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Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Reveal Answer: Poetry in Motion
Today’s puzzle includes three ODES as hidden words that MOVE from left to right as we descend the grid:
- 53A Epitome of grace, and an apt title for this puzzle : POETRY IN MOTION
- 20A Wide receiver who was the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year : ODELL BECKHAM JR
- 33A Literary movement for Vonnegut and Pynchon : POSTMODERNISM
- 40A Pushes one’s game to the next level : GOES BEAST MODE
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
Want to discuss the puzzle? Then …
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Bill’s time: 5m 11s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
5 Important ingredient in Toll House cookies : CHIPS
The Toll House Cookie was the first commercially produced chocolate chip cookie, and was the creation of chef Ruth Graves Wakefield in 1938. The name of the cookie comes from where Wakefield and her husband lived, the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts.
14 U2 lead singer : BONO
Irish singer Bono is a Dubliner who was born Paul David Hewson. As a youth, Hewson was given the nickname “Bono Vox” by a friend, a Latin expression meaning “good voice”, and so the singer has been known as Bono since the late seventies. His band’s first name was “Feedback”, later changed to “The Hype”. The band members searched for yet another name and chose U2 from a list of six names suggested by a friend. They picked U2 because it was the name they disliked least …
15 “__ and Juliet” : ROMEO
William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is all about the love between the two title characters, which is forbidden as the pair come from two families who are sworn enemies. Early in the play, Romeo (a Montague) sneaks into a masquerade ball being held by the Capulets in the hope of meeting a Capulet girl named Rosaline. Instead, he meets and falls for Juliet, also a Capulet. Tragedy ensues …
17 Indian flatbread : ROTI
In an Indian restaurant, naan bread is very popular. Roti is an unleavened cousin of naan.
20 Wide receiver who was the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year : ODELL BECKHAM JR
Odell Beckham Jr. is a National Football League wide receiver from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 2014, “OBJ” made a much-applauded, one-handed catch while falling backwards to score a touchdown for the New York Giants against the Dallas Cowboys, a move that some have dubbed the greatest catch ever made.
28 Protagonist : HERO
The protagonist is the principal character in a work of literature. The antagonist is the main character opposing the protagonist. The term “protagonist” comes from the Greek “protos” (first) and “agonistes” (actor, character).
30 __ Moines, Iowa : DES
The city of Des Moines is the capital of Iowa, and takes its name from the Des Moines River. The river in turn takes its name from the French “Riviere des Moines” meaning “River of the Monks”. It looks like there isn’t any “monkish” connection to the city’s name per se. “Des Moines” was just the name given by French traders who corrupted “Moingona”, the name of a group of Illinois Native Americans who lived by the river. However, others contend that French Trappist monks, who lived a full 200 miles from the river, somehow influenced the name.
33 Literary movement for Vonnegut and Pynchon : POSTMODERNISM
Postmodernism was a late 20th-century movement that challenged the established norms of modernism. Emerging in the aftermath of World War II, It embraced subjectivity, fragmentation, and irony, often blurring the lines between high and low culture. Postmodernism left its mark on everything from Andy Warhol’s pop art to the deconstructivist architecture of Frank Gehry.
Kurt Vonnegut was a writer from Indianapolis whose most famous work is probably the novel “Slaughterhouse-Five” from 1969. Beyond his writing, Vonnegut was noted for his support of the American Civil Liberties Union and American Humanist Association. Kurt had a brother who made a big contribution to society. Bernard Vonnegut was the atmospheric scientist who discovered that silver iodide could be used to seed clouds and artificially create rain.
Thomas Pynchon is an American novelist who won the 1973 National Book Award for Fiction for “Gravity’s Rainbow”. He is a well-known recluse, and is famously shy of dealing with the media. There are remarkably few photographs of Pynchon in the public domain.
38 MSNBC host Melber : ARI
Ari Melber is a television journalist and the chief legal correspondent for MSNBC. He started hosting his own daily show called “The Beat with Ari Melber” in 2017.
