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Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Service Animals
Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted as SERVICE ANIMALS for individuals cited in the corresponding clues:
- 17A Service animal for a heavy-metal musician? : ROCK HOUND
- 25A Service animal for a neighborhood cop? : BEAT BOXER
- 35A Service animal for an airline pilot? : JET SETTER
- 50A Service animal for the Energizer mascot? : BUNNY CHOW
- 59A Service animal for a swindler’s victim? : MARK SPITZ
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
Want to discuss the puzzle? Then …
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Bill’s time: 7m 31s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
9 Language of “The Rubáiyát” : FARSI
Omar Khayyám was a Persian with many talents. He was a poet as well as an important mathematician, astronomer and physician. A selection of his poems were translated by one Edward Fitzgerald in a collection called “Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám”. Here are some famous lines from that collection:
Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse — and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness —
And Wilderness is Paradise enow.
14 “Mazes and Monsters” novelist Jaffe : RONA
Rona Jaffe was an American novelist perhaps most famous for two of her books, “The Best of Everything” and “Mazes and Monsters”. “The Best of Everything” was published in 1958 and has been compared with the HBO television series “Sex and the City” as it depicts women in the working world. “Mazes and Monsters” was published in 1981 and explores a role-playing game similar to Dungeons & Dragons and the impact it has on players.
15 Yellow-and-brown comics dog : ODIE
Odie is Garfield’s best friend, and is a slobbery beagle. Both are characters in Jim Davis’ comic strip named “Garfield”.
17 Service animal for a heavy-metal musician? : ROCK HOUND
Hounds are hunting dogs that are used to track and/or chase prey. There are three kinds of hound:
- Scenthounds: that track using scent, and innate endurance.
- Sighthounds: that track using sight, and innate speed.
- Hounds that use both scent and sight.
A rock hound is an amateur geologist, or perhaps a rock collector.
23 Esports event with fighting games, familiarly : EVO
The Evolution Championship Series (Evo) is an esports event held annually since 1996, when it was known as “Battle by the Bay”. That first competition was held in Sunnyvale, California, hence the name. The name changed to “Evo” in 2002, and moved venue to various locations in the Las Vegas Valley starting in 2005. The focus of the tournament is the fighting game genre of video games.
24 Legitimate-looking facade : FRONT
Our word “facade” has been meaning “front of a building” since the mid-17th century. We started using the term figuratively, to mean “superficial appearance”, in the mid-19th century. “Façade” is the original French word with the same meaning, from which our English term derives.
25 Service animal for a neighborhood cop? : BEAT BOXER
In the context of policing, a beat is territory that is patrolled regularly. Back in the 1700s, a beat was a regular route traveled by a person or an animal, from the sense of the “beat” of the feet on the ground while walking.
The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful combination. My wife and I also had a boxer/pug mix, and he was another gorgeous animal.
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion in which a performer primarily mics a drum machine. Today, beatboxing is largely associated with hip-hop music, although similar forms of vocal percussion have been around for a while. Actor Gert Fröbe, famous for playing Bond villain Auric Goldfinger, did some pseudo-beatboxing in the 1965 movie “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines”.
30 Portable writing surface : LAP DESK
I have a portable lap desk for my laptop and mouse, and I have carried it all over the world. It’s the greatest …
31 Income statement abbr. : YTD
Year-to-date (YTD)
The three main financial statements published by a company are:
- Income Statement: showing profit and loss over a period of time
- Balance Sheet: showing assets and liabilities at a specific point in time
- Cash Flow Statement: showing cash flowing in and out over a period of time
32 Browser subwindow : TAB
A web browser is a piece of software used to access the World Wide Web. The first web browser was called “WorldWideWeb” and was invented in 1990 by Tim Berners-Lee, the man who created the World Wide Web. The browser known as Mosaic came out in 1993, and it was this browser that drove so much interest in the World Wide Web, and indeed in the Internet in general. Marc Andreessen led the team that created Mosaic, and he then set up his own company called Netscape. Netscape created the Netscape Navigator browser that further popularized the use of the Web starting in 1994. Microsoft responded by introducing Internet Explorer in 1995, which sparked the so-called “browser war”, a war that Microsoft clearly won. As Netscape floundered, the company launched the open-source Mozilla project which eventually led to the Firefox browser. Apple then came out with its own Safari browser in 2003. Google’s Chrome browser, introduced in 2008, is by far the most popular way to view the Web today.
