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Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Instrumental Overlaps
Themed answers are the names of musical instruments that overlap with common phrases:
- 16A Publications dedicated to the history of a jazz instrument? : SAXOPHONE BOOKS (saxophone & phone books)
- 22A Particles from a percussion instrument that may start a sneezing fit? : COWBELL PEPPER (cowbell & bell pepper)
- 34A Windfall from the sale of wind instruments? : CLARINET PROFITS (clarinet & net profits)
- 48A Fantasies about being the best player of a Scottish instrument? : BAGPIPE DREAMS (bagpipe & pipe dreams)
- 54A Endeavor to improve a brass instrument? : TRUMPET PROJECT (trumpet & pet project)
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 8m 42s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
6 Nosrat’s “Salt Fat __ Heat” : ACID
“Salt Fat Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking” is a 2017 cookbook penned by chef and TV host Samin Nosrat. A best seller, it has been described as more of a reference book than a collection of recipes. Nosrat explains how to master flavor and texture using salt, fat, acid and heat, four elements that she calls the “cardinal directions” of cooking.
13 Steam bath : SAUNA
As my Finnish-American wife will tell you, “sauna” is a Finnish word. It is pronounced more correctly as “sow-nah” (“sow”, as in the female pig).
14 Olympic swimmer Torres : DARA
Dara Torres is a US swimmer who has won twelve Olympic medals. Torres is also the only American swimmer to have competed in five Olympic Games, and is the oldest swimmer to have made it onto the Olympic team, at 41.
15 Genetic molecule translated into protein : RNA
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA. An added complication is that small changes in the sequence of amino acids specified by DNA sometimes takes place in a process known as RNA editing. This RNA editing occurs after the nucleotide sequence has been transcribed from DNA, but before it is translated into protein.
16 Publications dedicated to the history of a jazz instrument? : SAXOPHONE BOOKS (saxophone & phone books)
Saxophones are made of brass, but they also have some features in common with woodwind instruments, such as the use of a reed to create sound. Because of that reed, the “sax” is classified not as a brass instrument, but as a woodwind.
22 Particles from a percussion instrument that may start a sneezing fit? : COWBELL PEPPER (cowbell & bell pepper)
Bell peppers are pepper cultivars that are relatively mild in taste, and so are sometimes referred to as “sweet” peppers. The color of bell peppers changes as they ripen: they start off green, and as they mature turn yellow, orange, and eventually red.
26 Go downhill fast? : SCHUSS
A schuss is a very fast run downhill in skiing, one with no turns taken to slow the pace of the descent. “Schuss” is a German word for “shot”.
30 Café lightener : LAIT
In French, you might pour “lait” (milk) “dans votre café” (in your coffee).
31 Surfer’s gadget : REMOTE
The first television remote control was introduced by Zenith Radio Corporation, in 1950. That remote was hard-wired to the TV, and was marketed as “Lazy Bones”. Personally, my first “remote” was a broomstick that I used by pushing in large mechanical buttons that selected each of the three channels that were available back then on the east coast of Ireland …
34 Windfall from the sale of wind instruments? : CLARINET PROFITS (clarinet & net profits)
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”.
41 Chess piece in castling : ROOK
In the game of chess, the move known as “castling” involves the king moving two squares towards one of the rooks, and then placing that rook in the square over which the king crossed. It is the only chess move involving two pieces at the same time.
42 Saison for the Paris Olympics : ETE
In French, “été” (summer) is “la saison chaude” (the warm season).
When Paris hosted the Summer Olympics in 2024, it became only the second city to host the Olympics three times (London hosted in 1908, 1948 and 2012).
45 Buff : FAN
Back in the early 1900s, a buff was someone (usually a male) who admired firefighting. The term “buff” was a reference to the buff-colored uniforms that had been sported by volunteer firefighters in New York City since the 1820s. The use of the word “buff” spread over time to describe a person who was enthusiastic about any particular subject, e.g. film buff, WWII buff.
46 Score : TWENTY
Our verb “to score” meaning “to tally”, comes from the Old Norse “skor”, which is a “mark, notch”. It is likely that items such as livestock were counted by placing a notch in a stick for each set of twenty, hence our use of the noun “score” to mean “twenty”.
48 Fantasies about being the best player of a Scottish instrument? : BAGPIPE DREAMS (bagpipe & pipe dreams)
Bagpipes have been played for centuries all across Europe, in parts of Asia and North Africa, and in the Persian Gulf. However, the most famous versions of the instrument today are the Scottish Great Highland bagpipe and the Irish uilleann pipes (my personal favorite; I’m biased!). The bag in the Scottish version is inflated by blowing into it, whereas the Irish version uses a bellows under the arm.
In common parlance, a pipe dream is a vain hope for something that is unlikely to take place. The original pipe dreams were visions that were experienced after smoking a pipe filled with opium.