39 Roadie’s gear : AMPS
A “roadie” is someone who loads, unloads and sets up equipment for musicians on tour, on the “road”.
40 Pushes one’s game to the next level : GOES BEAST MODE
“To go beast mode” means “to unleash your inner beast”. It’s about tapping into a primal, aggressive energy to achieve a goal, usually in a competitive or challenging situation. The phrase is often used in sports and fitness, but it can apply to any situation where someone is giving it their all and dominating.
45 Actress de Armas : ANA
Ana de Armas is an actress from Cuba. Having attended the National Theater School of Cuba, she moved to Spain at the age of 18. Thre, she made a name for herself in a Spanish TV series called “El Internado”. De Armas moved to Los Angeles in 2014, after which her performance opposite Ryan Gosling in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” earned her critical acclaim.
46 “General Hospital” actress Rylan : EMME
Emme Rylan is an actress from Providence, North Carolina who is perhaps best-known for her roles in soap operas, notably “Guiding Light” and “The Young and the Restless”.
The daytime soap opera “General Hospital” is the longest-running such drama still in production in the US, and is the second-longest running soap in the world. The first episode of “General Hospital” aired on April 1, 1963. The UK soap “Coronation Street” has been on TV since 9 December 1960.
47 Long-armed shaggy apes, familiarly : ORANGS
Orangutans (also “orangs”) are arboreal creatures, the largest arboreal animals known to man. They are native to Indonesia and Malaysia, and live in rainforests. Like most species in rainforests these days, orangutans are endangered, with only two species surviving. The word “orangutan” is Malay, meaning “man of the forest”.
51 E-file org. : IRS
E-file: that’s certainly what I do with my tax return …
52 Sign of a hot ticket on Broadway : SRO
Standing room only (SRO)
58 Slangy coffee : JAVA
Back in 1850, the name “java” was given to a type of coffee grown on the island of Java, and the more general usage of the term spread from then.
60 Oblong tomato : ROMA
The Roma tomato isn’t considered an heirloom variety but it is very popular with home gardeners, especially those gardeners that don’t have a lot of space. It is a bush type (as opposed to vine type) and needs very little room to provide a lot of tomatoes.
62 Burstyn of “The First Lady” : ELLEN
Ellen Burstyn is a wonderful actress from Detroit, Michigan. My favorite Burstyn performance is in the 1978 movie “Same Time, Next Year” opposite Alan Alda. Actually, she had appeared since 1975 in the original stage play that inspired that film. On stage, Burstyn acted opposite Charles Grodin in “Same Time, Next Year”, and won a Tony for her performance.
“The First Lady” is a drama series that offers a glimpse into the lives of some of the most influential women in American history: the First Ladies. The show interweaves the stories of three different First Ladies from different eras: Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Michelle Obama (Viola Davis). The series delves into their private lives, their impact on their husbands’ presidencies, and their legacies as trailblazers who redefined the role of the First Lady.
63 Condo, e.g. : UNIT
Housing co-operatives (co-ops) and condos are similar, but there are important differences. Both co-ops and condos are multi-unit buildings. A condo is a private residence in such a building, with ownership of common areas shared. An owner of a co-op has an interest in the entire multi-unit building, and a contract allowing occupation of a specific unit. So, condo owners own their units, and co-op owners do not.
64 Places to find fuzzy navels : BARS
The cocktail known as a fuzzy navel was invented in the eighties by bartender Ray Foley, the founder of “Bartender Magazine”. The basic drink is made with equal parts of peach schnapps and orange juice, with the “fuzzy” referring to the texture of the skin of a peach, and the “navel” referring to the navel in a navel orange. A variant of the drink is made by adding a splash of vodka, giving a hairy navel. The more vodka, the hairier the cocktail.
