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Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Reveal Answer: Horse Trade
The ends of themed answers can TRADED for the word “HORSE” to make a new word or phrase:
- 58A Deal made with shrewd bargaining, or a swap that could be made with the ends of 17-, 25-, 37-, and 47-Across? : HORSE TRADE
- 17A Prerequisite for going into labor? : WORK PERMIT (giving “workhorse”)
- 25A Hypothetical stuff in space : DARK MATTER (giving “dark horse”)
- 37A Requiring a lot of careful attention : HIGH MAINTENANCE (giving “high horse”)
- 47A Unvarying background sound : WHITE NOISE (giving “Whitehorse”)
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
Want to discuss the puzzle? Then …
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Bill’s time: 5m 05s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 Lively Brazilian dance : SAMBA
The samba is a Brazilian dance that is very much symbolic of the festival of Carnival. Like so much culture around the world, the samba has its roots in Africa, as the dance is derived from dances performed by former slaves who migrated into urban Rio de Janeiro in the late 1800s. The exact roots of the name “samba” seem to have been lost in the mists of time. However, my favorite explanation is that it comes from an African Kikongo word “semba” which means “a blow struck with the belly button”. We don’t seem to have a need for such a word in English …
6 Diet that’s high in 10-Across : KETO
10 Macronutrients that may be saturated : FATS
A ketogenic (also “keto”) diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. When a body consumes insufficient carbohydrates to meet the need for energy, then the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies in order to make up the energy deficit. An elevated level of ketone bodies in the bloodstream is known as “ketosis”, a term that gives rise to the name “ketogenic diet”. Medical professionals sometimes prescribe a ketogenic diet in order to control epilepsy in children. A condition of ketosis can reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures.
Saturated fats (“bad” fats) differ from unsaturated fats (“good” fats) chemically in that saturated fats have chains of fatty acids that are relatively straight, allowing individual molecules to pack closely together. This close packing largely explains why saturated fats are solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fatty acids on the other hand have “kinks” in the chains of their fatty acids, so that they cannot pack together closely. Unsaturated fats are generally liquid at room temperature. Food manufacturers have learned that humans get sick by consuming saturated fats (i.e. fats from animal sources). So, they market “healthy” vegetable fats (naturally unsaturated and liquid at room temperature) that they have magically transformed into solid fats (like vegetable spreads). They saturate (hydrogenate) the healthy fats, so that now they solidify at room temperature, and in our arteries. There should be a law …
While both are essential for our health, macronutrients and micronutrients differ in the quantities our bodies need. Macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are required in large amounts to provide energy and support growth and repair. Micronutrients, on the other hand, are needed in smaller amounts. These include vitamins and minerals, which act as catalysts for various bodily functions, supporting everything from immune health to bone strength.
15 Disney snowman voiced by Josh Gad : OLAF
In the 2013 animated film “Frozen”, Olaf is a happy-go-lucky snowman who provides a lot of comic relief in the movie. He is voiced by actor and comedian Josh Gad.
Josh Gad is an actor and comedian who was born in Hollywood, although that would be Hollywood, Florida. Gads big break came on the stage, when he originated the role of Elder Cunningham in “The Book of Mormon”. On the big screen Gad played Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak in “Jobs” and Hector McQueen in the 2017 adaptation of “Murder on the Orient Express”. Gad also voiced Olaf in the “Frozen” films.
16 Taj Mahal city : AGRA
Agra is a medieval city on the banks of the river Yamuna in India that was the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1658. The city is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
- The Taj Mahal: the famous mausoleum built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal.
- Agra Fort: the site where the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond was seized.
- Fatehpur Sikri: a historic city that’s home to well-preserved Mughal architecture.
19 “Hacks” Emmy winner Smart : JEAN
Actress Jean Smart is best known perhaps for her comedic roles, for example Charlene Frazier on CBS’s “Designing Women”. She also did a great job playing the dramatic role of First Lady Martha Logan on Fox’s “24”, and the Governor of Hawaii in the remake by CBS of “Hawaii Five-0”. Smart was married to fellow actor Richard Gilliland, whom she met while he was playing J.D. Shackelford on “Designing Women”.
“Hacks” is a comedy-drama TV series featuring Jean Smart as legendary stand-up Deborah Vance, and Hannah Einbender as young comedy writer Ava Daniels. The show premiered on HBO Max in 2021.
20 __ Lauder : ESTEE
Estée Lauder was a very successful businesswoman, and someone with a great reputation as a salesperson. Lauder introduced her own line of fragrances in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bathwater. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales “volume” …
25 Hypothetical stuff in space : DARK MATTER (giving “dark horse”)
Dark matter is the theoretical material that makes up over 80% of the universe. Astrophysicists use dark matter to explain the discrepancy between the calculated mass of a large object and the mass determined empirically by observing gravitational effects. The term “dark matter” is an apt one as the matter is invisible to telescopes and neither admits nor absorbs light of significance.