52 Thorny shrub : BRIAR
“Briar” (sometimes “brier”) is a generic name describing several plants that have thorns or prickles, including the rose. Famously, Br’er Rabbit lives in a briar patch.
54 Endeavor to improve a brass instrument? : TRUMPET PROJECT (trumpet & pet project)
We get our word “trumpet”, describing the brass instrument, from the Old French word “trompe”. A “trompe” was a long, tube-like instrument, and a “trompette” was a smaller version.
62 Hockey Hall of Famer Willie : O’REE
Willie O’Ree is a retired professional hockey player from Canada who made his debut for the Boston Bruins in 1958. That made him the first Black player in the National Hockey League, and earned him the nickname “Jackie Robinson of ice hockey”.
63 Pizzazz : FLASH
Pizazz (also “pizzazz”) is energy, vitality. There’s a kind of cool thing about the “pizzazz” spelling, namely that it 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 the fourth Z.
65 PC key for scrolling to the end : PGDN
PGUP (Page Up) and PGDN (Page Down) are two navigation keys found on a PC keyboard.
Down
1 First of September? : ESS
The first letter in the word “September” is a letter S (ess).
2 Tower of note : AAA
The American Automobile Association (AAA) dispatches a lot of tow trucks.
3 Inaugural ball duds : TUX
Apparently, the style of men’s evening dress called a “tuxedo” was first worn to a country club event in 1886 in New York. The use of a dark dinner jacket without tails became fashionable at the club with the members, and the tradition spread from there. The country club was located in Tuxedo Park, New York, giving the style of dress its name.
Inauguration Day is on January 20th in the year following the November election of a US President. This date is called out in the Twentieth Amendment to the US Constitution, which was ratified by the states in 1933.
“Duds” is an informal word meaning “clothing”. The term comes from the word “dudde” that was used around 1300 as the name for a cloak.
4 Game with 108 cards : UNO
In my youth I remember being taught a great card game by a German acquaintance of mine, a game called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that UNO is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that’s used for Mau Mau. I hear that Mau Mau is derived from the game called Crazy Eights.
5 Melonlike tropical fruit : PAPAWS
The papaw (also “pawpaw”) tree is native to North America and has a fruit that looks similar to a papaya. Papaw probably gets its name from the word papaya, but papaw and papaya are two distinct species.
7 Creation by a locks smith? : CANAL
A lock is a structure that is used to raise and lower watercraft between stretches of a canal that are at different water levels. Locks are included in canals so that the waterway can cross land that is not level.
12 Sunrise service occasion : EASTER
In the Christian tradition, it is believed that three days after Jesus was put to death, he rose from the dead. Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday, and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, two days later.
21 “omg my bad” : SRY
Sorry (SRY)
22 “Pet” that needs lots of water : CHIA
Chia is a flowering plant in the mint family. Chia seeds are an excellent food source and are often added to breakfast cereals and energy bars. There is also the famous Chia Pet, an invention of a San Francisco company. Chia Pets are terra-cotta figurines to which moistened chia seeds are applied. The seeds sprout and the seedlings become the “fur” of the Chia Pet.
23 Concluding piece : OUTRO
In the world of pop music, an outro is the opposite to an intro. An outro might perhaps be the concluding track of an album, for example.
24 __ node : LYMPH
Lymph is a fluid that exists alongside blood in the body that is transported through lymph vessels. One of the functions of the system is to pick up bacteria in the body, transporting them to lymph nodes where they are destroyed by lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). Lymph can also carry metastatic cancer cells that can lodge in lymph nodes, making lymph nodes a common site where tumors may be found growing.
26 Jazz home, initially : SLC
The Utah Jazz professional basketball team moved to Salt Lake City in 1979. As one might guess from the name, the team originated in New Orleans, but only played there for five seasons. New Orleans was a tough place to be based because venues were hard to come by, and Mardi Gras forced the team to play on the road for a whole month.
27 Ore. neighbor : CAL
“Golden State” has been the official nickname of California since 1968. The nickname reflects the expansion of the state’s economy that followed the discovery of gold in 1848, and also the fields of golden poppies seen growing wild across California in the spring.
33 Violinist Zimbalist : EFREM
Efrem Zimbalist was a prominent concert violinist from Russia. Zimbalist was married to the famous American soprano Alma Gluck. The couple had a son called Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. who became a well-known actor (co-star on “77 Sunset Strip”). Zimbalist, Sr. was therefore also the grandfather of actress Stephanie Zimbalist (co-star on “Remington Steele”).
36 Spring’s opposite, in tides : 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.
43 Tam pattern : TARTAN
A tam o’shanter is a man’s cap worn traditionally by Scotsmen. “Tams” were originally all blue (and called “blue bonnets”) but as more dyes became readily available they became more colorful. The name of the cap comes from the title character of the Robert Burns poem “Tam o’ Shanter”. A pom-pom adorning a tam is known as a toorie.