35 Service animal for an airline pilot? : JET SETTER
The breeds of dog known as setters are all gundogs and are used in hunting game.
The jet set comprises wealthy individuals who frequent the fashionable resorts around the world. The term “jet set” was coined in 1951, and actually predated (slightly) the introduction of jet planes for commuter flights.
38 One who may be up a creek with a paddle : CANOER
The boat known as a canoe takes its name from the Carib word “kenu” meaning “dugout”. It was Christopher Columbus who brought “kenu” into Spanish as “canoa”, which evolved into our English “canoe”.
41 Part of BTW and FTW : THE
By the way (BTW)
“FTW” is an initialism abbreviating “for the win”, a phrase meaning “being great, sure to succeed”.
45 Theologian Thomas : AQUINAS
Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican friar who lived in the 13th century. He was an influential philosopher and theologian best known for his work “Summa Theologica”, a comprehensive attempt to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology. Aquinas argued that faith and reason are not opposed, but rather complementary paths to understanding truth.
50 Service animal for the Energizer mascot? : BUNNY CHOW
We are all fairly familiar with the Energizer Bunny, I am guessing. It was introduced in 1989 to promote Energizer batteries, by parodying the Duracell Bunny that made its debut in 1973.
The chow chow is a breed of dog that originated in China. The Chinese name for the breed is “Songshi Quan”, which translates as “puffy-lion dog”, a rather apt name given its appearance …
Bunny chow (or simply “bunny”) is a fast food dish from South African cuisine. It comprises curry served in a hollowed out loaf of white bread, with salad on the side.
52 Chipmaker : INTEL
Intel is the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductor chips. The company was founded in 1968, and the name “Intel” is derived from the term “int(egrated) el(ectronics)”. Recognition of the Intel brand has been greatly helped by the success of the “Intel Inside” campaign that started back in 1991.
55 Service order? : SEALS
That would be a seal used by one of the military services.
59 Service animal for a swindler’s victim? : MARK SPITZ
Spitz-type dogs are those with long thick fur that is usually white. Most spitz-type dogs seem to have originated in the Arctic and/or East Asia. Examples of breeds described as spitz-type are the Alaskan Malamute and the Canadian Eskimo Dog.
Mark Spitz is a retired competitive swimmer, and famously the winner of seven gold medals for the US at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. That was a record number of gold medals won for a single Olympic Games, which stood until the 2008 games when Michael Phelps won a total of 8 golds. Spitz was only 22 years of age right after the 1972 Games, at which point he retired from competition. Having said that, Spitz briefly came out of retirement in 1992 and tried for a place in the US team for the Barcelona Olympics at the age of 41. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make the grade.
63 Aweather’s opposite : ALEE
Alee is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing aweather. The sheltered side of an island, for example, might be referred to as the “lee” side.
64 Some pickled pods : OKRA
The plant known as okra is mainly grown for its edible green pods. The pods are said to resemble “ladies’ fingers”, which is an alternative name for the plant. Okra is known as “ngombo” in Bantu, a name that might give us the word “gumbo”, the name for the name of the southern Louisiana stew that includes okra as a key ingredient.
65 Jule who composed many Streisand show tunes : STYNE
Jule Styne was an English songwriter who made a name for himself in America with a series of popular musicals. Styne wrote a number of famous songs including “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl”, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from “Gypsy”.
66 Inappropriate at the office, briefly : NSFW
The abbreviation “NSFW” stands for “not safe/suitable for work”. It’s Internet slang used to describe online content that is best not viewed at work.
67 Half-moon tide : NEAP
Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.
Down
6 UPenn’s domain : EDU
The University of Pennsylvania (also “Penn” and “UPenn”) was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. Penn was the first school in the country to offer both graduate and undergraduate courses. Penn’s sports teams are known as the Quakers, and sometimes the Red & Blue.
9 White lie : FIB
To fib is to tell a lie. The verb “to fib” likely comes from “fibble-fable” meaning “nonsense”, with “fibble-fable” coming from “fable”.
