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Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Reveal Answer: Ball-Drop
Themed answers all DROP in the down-direction. Each starts with a kind of BALL:
- 23D New Year’s Eve tradition in the Big Apple, and what can be found in 3-, 8-, 33-, and 37-Down? : BALL-DROP
- 3D Parmesan, e.g. : HARD CHEESE (giving “hardball”)
- 8D Speedy way to the top : FAST TRACK (giving “fastball”)
- 33D Succotash ingredient : BUTTER BEAN (giving “butterball”)
- 37D Political campaign funding source : SOFT MONEY (giving “softball”)
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… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 5m 17s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
14 __ gin fizz : SLOE
By definition, a cocktail known as a “fizz” includes lemon or lime juice and carbonated water. The most popular of the genre is the gin fizz, made from 3 parts gin, 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part sugar syrup and 5 parts soda water. There is also a variant known as a sloe gin fizz.
15 Supreme Being of Islam : ALLAH
The name “Allah” comes from the Arabic “al-” and “ilah”, meaning “the” and “deity”. So, “Allah” can be translated as “God”.
29 Much of a sunflower : STEM
The common sunflower is so called because it has a flower head that looks like the Sun. Famously, young sunflowers exhibit heliotropism, tilting during the day to face the sun. As the sunflowers mature and bloom, they generally face east and no longer track the movement of the Sun across the sky.
31 Honolulu hello : ALOHA
Honolulu is the largest city in Hawaii, and the state capital. Located on the island of Oahu, the name “Honolulu” translates from Hawaiian as “place of shelter, calm port, sheltered bay”.
33 __ window : BAY
A bay window is a window that projects outside, beyond the wall. The resulting space inside the wall forms a “bay-like” space inside a room.
38 Org. for Cubs and Tigers : MLB
The Chicago Cubs are one of only two charter members of the baseball’s National League who are still playing, the other being the Atlanta Braves. The Cubs won the World Series in 2016 for the first time since 1908, which is a long time ago. In fact, the Cubs had the longest championship drought of any professional sports team in North America.
The origins of the Detroit Tigers baseball team’s name seems a little unclear. One story is that it was taken from the Detroit Light Guard military unit who were known as “The Tigers”. The Light Guard fought with distinction during the Civil War and in the Spanish-American War. Sure enough, when the Detroit baseball team went into the Majors they were formally given permission to use “The Tigers” name by the Detroit Light Guard.
41 Genre for “Dancing Queen” : DISCO
Discotheques first appeared during WWII in Occupied France. American-style music (like jazz and jitterbug dances) was banned by the Nazis, so French natives met in underground clubs that they called discotheques where records were often played on just a single turntable. After the war, these clubs came out into the open. One famous Paris discotheque was called “Whiskey a Gogo”. In that Paris disco, non-stop music was played using two turntables next to a dance-floor, and this concept spread around the world.
“Dancing Queen” is a great, great song from 1976 that was released by the Swedish group ABBA. ABBA’s music has never been as popular in the US as it is in other countries, but “Dancing Queen” did make it to the number-one spot in the charts here. It was in fact, ABBA’s only #1 hit in the US.
47 Cardinals great Musial : STAN
Stan Musial was a baseball player who went by the nickname “Stan the Man”, a moniker he was awarded by the Brooklyn Dodgers fans in 1946. Off the field, Stan was quite the harmonica player.
49 Scandinavian capital with many floating saunas : OSLO
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).
56 Actor Epps : OMAR
Actor Omar Epps was originally a rapper and was a member of a group called “Wolfpack” before he pursued acting full-time. His really big break came in the form of a recurring role on the popular medical drama series “ER”, followed by a recurring role in the TV series “House” as Dr. Eric Foreman.
59 Math course with variables : ALGEBRA
Algebra (alg.) is a branch of mathematics in which arithmetical operations are performed on variables rather than specific numbers (x,y etc). The term “algebra” comes from the Arabic “al jebr” meaning “reunion of broken parts”.
68 Op-ed piece, e.g. : ESSAY
“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.
Down
2 Cardamom-infused milky tea : CHAI
Chai is a drink made from spiced black tea, honey and milk, with “chai” being the Hindi word for “tea”. We often called tea “a cup of char” growing up in Ireland, with “char” being our slang word for tea, derived from “chai”.