A dark horse is a person or thing that emerges unexpectedly to predominate a situation. As perhaps expected, the term “dark horse” comes from horse racing. The phrase appears to have originated in a novel penned by British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. In “The Young Duke”, published in 1831, Disraeli’s “Duke of St. James” is watching a horse race:
A dark horse which had never been thought of, and which the careless St. James had never even observed in the list, rushed past the grandstand in sweeping triumph.
30 __ Scotia, Canada : NOVA
The Canadian province of Nova Scotia (NS) lies on the east coast of the country and is a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The area was settled by Scots starting in 1621, and Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland”.
34 Co. such as Google Fiber : ISP
Google Fiber is a high-speed internet service offered by Google that utilizes fiber-optic technology to deliver incredibly fast download and upload speeds. Launched in 2010, Google Fiber was initially intended to be a testbed for innovation in Internet service and to pressure existing providers to improve their offerings. After only a few months of experimenting, Google announced that it was running Google Fiber as a business.
37 Requiring a lot of careful attention : HIGH MAINTENANCE (giving “high horse”)
The expression “on one’s high horse” stems from the fact that someone of rank tended to ride a “high horse” i.e. a war horse or a charger.
41 “__ queen!” : YAS
“Yas” is a slang term used in place of the interjection “yes!”, when it expresses pleasure and excitement. The exclamation often takes the form “Yas, queen!”
42 Part of LGBTQ+ : GAY
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning, and others (LGBTQ+)
44 Conference freebies : SWAG
Swag is loot, stolen property, and a term that started out as criminal slang in England in the 1830s. “Swag” is also the name given to the promotional freebies available at some events. That said, there’s an urban myth that the promotional version of “swag” is an acronym standing for “stuff we all get”.
46 Home Depot department : PAINT
The Home Depot is the largest home improvement retail chain in the US, ahead of Lowe’s. Home Depot opened their first two stores in 1979. The average store size is just over 100,000 square feet. The largest Home Depot outlet is in Union, New Jersey, and it is 225,000 square feet in size. That’s a lot of nuts and bolts …
47 Unvarying background sound : WHITE NOISE (giving “Whitehorse”)
The background sound produced by an untuned radio can be referred to as white noise. It is also called “static”, because it is caused by the discharge of “static electricity”, with those discharges mainly taking place in the upper atmosphere.
Whitehorse is the capital city of Canada’s Yukon Territory. It sits at the head of the Yukon River and its location made it an important supply center during the Klondike Gold Rush.
53 Combinatorics discipline : MATH
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics that deals with counting, arranging, and combining objects. It’s a discipline helps answer questions like, when considering say a box of LEGO bricks:
- How many different ways can I stack these bricks?
- How many different combinations of colors can I use?
- If I grab a handful of bricks, what are the chances I’ll get the ones I need?
Combinatorics helps with more useful questions, like figuring out how many possible passwords there are or how likely you are to win a lottery.
54 Big name in boxers : HANES
The Hanes brand of apparel was founded in 1901. A related brand was introduced in 1986 called Hanes Her Way.
55 Some party shenanigans : DARES
I suppose one might be forgiven for thinking that “shenanigan” is an Irish term, as it certainly sounds Irish. Usually written in the plural, shenanigans are acts of mischief, pranks. Apparently the word is of uncertain derivation, but was coined in San Francisco or Sacramento, California in the mid-1800s.
57 Native of ancient Peru : INCA
The Inca people emerged as a tribe around the 12th century, in what today is southern Peru. The Incas developed a vast empire over the next 300 years, extending along most of the western side of South America. The Empire fell to the Spanish, finally dissolving in 1572 with the execution of Túpac Amaru, the last Incan Emperor.
58 Deal made with shrewd bargaining, or a swap that could be made with the ends of 17-, 25-, 37-, and 47-Across? : HORSE TRADE
“David Harum” by Edward Noyes Westcott was a very successful novel when it was first published in 1899. The book is noted for introducing the colloquial term “horse trading” into the language (meaning “shady business practices”).
65 Camera giant : NIKON
The Japanese company Nikon was founded in 1917 with the merger of three manufacturers of various optical devices. After the merger, Nikon’s main output was lenses (including the first lenses for Canon cameras, before Canon made its own). During the war, Nikon sales grew rapidly as the company focused on (pun!) equipment for the military including periscopes and bomb sights.
66 Fragrant trees : FIRS
Firs are evergreen coniferous trees, with several species being popular as Christmas trees. The most commonly used species during the holidays are the Nordmann fir, noble fir, Fraser fir and balsam fir. We also see a lot of Douglas fir trees at Christmas, but they’re not actually true firs.