10 “Vice” Oscar nominee Adams : AMY
Amy Adams is an American actress, although she was actually born in Vicenza, Italy while her father was a US serviceman stationed on an Italian base. My favorite Amy Adams film so far is the outstanding “Julie & Julia” in which she acted alongside Meryl Streep. I highly recommend this truly delightful movie.
“Vice” is a very interesting and entertaining 2018 biopic that tells the story of the road Dick Cheney took to become possibly the most powerful US vice president in history. Christian Bale does a remarkable job playing Cheney, with Amy Adams playing Cheney’s wife Lynne Vincent Cheney. Anyone thinking about viewing “Vice” should be aware that there’s a lot of satire included …
11 Pricey watches : ROLEXES
My most-prized possession is a beautiful stainless steel Rolex watch that my uncle bought while serving with the RAF in Canada during WWII. Rolex watches were made available to the Canadian servicemen at that time as they were shipping overseas. My uncle brought his Rolex home to Ireland after the war. He needed money one weekend and so sold the watch to my Dad, for five pounds. My Dad gave it to me just before he died, as he knew I loved the watch, and my brothers weren’t interested in it all. Not so long ago I had the watch appraised ($3,000), and my brothers suddenly took a liking to it! Still, it’s not something that will ever be sold, that’s for sure …
12 Most sophisticated : SUAVEST
The Latin word “suavis” translates as “agreeable, pleasant to the senses”. “Sauvis” is the root of the English word “suave” that describes someone who is gracious and sophisticated, and perhaps somewhat superficial. “Sauvis” also gave us the English word “sweet” meaning “pleasing to the taste”.
22 Sourdough need : STARTER
The active ingredient used to make sourdough bread is found in a pre-ferment (also “starter”). This pre-ferment is a mixture of flour and water that has been allowed to ferment for some time (maybe days) to grow a colony of wild yeast and lactobacilli. The starter is added to the dough used to make the final bread, with the start accounting for about 20% of the weight of the final mixture. During baking, the wild yeast causes the bread to rise and the lactobacilli produce lactic acid, which gives sourdough its characteristic sour taste.
24 Fruit __ : FLY
The common fruit fly is used in biological research because it is easy to care for, it breeds very quickly, and lays lots of eggs. The average lifespan of a fruit fly in nature is about a month.
25 Garments with cups : BRAS
The first modern bra was invented by a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob in 1913. Jacob was looking for a more comfortable and fashionable alternative to the corsets that were then commonly worn, and she fashioned a bra using two handkerchiefs and some ribbon. She later patented her invention, which she called the “Backless Brassiere.”
26 Fraternal gp. : BPOE
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) was founded in 1868, and is a social club that has about a million members today. It started out as a group of men getting together in a “club” in order to get around the legal opening hours of taverns in New York City. The club took on a new role as it started to look out for poor families of members who passed away. The club now accepts African Americans as members (since the seventies) and women (since the nineties), but atheists still aren’t welcome. The list of US presidents that have been members of the BPOE includes Presidents Eisenhower, Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy and Ford.
38 Taxi drivers : CABBIES
A hansom cab is a very specific design of horse and buggy that was patented by Joseph Hansom in 1834 in England. The “cab” in the name is short for “cabriolet”, an earlier design of carriage on which the hansom was based. It’s from “hansom cab” that we get our modern term “cab”.
We call cabs “taxis”, a word derived from “taximeter cabs” that were introduced in London in 1907. A taximeter was an automated meter designed to record distance traveled and fare to be charged. The term “taximeter” evolved from “taxameter”, with “taxa” being Latin for “tax, charge”.
39 Hair spray brand : AQUA NET
The Aqua Net aerosol hair spray was introduced by Rayette of St. Paul, way back in 1961.
40 Convent : NUNNERY
A convent is a community devoted to religious life, and especially a community of nuns. The term “convent” ultimately comes from the Latin “com” (with, together) and “venire” (to come).
43 Fat substitute : OLESTRA
Olestra is a fat substitute. Naturally-occurring fats are made of a glycerol molecule holding together three fatty acids. Olestra is instead made of several fatty acid chains held together by a sucrose molecule. Olestra has a similar taste and consistency as natural fat, but has zero caloric impact as it is too large a molecule to pass through the intestinal wall and passes right out of the body. Personally, I would steer clear of it. Olestra is banned in Britain and Canada due to concerns about side effects, but I guess someone knows the right palms to grease (pun intended!) here in the US, and so it’s in our food.