65 American Girls, e.g. : DOLLS
American Girl is a line of dolls introduced in 1986. The dolls were originally young girls dressed in clothes that evoked various periods of American history.
66 “¿Cómo __ usted?” : ESTA
“¿Cómo está usted?” is a more formal way of asking “How are you?” in Spanish.
Down
10 Budget competitor : ALAMO
The third-largest car rental company in recent years is Alamo, which was founded in 1974. Alamo made inroads (pun!) into the market by popularizing the idea of “unlimited mileage”.
The Budget Rent a Car company started out in 1958 with the intent of undercutting the existing price of renting a car at airports. Budget was founded by Morris Mirkin. Mirkin enlisted Julius Lederer as a co-founder the following year. Lederer was the husband of newspaper columnist “Ann Landers”.
11 __ Khalifa: world’s tallest building : BURJ
Burj Khalifa is a spectacular skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is the tallest man-made structure in the world, and has been so since the completion of its exterior in 2009. The space in the building came onto the market at a really bad time, during the global financial crisis. The building was part of a US$20 billion development of downtown Dubai that was backed by the city government which had to go looking for a bailout from the neighboring city of Abu Dhabi. The tower was given the name Burj Khalifa at the last minute, apparently as a nod to UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan who helped to broker the bailout.
13 Spills the __: gossips : TEA
[50D Spills the __: blabs : BEANS]
To spill the beans is to divulge a secret. The expression first appeared in American English, in the early 1900s. The phrase arose as an alternative to “spoil the beans” or “upset the applecart”. The similarly meaning phrase “spill the tea” is more prevalent on the other side of the Atlantic.
22 Cupid’s domain : AMOR
In the myth of Cupid (aka Eros) and Psyche, the two title characters must overcome many obstacles to fulfill their love for each other. Overcome them they do, and the pair marry and enjoy immortal love.
27 Becomes compost : ROTS
Composting is the process of decomposing organic matter to make the soil conditioner known as “compost”. The term “compost” ultimately comes from the Latin “com” (together) and “ponere” (to place). Compost is best made by “putting together” green waste that is rich in nitrogen, with brown waste that is rich in carbon, all in the presence of water and air.
28 Seabiscuit, for one : HORSE
Seabiscuit was a thoroughbred racehorse who dominated horse racing in the US in the 1940s. There have been a few films made based on the horse’s life, including 1949’s “The Story of Seabiscuit” starring Shirley Temple, and 2003’s “Seabiscuit” starring Tobey Maguire.
29 Work periodically? : EDIT
“Periodical” comes from the Latin “periodicus,” meaning “returning at regular intervals.” The adjective then became a noun for publications issued on a schedule.
31 Seer’s gift : ESP
Extrasensory perception (ESP)
32 Texting format : SMS
Short Message Service (SMS) is the name for the text messaging service that many of us still use on our cell phones to contact friends and family.
35 Zippo : NADA
The use of the words “zip” and “zippo” to mean “nothing” dates back to the early 1900s, when it was student slang for being graded zero on a test.
36 Links org. : PGA
The oldest type of golf course is a links course. The name “links” comes from the Old English word “hlinc” meaning “rising ground”. “Hlinc” was used to describe areas with coastal sand dunes or open parkland. As a result, we use the term “links course” to mean a golf course that is located at or on the coast, often amid sand dunes. The British Open is always played on a links course.
43 Church members who are encouraged to do missionary work : MORMONS
Joseph Smith, Jr. published the Book of Mormon in 1830, and founded the church that he originally called the Church of Christ, later known as the Church of the Latter Day Saints. Today, the largest of the churches descended from Smith’s organization is called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the members of the church referred to as Latter Day Saints. The name “Mormons” is just a nickname, derived from the title of Joseph Smith’s book.
48 Wallace’s claymation pal : GROMIT
“Wallace and Gromit” is a famous animation series from England that uses claymation and stop-motion technology. Wallace is a zany inventor who just loves cheese, especially Wensleydale. Gromit is Wallace’s pet dog, and his best friend.