Down
2 “Yo te __” : AMO
In Spanish, one might say “yo te amo” (I love you) “con flores” (with flowers).
6 Divided Asian peninsula : KOREA
Korea was occupied by the Japanese military from 1910 until Japan surrendered at the end of WWII in 1945. While the UN was working towards a trusteeship administration for Korea, the Soviet Union managed the Korean Peninsula north of the 38th parallel and the US managed the south. The UN’s plans came to naught as the Cold War dictated the establishment of the two separate states of North Korea and South Korea. North Korea invaded the South in 1950, leading to the Korean War. After three years of fighting, the border between the two states became the demarcation line between the two military forces on the day the Armistice Agreement was signed. That line runs diagonally across the 38th parallel, and is better known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
7 Wabbit hunter Fudd : ELMER
Elmer Fudd is one of the most famous Looney Tunes cartoon characters, and is the hapless nemesis of Bugs Bunny. If you have never seen it, check out Elmer and Bugs in the marvelous “Rabbit of Seville”, a short cartoon that parodies Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”. Wonderful stuff …
8 __ chi: martial art : TAI
More correctly called “t‘ai chi ch‘uan”, tai chi is a martial art that is mostly practiced to improve overall health and increase longevity.
10 Sizzling Tex-Mex fare : FAJITA
“Fajita” is a Tex-Mex term that refers to grilled meat served on a tortilla. The original Mexican-Spanish term “fajita” is used to describe a small strip of chicken or beef. Nowadays, fajitas are often served on a sizzling platter with the tortillas and condiments on the side.
18 Takeoff approx. : ETD
Estimated time of departure (ETD)
21 Big D cager : MAV
The Mavericks (also “Mavs”) are an NBA franchise in Dallas, Texas. The team was founded in 1980, and the Mavericks name was chosen by fan votes. The choice of “Mavericks” was prompted by the fact that the actor James Garner was a part-owner of the team, and Garner of course played the title role in the “Maverick” television series.
In the early days of basketball, when a ball went out of bounds possession was awarded to the player who first retrieved the ball. This led to mad scuffles off the court, often involving spectators. As the game became more organized, courts were routinely “caged”, largely because of this out of bounds rule, to limit interaction with the crowd. It’s because of these cages that basketball players are sometimes referred to today as “cagers”.
23 Brazilian state where the 1-Across originated : BAHIA
[1A Lively Brazilian dance : SAMBA]
Bahia is the fifth largest of the 26 Brazilian states. The capital of Bahia is the city of Salvador.
27 Surfer’s gear? : MODEM
A modem is a device that is used to facilitate the transmission of a digital signal over an analog line. At one end of the line, a modem is used to “modulate” an analog carrier signal to encode digital information. At the other end of the line, a modem is used to “demodulate” the analog carrier signal and so reproduce the original digital information. This modulation-demodulation gives the device its name: a MOdulator-DEModulator, or “modem”.
32 Winter solstice celebrant : PAGAN
A pagan is someone who holds religious beliefs that are different from the main religions of the world, and especially someone who believes in polytheism. In classical Latin, “paganus” means “villager, rustic”.
A solstice occurs twice in every year. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year (has the most daylight), and the winter solstice is the shortest.
34 World’s most populous country : INDIA
The three most populous countries in the world are:
- India (1.5 billion)
- China (1.4 billion)
- United States (0.3 billion)
Together, these three nations account for about 40% of the world’s population.
36 Capital of Western Australia : PERTH
Perth is the capital city of Western Australia. Perth earned itself the nickname of “City of Light” in 1962 as virtually all the town’s lights were turned on at full power when astronaut John Glenn passed overhead in earth orbit in Friendship 7, so that he could see the city below. The city gave a repeat performance for Glenn in 1998 when he passed overhead in the Space Shuttle in 1998.
38 “Othello” villain : IAGO
Despite being portrayed as a villain in William Shakespeare’s “Othello”, Iago is one of the most complex characters in the play. He is known for his Machiavellian tactics, manipulating the other characters to achieve his selfish goals.
40 Tracy/Hepburn romantic comedy : ADAM’S RIB
And here it is, my favorite movie of all time! “Adam’s Rib” is a classic romantic comedy starring the powerful duo Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, playing two lawyers married to each other. Inevitably, the married couple have to take opposite sides in a high-profile court case, and hilarity ensues. The film is an interesting exploration of the roles of men and women in 1949 American society.
45 Director Anderson : WES
Film director Wes Anderson’s most famous movie is probably “The Royal Tenenbaums” that was released in 2001, and is not my favorite film by any stretch. However, Anderson’s 2007 release “The Darjeeling Limited”; that I enjoyed.
