Day: November 25, 2024

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Constructed by: Sean Ziebarth
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: B-Sides

Themed answers start and end with a letter B, have “B” on either SIDE:

• 68A Some surprise hit songs, and what 1-, 21-, 37-, and 53-Across all have? : B-SIDES

• 1A The Dynamic Duo’s underwater craft : BAT-SUB
• 21A Navigational aid for Hansel and Gretel : BREADCRUMB
• 37A Many a union position : BLUE-COLLAR JOB
• 53A Firefox or Safari subwindow : BROWSER TAB

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

Bill’s time: 5m 24s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 The Dynamic Duo’s underwater craft : BAT-SUB

Originally referred to as “Bat-Man” when introduced in comics in 1939, Batman is also referred to as the Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight, the World’s Greatest Detective and, along with sidekick Robin, the Dynamic Duo.

7 The Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, et al. : ALPS

“Matterhorn” is the German name for the famous Alpine peak that lies on the border between Switzerland and Italy. The Italian name for the same mountain is “Monte Cervino”, and the French call it “Mont Cervin”. “Matterhorn” comes from the German words Matte and Horn meaning “meadow” and “peak”. “Cervino” and “Cervin” come from the Latin name for the mountain, i.e. “Mons Silvius”, meaning “Forest Mountain”.

Mont Blanc is the highest peak in the Alps. The name “Mont Blanc” translates from French into “white mountain”. The mountain lies on the border between France and Italy, and it has been generally accepted for decades that the summit lies within French territory. However, there have been official claims that the summit does in fact fall within the borders of Italy.

11 Org. issuing broadcasting licenses : FCC

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been around since 1934, when it replaced the Federal Radio Commission.

14 West Texas city : ODESSA

The city of Odessa, Texas has as its symbol the jack rabbit. This is because from the thirties through the seventies the city hosted a rodeo for roping rabbits. The Humane Society applied pressure and the city did away with the tradition in 1977.

16 NHL great Bobby : ORR

In the 1970 Stanley Cup final, Bobby Orr scored the winning goal, giving the Boston Bruins a victory over the St. Louis Blues. Orr was so excited that he leapt into the air towards his teammates, sliding into their embrace as he landed on the ice. A photographer caught Orr in full horizontal flight, resulting in one of the most famous sports photographs of all time.

21 Navigational aid for Hansel and Gretel : BREADCRUMB

“Hansel and Gretel” is a Germanic fairy tale found in the collection of the Brothers Grimm. It tells of two siblings, Hansel and Gretel, the children of a woodcutter. The youngsters are abandoned in a forest at the behest of an evil stepmother. Clever Hansel hears of the plan and leaves a trail of pebbles so that he and his sister can find their way home, which they do. But the children are abandoned again and this time leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, the crumbs are eaten by birds and so the children do indeed become lost. But eventually they do all live happily ever after …

27 Art studio stand : EASEL

The term “easel” comes from an old Dutch word meaning “donkey”, would you believe? The idea is that an easel carries its load (an oil painting, say) just as a donkey would be made to carry a load.

28 Lobster kin common in Cajun cuisine : CRAWDAD

“Crawdad” and “crawfish” are alternative names for crayfish, with “crawdad” being more common in the south of the country.

32 The Aswan High Dam’s river : NILE

The Aswan Dam on the River Nile is actually two dams. The Low Dam was first built in 1902 (and modified later). The High Dam was completed in 1970.

33 Ginger __ : ALE

The brand most closely associated with ginger ale is Canada Dry. “Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale” was first formulated in 1904 by a Canadian chemist called John McLoughlin from Ontario. Prohibition in the United States helped sales of the drink as it was particularly effective in masking the taste of illegally-produced, homemade liquor.

34 Museum artifact : RELIC

A relic is something that has survived from the past, reminding us of that past. In the world of religion, a relic is an object revered due to its association with a saint or martyr.