The spice known as cardamom comes from the seeds of several plants that are native to India. Those plants were introduced to Guatemala in the early 20th century, and now Guatemala produces and exports more cardamom than any other country in the world, even India. Cardamom is the third-priciest spice on the market today by weight, after vanilla and saffron.
3 Parmesan, e.g. : HARD CHEESE (giving “hardball”)
Genuine Parmesan cheese is made in and around the province of Parma in northern Italy, which province gives the cheese its name.
10 Garlic bulb segment : CLOVE
Our word “garlic” evolved via Old English from “gar” (spear) and “leac” (leek). The use of “spear” is apparently a reference to the shape of a clove.
11 Lop-__ rabbit : EARED
A creature that is lop-eared has bent or drooping ears, like a rabbit or many breeds of dog.
14 Diving acronym : SCUBA
The self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) was co-invented by celebrated French marine explorer Jacques Cousteau.
23 New Year’s Eve tradition in the Big Apple, and what can be found in 3-, 8-, 33-, and 37-Down? : BALL-DROP
The famous New Year’s Eve (NYE) ball-dropping tradition in Times Square started on January 1st 1908. The original ball was lit with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs and was dropped at one second after midnight. A fifth version of the ball was introduced in 2008 for the centennial anniversary of the ceremony. The 2008 ball was built by Waterford Crystal and was lit by 9,567 LED bulbs that consumed the same amount of power as ten electric toasters. The current ball was used for the first time in 2009, and is double the size of the 2008 ball at 12 feet in diameter. The ball now sits atop Times Square year round, so you can go see it next time you are in town.
Apparently, the first published use of the term “Big Apple” to describe New York City dates back to 1909. Edward Martin wrote the following in his book “The Wayfarer in New York”:
Kansas is apt to see in New York a greedy city. . . . It inclines to think that the big apple gets a disproportionate share of the national sap.
Over ten years later, the term “big apple” was used as a nickname for racetracks in and around New York City. However, the concerted effort to “brand” the city as the Big Apple had to wait until the seventies and was the work of the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau.
24 Burrito option : ASADA
The name of the dish called “carne asada” translates from Spanish as “roasted meat”.
A burrito is a common dish served in Mexican cuisine. It is a flour tortilla filled with all sorts of good stuff. The term “burrito” is Spanish for “little donkey”, the diminutive of “burro” meaning “donkey”. It’s thought that the name was applied as a burrito looks like a bedroll or pack that might be carried by a donkey.
25 Bacon piece : STRIP
“Bacon” is an Old French word that we imported into English. The term ultimately comes from the Proto-Germanic “bakkon” meaning “back meat”.
27 University in Beaumont, Texas : LAMAR
Lamar University is located in Beaumont, Texas and is a member of the Texas State University System. Lamar was founded in 1923 as South Park Junior College, and operated on an unused floor of a high school.
33 Succotash ingredient : BUTTER BEAN (giving “butterball”)
The lima bean is also known as the butter bean or madagascar bean. It was introduced to Europe from the area around Lima, Peru, hence the name.
The main ingredients in succotash are corn and lima beans, although in parts of the South, succotash can be made with any collection of vegetables prepared with lima beans and topped with butter.
34 First-string players : A-TEAM
We’ve been using the phrases “first string” and “second string” in athletics since the mid-19th century. The expressions come from archery, in which a competitor would carry a second bowstring in case the first broke.
37 Political campaign funding source : SOFT MONEY (giving “softball”)
In the US, political campaigns are financed through a combination of hard money and soft money. “Hard money” refers to donations given directly to a candidate’s campaign, and it is subject to strict limits and regulations under federal law. “Soft money”, on the other hand, refers to contributions made to political parties or organizations that are not directly affiliated with a specific candidate. While soft money cannot be used to explicitly endorse or oppose a candidate, it can still influence elections by shaping public opinion and mobilizing voters.
48 Actress Tomei : MARISA
Marisa Tomei’s first screen role was in the daytime soap “As the World Turns”, but her break came with a recurring role in “The Cosby Show” spin-off “A Different World”. Tomei won an Oscar for her delightful performance in “My Cousin Vinny” in 1992.
51 Shocked letters : OMG!
“OMG” is text-speak for “Oh My Gosh!” “Oh My Goodness!” or any other G-words you might care to use …
54 Doozies : LULUS
We call a remarkable thing or a person a lulu. The term “lulu” was coined in honor of Lulu Hurst, the Georgia Wonder, who was a stage magician active in the 1880s.