48 Vietnam’s capital : HANOI
The Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi was known as Thang Long from 1010 to 1428. “Thang Long” translates as “Ascending Dragon”.
50 Actor Elba : IDRIS
Idris Elba is a British actor and DJ. He was born in London to a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother. Elba’s breakthrough role came in 2002, when he was cast as Stringer Bell in the HBO series “The Wire”.
56 Sicilian volcano : ETNA
Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy, and indeed the largest of all active volcanoes in Europe. Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-gauge railway, and two ski resorts. It is sometimes referred to as “Mongibello” in Italian, and as “Mungibeddu” (sometimes “Muncibeddu”) in Sicilian. The English name “Etna” comes from the Greek “aitho” meaning “I eat”.
58 Solo of “Star Wars” : HAN
Han Solo is the space smuggler in “Star Wars” played by Harrison Ford. Ford was originally hired by George Lucas just to read lines for actors during auditions for “Star Wars”, but over time Lucas became convinced that Ford was right for the pivotal role of Han Solo.
59 Kitchen gadget brand : OXO
The OXO line of kitchen utensils and housewares is designed to be ergonomically superior to the average household tools. The intended user of OXO products is someone who doesn’t have the normal range of motion or strength in the hands e.g. someone suffering from arthritis.
60 Pseudonym letters : AKA
Also known as (aka)
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Lively Brazilian dance : SAMBA
6 Diet that’s high in 10-Across : KETO
10 Macronutrients that may be saturated : FATS
14 Inbox filler : EMAIL
15 Disney snowman voiced by Josh Gad : OLAF
16 Taj Mahal city : AGRA
17 Prerequisite for going into labor? : WORK PERMIT (giving “workhorse”)
19 “Hacks” Emmy winner Smart : JEAN
20 __ Lauder : ESTEE
21 Dice finely : MINCE
22 Recipe amt. : TBSP
25 Hypothetical stuff in space : DARK MATTER (giving “dark horse”)
28 Bother : EAT AT
30 __ Scotia, Canada : NOVA
31 Flirt with : CHAT UP
33 First __ tent : AID
34 Co. such as Google Fiber : ISP
37 Requiring a lot of careful attention : HIGH MAINTENANCE (giving “high horse”)
41 “__ queen!” : YAS
42 Part of LGBTQ+ : GAY
43 More irate : MADDER
44 Conference freebies : SWAG
46 Home Depot department : PAINT
47 Unvarying background sound : WHITE NOISE (giving “Whitehorse”)
53 Combinatorics discipline : MATH
54 Big name in boxers : HANES
55 Some party shenanigans : DARES
57 Native of ancient Peru : INCA
58 Deal made with shrewd bargaining, or a swap that could be made with the ends of 17-, 25-, 37-, and 47-Across? : HORSE TRADE
63 Free kick cause : FOUL
64 Line on a graph : AXIS
65 Camera giant : NIKON
66 Fragrant trees : FIRS
67 Prying : NOSY
68 Die down : ABATE
Down
1 Do some needlework : SEW
2 “Yo te __” : AMO
3 Damage : MAR
4 Cyclist’s route through a park : BIKE PATH
5 Swiss mountains : ALPS
6 Divided Asian peninsula : KOREA
7 Wabbit hunter Fudd : ELMER
8 __ chi: martial art : TAI
9 Frequently, in poems : OFT
10 Sizzling Tex-Mex fare : FAJITA
11 Customer service representative : AGENT
12 Tiny amount : TRACE
13 More reasonable : SANER
18 Takeoff approx. : ETD
21 Big D cager : MAV
22 Futuristic : TECHY
23 Brazilian state where the 1-Across originated : BAHIA
24 Bucks : STAGS
26 Do some needlework : KNIT
27 Surfer’s gear? : MODEM
29 Stomach, cutely : TUM
32 Winter solstice celebrant : PAGAN
33 One or more : ANY
34 World’s most populous country : INDIA
35 Aromatherapy choice : SCENT
36 Capital of Western Australia : PERTH
38 “Othello” villain : IAGO
39 Day break? : NAP
40 Tracy/Hepburn romantic comedy : ADAM’S RIB
44 Amazing deals : STEALS
45 Director Anderson : WES
47 Faint smell : WHIFF
48 Vietnam’s capital : HANOI
49 Rack up : INCUR
50 Actor Elba : IDRIS
51 Full of attitude : SASSY
52 Before, in poems : ERE
56 Sicilian volcano : ETNA
58 Solo of “Star Wars” : HAN
59 Kitchen gadget brand : OXO
60 Pseudonym letters : AKA
61 Decimal point : DOT
62 Opposite of WSW : ENE
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