Clay animation, also known as “claymation”, is a stop motion animation technique that has been around since the early 1900s. The list of famous claymation productions includes the “Gumby” series of TV show segments, the California Raisins musical group ad campaign, and “Wallace and Gromit” British comedy series.
49 Hyundai sedan : SONATA
The Sonata is one of Hyundai’s most successful models, having been introduced in 1985 and still being sold today. The original model didn’t make it to the North American market as it had problems meeting emission standards. The first Sonatas hit this side of the Pacific in 1988, and were assembled in Bromont, Quebec.
55 “I’ll never have this chance again, so why not!” letters : YOLO!
You only live once (YOLO)
Read on, or …
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Long, long time : AGES
5 Important ingredient in Toll House cookies : CHIPS
10 Touch : ABUT
14 U2 lead singer : BONO
15 “__ and Juliet” : ROMEO
16 Friction fighter : LUBE
17 Indian flatbread : ROTI
18 No longer together : APART
19 Neighborhood : AREA
20 Wide receiver who was the 2014 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year : ODELL BECKHAM JR
23 Show on television : AIR
24 Photo __ : OPS
25 Punk subgenre : EMO
26 Loved by : DEAR TO
28 Protagonist : HERO
30 __ Moines, Iowa : DES
33 Literary movement for Vonnegut and Pynchon : POSTMODERNISM
36 Bombard (with) : PELT
38 MSNBC host Melber : ARI
39 Roadie’s gear : AMPS
40 Pushes one’s game to the next level : GOES BEAST MODE
45 Actress de Armas : ANA
46 “General Hospital” actress Rylan : EMME
47 Long-armed shaggy apes, familiarly : ORANGS
50 Hon : BAE
51 E-file org. : IRS
52 Sign of a hot ticket on Broadway : SRO
53 Epitome of grace, and an apt title for this puzzle : POETRY IN MOTION
58 Slangy coffee : JAVA
59 Irritated : GOT TO
60 Oblong tomato : ROMA
61 Receiving customers : OPEN
62 Burstyn of “The First Lady” : ELLEN
63 Condo, e.g. : UNIT
64 Places to find fuzzy navels : BARS
65 American Girls, e.g. : DOLLS
66 “¿Cómo __ usted?” : ESTA
Down
1 Overseas : ABROAD
2 Unexpected treat : GOODIE
3 Respond to court charges : ENTER A PLEA
4 Bed component? : SOIL
5 Underwater trap : CRAB POT
6 Aspirations : HOPES
7 Apple desktop : IMAC
8 Free lunch on Fridays, e.g. : PERK
9 “Told ya!” : SO THERE!
10 Budget competitor : ALAMO
11 __ Khalifa: world’s tallest building : BURJ
12 Big name in food delivery : UBER
13 Spills the __: gossips : TEA
21 Quite a few : LOTS
22 Cupid’s domain : AMOR
27 Becomes compost : ROTS
28 Seabiscuit, for one : HORSE
29 Work periodically? : EDIT
30 Part of a design spec : DIMENSIONS
31 Seer’s gift : ESP
32 Texting format : SMS
34 Polite term of address : MA’AM
35 Zippo : NADA
36 Links org. : PGA
37 Long, long time : EON
41 Edged out : BEAT
42 Came out of hiding : EMERGED
43 Church members who are encouraged to do missionary work : MORMONS
44 Roughly : OR SO
48 Wallace’s claymation pal : GROMIT
49 Hyundai sedan : SONATA
50 Spills the __: blabs : BEANS
51 Dirt dug up by moles : INTEL
53 Grandad’s nickname : PAPA
54 Finished : OVER
55 “I’ll never have this chance again, so why not!” letters : YOLO!
56 “__ all work out” : IT’LL
57 Immodest response to “You’re the best!” : TRUE!
58 Occupation : JOB
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