Vic Morrow, Orson Welles and Frank Sinatra. The series was rebooted in 2018 as “Magnum P.I.” (no comma!) with Jay Hernandez playing the title character.

Tom Selleck’s big break as an actor came with the title role in the 1980s crime show “Magnum, P.I.” Prior to that breakthrough, Selleck had appeared twice on TV’s “The Dating Game” in the 1960s, and also appeared in commercials for products such as Pepsi-Cola. One role that Selleck missed out on was Indiana Jones in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Selleck had to pass on that one because of his contract to play Thomas Magnum. Selleck and his family live on a 60-acre avocado ranch in Hidden Valley, California that was once owned by Dean Martin.

95 Microscopic creature : AMOEBA

An ameba (also “amoeba”) is a single-celled microorganism. The name comes from the Greek “amoibe”, meaning change. The name is quite apt, as the cell changes shape readily as the ameba moves, eats and reproduces.

96 “Abbott Elementary,” e.g. : SITCOM

“Abbott Elementary” is a sitcom in the mockumentary genre. The show was created by and stars Quinta Brunson as a cup-half-full second-grade teacher in a Philadelphia public school. The premise of “Abbott Elementary” is that a film crew is making a documentary about the lives of teachers working in underfunded schools.

97 Fiber-rich cereal : MUESLI

“Muesli” is a Swiss-German term describing a breakfast serving of rolled oats, nuts, fruit and milk. The dish can be soaked overnight in milk before serving (“overnight oats”). “Muesli” is a diminutive of the German word “Mues” meaning “puree”. Delicious …

99 Cloverleaf element : ON-RAMP

Cloverleaf interchanges allow two highways to cross without the need for stopping traffic. They are so called as when viewed overheard they look like the leaves of a four-leaf clover.

105 Sch. near Beverly Hills : UCLA

The city of Beverly Hills, California was named after Beverly Farms in Beverly, Massachusetts and also after the hills in that part of California.

111 Mount of Greek myth : OSSA

Mount Ossa in Greece is located between Mount Pelion in the south, and the famed Mount Olympus in the north. Mount Ossa is also known as Kissavos.

112 Wine dregs : LEES

The dregs in wine, the sediment that settles during fermentation (and sometimes in the bottle), are also called “lees”.