A doozy is something extraordinary or bizarre. The exact origins of the word “doozy” aren’t clear, but it might be a derivative of the name Eleanora Duse, an Italian actress popular early in the 20th century. Some say that the term comes from the Duesenberg brand of automobile, which was indeed referred to as a “duesy”. However, the use of “doozy” in print occurs before the Duesenberg hit the market.
57 Big name in health insurance : AETNA
When the healthcare management and insurance company known as Aetna was founded, the name was chosen to evoke images of Mount Etna, the Italian volcano.
59 Range crossing eight countries : ALPS
There are eight Alpine countries:
- Austria
- Slovenia
- France
- Switzerland
- Liechtenstein
- Germany
- Monaco
- Italy
60 Tirade : RANT
The term “tirade” describes a long and vehement speech, and is a word that came into English from French. “Tirade” can have the same meaning in French, but is also the word for “volley”. So, a tirade is a “volley” of words.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Sound softened by acoustic foam : ECHO
5 Hole-making tool : AWL
8 Gemstone surface : FACET
13 Yonder item : THAT
14 __ gin fizz : SLOE
15 Supreme Being of Islam : ALLAH
16 Golf rental : CART
17 Place for suckers? : CANDY STORE
19 Grotesque : HIDEOUS
21 Settle the score : GET EVEN
22 Mobile home? : CRIB
23 Visibly embarrassed : BEET RED
24 Fire pit residue : ASH
26 “Tra-__” : LA-LA
28 Grads-to-be : SRS
29 Much of a sunflower : STEM
31 Honolulu hello : ALOHA
33 __ window : BAY
36 Floor plan calculations : AREAS
38 Org. for Cubs and Tigers : MLB
39 Waterpark feature : CHUTE
41 Genre for “Dancing Queen” : DISCO
42 Citrus drink suffix : -ADE
43 Toys with strings : KITES
44 Mimic : APE
45 Like most house pets : FURRY
47 Cardinals great Musial : STAN
48 High-elev. place : MTN
49 Scandinavian capital with many floating saunas : OSLO
52 Punk music offshoot : EMO
53 Seafood-based party food : CLAM DIP
56 Actor Epps : OMAR
58 Empty, as a bottle : POUR OUT
59 Math course with variables : ALGEBRA
62 Opinion survey completed with clicks : ONLINE POLL
64 Greenish blue : TEAL
65 Find a new purpose for : REUSE
66 Knocks firmly : RAPS
67 Billionth: Pref. : NANO-
68 Op-ed piece, e.g. : ESSAY
69 Signs off on : OKS
70 Poker pot starter : ANTE
Down
1 Engrave on glass : ETCH
2 Cardamom-infused milky tea : CHAI
3 Parmesan, e.g. : HARD CHEESE (giving “hardball”)
4 Playful marine mammal : OTTER
5 “Regrettably … ” : ALAS …
6 Got the gold : WON
7 Perch for potted plants : LEDGE
8 Speedy way to the top : FAST TRACK (giving “fastball”)
9 Takes in, say : ALTERS
10 Garlic bulb segment : CLOVE
11 Lop-__ rabbit : EARED
12 Afterward : THEN
14 Diving acronym : SCUBA
18 “Wow, that’s bad!” : YEESH!
20 Squeaky wheel remedy : OIL
23 New Year’s Eve tradition in the Big Apple, and what can be found in 3-, 8-, 33-, and 37-Down? : BALL-DROP
24 Burrito option : ASADA
25 Bacon piece : STRIP
27 University in Beaumont, Texas : LAMAR
30 Apple variety : MAC
32 Does as told : OBEYS
33 Succotash ingredient : BUTTER BEAN (giving “butterball”)
34 First-string players : A-TEAM
35 Basic type of question : YES/NO
37 Political campaign funding source : SOFT MONEY (giving “softball”)
40 He/him/__ : HIS
46 Not justified : UNDUE
48 Actress Tomei : MARISA
50 Lies around : LOLLS
51 Shocked letters : OMG!
53 Ice cream holders : CONES
54 Doozies : LULUS
55 Tech support whiz : IT PRO
57 Big name in health insurance : AETNA
58 Skin opening : PORE
59 Range crossing eight countries : ALPS
60 Tirade : RANT
61 Soothing ingredient in some toners : ALOE
63 Flooring wood : OAK
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