46 High priest who heals the sick : SHAMAN
A shaman is a supposed intermediary between the human world and the spirit world.
49 Wisconsin manufacturer founded as a wrench company in 1920 : SNAP-ON
Snap-on is a tool manufacturer that was founded in 1920 in Milwaukee as the Snap-on Wrench Company. The initial product the company supplied was a set of ten sockets that snapped onto interchangeable handles.
51 Milky gems : OPALS
An opal is often described as having a milky iridescence known as opalescence.
57 ATM code : PIN
One enters a Personal Identification Number (PIN) when using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Given that the N in PIN stands for “number”, then “PIN number” is a redundant phrase. And, given that the M in ATM stands for “machine”, then “ATM machine” is a redundant phrase as well. Grr …!
60 Field worker? : REF
Back in the early 17th century, a referee was someone who examined patent applications. We started using the same term for a person presiding over a sporting event in the 1820s. “Referee” is a derivative of the verb “to refer”, and literally describes someone who has the authority to make a decision by “referring” to a book, archive etc.
61 Nuke : ZAP
One might rewarm a meal by nuking it, by zapping it in the microwave.
Read on, or …
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Cheerless : GRIM
5 Expression : TERM
9 Language of “The Rubáiyát” : FARSI
14 “Mazes and Monsters” novelist Jaffe : RONA
15 Yellow-and-brown comics dog : ODIE
16 Folding words : I’M OUT
17 Service animal for a heavy-metal musician? : ROCK HOUND
19 Club rule : BYLAW
20 Courtroom event : TRIAL
21 Family girl : SIS
23 Esports event with fighting games, familiarly : EVO
24 Legitimate-looking facade : FRONT
25 Service animal for a neighborhood cop? : BEAT BOXER
28 Setting for climbing hills : LOW GEAR
30 Portable writing surface : LAP DESK
31 Income statement abbr. : YTD
32 Browser subwindow : TAB
34 Settles in for the night : ROOSTS
35 Service animal for an airline pilot? : JET SETTER
38 One who may be up a creek with a paddle : CANOER
41 Part of BTW and FTW : THE
42 Minor player : COG
45 Theologian Thomas : AQUINAS
47 Event where sculptures move? : ART SALE
50 Service animal for the Energizer mascot? : BUNNY CHOW
52 Chipmaker : INTEL
53 Outlaw : BAN
54 Make use of : TAP
55 Service order? : SEALS
56 Bumbling : INEPT
59 Service animal for a swindler’s victim? : MARK SPITZ
62 Unsettling : EERIE
63 Aweather’s opposite : ALEE
64 Some pickled pods : OKRA
65 Jule who composed many Streisand show tunes : STYNE
66 Inappropriate at the office, briefly : NSFW
67 Half-moon tide : NEAP
Down
1 “So mad!” : GRR!
2 Tree trauma : ROOT ROT
3 Exclusive group : IN-CROWD
4 Bringing in : MAKING
5 49-Down product : TOOL
6 UPenn’s domain : EDU
7 Hose off : RINSE
8 In the center, in anatomy : MEDIAL
9 White lie : FIB
10 “Vice” Oscar nominee Adams : AMY
11 Pricey watches : ROLEXES
12 Most sophisticated : SUAVEST
13 “I guess that’s acceptable” : IT WORKS
18 Detest : HATE
22 Sourdough need : STARTER
24 Fruit __ : FLY
25 Garments with cups : BRAS
26 Fraternal gp. : BPOE
27 Smell : ODOR
29 Draw in : ATTRACT
33 Stake : BET
35 Enlist : JOIN
36 Li’l : EENY
37 Become friendlier : THAW
38 Taxi drivers : CABBIES
39 Hair spray brand : AQUA NET
40 Convent : NUNNERY
42 Gracefully stealthy : CATLIKE
43 Fat substitute : OLESTRA
44 Set : GEL
46 High priest who heals the sick : SHAMAN
48 Knots : TIES
49 Wisconsin manufacturer founded as a wrench company in 1920 : SNAP-ON
51 Milky gems : OPALS
55 Misrepresent, as data : SKEW
57 ATM code : PIN
58 Comfy top : TEE
60 Field worker? : REF
61 Nuke : ZAP
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