37 Many a union position : BLUE-COLLAR JOB

We are perhaps most familiar with blue-collar and white-collar classifications for groups of workers. There are many more “collar colors” that have been coined:

• White collar – office worker
• Blue collar – manual worker
• Pink collar – service industry worker
• Gold collar – academic, scientific or hi-tech worker
• Red collar – government worker
• No collar – artists and “free spirits”
• Steel collar – robots who have replaced blue-collar workers

40 “__ Hot to Handle”: Netflix dating show : TOO

“Too Hot to Handle” is a British dating game show that first aired in 2020. Ten adults share a house for ten weeks, and are forbidden from engaging in any sexual activity for the period. Even a kiss causes the prize money to be reduced. The format of the show is based on a “Seinfeld” episode called “The Contest”.

42 Somerhalder of “Lost” : IAN

Ian Somerhalder got his big break as an actor in the TV drama “Lost”, and followed that up with a part in TV’s “The Vampire Diaries”.

“Lost” is a science fiction drama that originally aired from 2004 to 2010. The show kicks off with a passenger airliner crashing a tropical island as it flies from Sydney bound for Los Angeles. I haven’t seen the show myself and I hear that the intriguing plot didn’t really come to a satisfying conclusion. Others may disagree …

43 Story that may be debunked on Snopes : MYTH

Snopes.com is the place to go if you want to check the validity or history of an urban legend or Internet rumor. The site was launched in 1995 by Californians Barbara and David Mikkelson.

47 Western film : OATER

The term “oater” that is used for a Western movie comes from the number of horses seen, as horses love oats!

49 Antique diamond shape : ROSE CUT

Diamonds that are rose cut are rarely seen these days, with most examples being found in antique jewelry.

53 Firefox or Safari subwindow : BROWSER TAB

Firefox is an open-source web browser produced by Mozilla. It was developed in 2002, and is in effect the successor to Netscape’s groundbreaking Navigator browser. Firefox was extremely popular in 2009, and challenged the domination of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer before succumbing to Google’s Chrome.

Safari is Apple’s flagship Internet browser, one that is used on its Mac line of computers. A mobile version of Safari is included with all iPhones.

57 Donkey Kong, e.g. : APE

The first video game featuring the ape named Donkey Kong was created in 1981. That same game introduced the world to the character known as Mario, four years before the game Super Mario Bros became such a big hit.

58 Ore-__ Tater Tots : IDA

Ore-Ida’s founders came up with the idea for Tater Tots when they were deciding what to do with residual cuts of potato. They chopped up the leftovers, added flour and seasoning, and extruded the mix through a large hole making a sausage that they cut into small cylinders. We eat 70 million pounds of this extruded potato every year!

64 Bend at the barre : PLIE

A barre is a handrail used by ballet dancers for warm-up exercises and to provide support when practicing certain moves.

65 “Murder on the __ Express” : ORIENT

1934’s “Murder on the Orient Express” is perhaps the most famous detective novel penned by the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie. Christie’s Belgian detective Hercule Poirot has to determine which of the passengers on the Orient Express train committed a murder. Spoiler alert: they all did …!

67 Govt. IDs : SSNS

The main purpose of a Social Security Number (SSN) is to track individuals for the purposes of taxation, although given its ubiquitous use, it is looking more and more like an identity number to me. The social security number system was introduced in 1936. Prior to 1986, an SSN was required only for persons with substantial income, so many children under 14 had no number assigned. For some years the IRS had a concern that a lot of people were claiming children on their tax returns who did not actually exist. So starting in 1986, the IRS made it a requirement to get an SSN for any dependents over the age of 5. Sure enough, seven million dependents “disappeared” in 1987. Today, a SSN is required for a child of any age in order to receive a tax exemption.

Down

1 Lisa of “High Fidelity” : BONET

Lisa Bonet is an actress best known for playing one of the daughters on the “The Cosby Show”. Bonet was married for a few years to the singer Lenny Kravitz, with whom she eloped in 1987. She changed her name to Lilakoi Moon in 1992, but still uses “Lisa Bonet” as her stage name.

“High Fidelity” is a 2000 comedy-drama film starring John Cusack. “High Fidelity” is based on a novel of the same name by English novelist Nick Hornby (who also wrote the books that inspired the movies “About a Boy” and “Fever Pitch”).