44 Members of a TikTok subculture : E-GIRLS
E-girls and e-boys (maybe “e-kids”) may spend a lot of time on social media, especially TikTok, hence the use of the prefix “e-”.
46 Yukon, e.g.: Abbr. : TERR
Canada’s federal territory known as Yukon takes its name from the Yukon River. “Yukon” means “Big Stream” in the local Gwich’in language.
49 “Into the Water” novelist Hawkins : PAULA
British novelist Paula Hawins was born and raised in Zimbabwe (then “Rhodesia”) before relocating in her teens with her family to England. She is perhaps best known as an author for her 2015 psychological thriller novel “The Girl on the Train”, which was adapted into a hit 2016 movie with the same title. Hawkins also writes romantic comedy fiction, publishing under the name “Amy Silver”.
56 Indoor rower, for short : ERG
An indoor rowing machine is often referred to as an ergometer (or simply “erg”). However, the term “ergometer” really applies to a device that measures the amount of work performed.
57 Selena portrayer, familiarly : JLO
Singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, known professionally simply as “Selena”, was murdered in 1995 by the president of her own fan club at the height of her career. In a 1997 biopic about Selena’s life, Jennifer Lopez played the title role. Selena had often been referred to as the “Queen of Tejano” during her career.
58 Orecchiette shape : EAR
Orecchiette are small dome-shaped pasta from Southern Italy. Each piece resembles a small ear, hence the name. “Orecchietta” (the singular) comes from the Italian “orecchia” meaning “ear” and “-etta” meaning “small”.
59 Local source of produce: Abbr. : CSA
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Exhaust : EAT UP
6 Nosrat’s “Salt Fat __ Heat” : ACID
10 Owed : DUE
13 Steam bath : SAUNA
14 Olympic swimmer Torres : DARA
15 Genetic molecule translated into protein : RNA
16 Publications dedicated to the history of a jazz instrument? : SAXOPHONE BOOKS (saxophone & phone books)
19 Subtle glow : AURA
20 Masters of allusion? : POETS
22 Particles from a percussion instrument that may start a sneezing fit? : COWBELL PEPPER (cowbell & bell pepper)
26 Go downhill fast? : SCHUSS
28 Thataway, quaintly : YON
29 Push to the limit : TRY
30 Café lightener : LAIT
31 Surfer’s gadget : REMOTE
34 Windfall from the sale of wind instruments? : CLARINET PROFITS (clarinet & net profits)
40 Flexible lunch hour : ONEISH
41 Chess piece in castling : ROOK
42 Saison for the Paris Olympics : ETE
45 Buff : FAN
46 Score : TWENTY
48 Fantasies about being the best player of a Scottish instrument? : BAGPIPE DREAMS (bagpipe & pipe dreams)
52 Thorny shrub : BRIAR
53 Like breezeways : AIRY
54 Endeavor to improve a brass instrument? : TRUMPET PROJECT (trumpet & pet project)
61 More than most : ALL
62 Hockey Hall of Famer Willie : O’REE
63 Pizzazz : FLASH
64 Signals intelligence org. : NSA
65 PC key for scrolling to the end : PGDN
66 Incursion : FORAY
Down
1 First of September? : ESS
2 Tower of note : AAA
3 Inaugural ball duds : TUX
4 Game with 108 cards : UNO
5 Melonlike tropical fruit : PAPAWS
6 Hold precious : ADORE
7 Creation by a locks smith? : CANAL
8 Wrath : IRE
9 Perfume application : DAB
10 Sag : DROOP
11 Broken, as some promises : UNKEPT
12 Sunrise service occasion : EASTER
17 Places to make connections : HUBS
18 Not against entertaining : OPEN TO
21 “omg my bad” : SRY
22 “Pet” that needs lots of water : CHIA
23 Concluding piece : OUTRO
24 __ node : LYMPH
25 Not even fair : POOR
26 Jazz home, initially : SLC
27 Ore. neighbor : CAL
31 French queen : REINE
32 UFO crew, presumably : ETS
33 Violinist Zimbalist : EFREM
35 Ailing : INFIRM
36 Spring’s opposite, in tides : NEAP
37 Non-neutral particles : IONS
38 Add (up) : TOT
39 Much of a sunset photo : SKY
42 Abate : EBB
43 Tam pattern : TARTAN
44 Members of a TikTok subculture : E-GIRLS
46 Yukon, e.g.: Abbr. : TERR
47 Not even close : WAY OFF
49 “Into the Water” novelist Hawkins : PAULA
50 So last century : DATED
51 Get ready to eat : RIPEN
55 __ fly : POP
56 Indoor rower, for short : ERG
57 Selena portrayer, familiarly : JLO
58 Orecchiette shape : EAR
59 Local source of produce: Abbr. : CSA
60 Biblical possessive : THY
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