3 Wyoming’s Grand __ National Park : TETON

Grand Teton National Park (NP) is located just south of Yellowstone NP, and a must-see if you are visiting the latter. The park is named after the tallest peak in the magnificent Teton Range known as Grand Teton. The origins of the name “Teton” is not very clear, although one story is that it was named by French trappers, as the word “tetons” in French is a slang term meaning “breasts”.

4 Retired fast jet, briefly : SST

The most famous supersonic transport (SST) is the retired Concorde. Concorde was developed and produced under an Anglo-French treaty by France’s Aérospatiale and the UK’s British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Concordes were mainly operated by Air France and British Airways, with both companies buying the planes with substantial subsidies from the French and British governments. The final Concorde flight was a British Airways plane that landed in the UK on 26 November 2003.

6 Streisand who directed and starred in “The Prince of Tides” : BARBRA

Barbra Streisand has recorded 31 top-ten albums since 1963, more than any other female recording artist. In fact, she has had an album in the top ten for the last five decades, a rare achievement in itself.

The 1991 movie “The Prince of Tides” was adapted from a 1986 novel of the same name written by Pat Conroy. Stars of the film are Barbra Streisand and Nick Nolte.

8 Luke’s twin sister in the “Star Wars” saga : LEIA

The full name of the character played by Carrie Fisher in the “Star Wars” series of films is Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, and later Leia Organa Solo. Leia is the twin sister of Luke Skywalker, and the daughter of Anakin Skywalker (aka “Darth Vader”) and Padmé Amidala. Leia is raised by her adoptive parents Bail and Breha Organa. She eventually marries Han Solo.

12 Forensic scientist’s workplace : CRIME LAB

Something described as forensic is connected with a court of law, or with public discussion or debate. The term comes from the Latin “forensis” meaning “of a forum, of a place of assembly”. We mainly use the word today to mean “pertaining to legal trials” as in “forensic medicine” and “forensic science”.

25 Rights advocacy gp. : ACLU

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

26 Fishing basket : CREEL

A creel is a basket used for catching sea creatures (lobsters, for example). Creel is also the name given to the small wicker basket used to hold fish that have been caught by an angler. “Creel” is originally a Scottish word.

29 New __, India : DELHI

New Delhi is the capital city of India. New Delhi resides within the National Capital Territory of Delhi (otherwise known as the metropolis of Delhi). New Delhi and Delhi, therefore, are two different things.

30 Over-the-counter hay fever brand : ALLEGRA

Allegra is a brand name for fexofenadine, an antihistamine drug used to treat hay fever. Fexofenadine is considered less dangerous than other antihistamines as it does easily cross into the brain, and so is less likely to cause drowsiness.

37 Beefaroni maker Chef __ : BOYARDEE

The Chef Boyardee brand of canned food products was named after Ettore Boiardi who introduced the product line in the twenties. Boiardi was an Italian immigrant who owned an Italian restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio. He started the line of canned recipes based on the demand for samples of his dishes from satisfied customers at his restaurant.

39 Green gemstone : JADE

“Jade” is actually the name given to two different mineral rocks, both of which are used to make gemstones. The first is nephrite, a mineral with a varying degree of iron content, the more iron the greener the color. The second is jadeite, a sodium and aluminum-rich pyroxene. As well as being used for gemstones, both jade minerals can be carved into decorative pieces.

40 Internet service with TV ads featuring Zach Braff and Donald Faison : T-MOBILE

T-Mobile is a German telecommunications company, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. Deutsche Telekom has used the “T” prefix for a number of its services, including T-Com, T-Online and T-Home.

46 Schmooze (with) : HOBNOB

“To hobnob with” means “to rub elbows with, associate with”. The phrase dates back to the mid 1700s and is derived from “hob and nob”, an expression meaning to toast each other in turn, or to buy alternate rounds of drinks.

To schmooze is to chat intimately. “Schmooze” is a word that comes from the Yiddish “schmusen” meaning “to chat” .

48 Gets back to a host : RSVPS

“RSVP” stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “answer, please”.

56 “__ bien!” : TRES

“Very good” is written as “sehr gut” in German, and as “très bien” in French.