Day: May 6, 2025

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Constructed by: Janice Luttrell
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Window Dressings

Themed answers each start with a WINDOW DRESSING:

• 38A Storefront merchandise displays, or what the starts of 17-, 24-, 51-, and 63-Across are : WINDOW DRESSINGS

• 17A Driver’s concern when merging : BLIND SPOT
• 24A Hairstyle that frames the face : CURTAIN BANGS
• 51A Exposure-determining setting, in photography : SHUTTER SPEED
• 63A Mature growth in a backyard : SHADE TREE

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

Bill’s time: 5m 18s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Bandmate of Crosby and Stills : NASH

Graham Nash is a British singer-songwriter who is best known for his work with the bands The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice – once in 1997 as a member of The Hollies, and again in 1997 as a member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. In the late 1960s, Nash was romantically involved with Joni Mitchell, another iconic singer-songwriter. Their relationship inspired some of Nash’s best-known songs, including “Our House” and “Simple Man.”

16 God of Islam : ALLAH

The name “Allah” comes from the Arabic “al-” and “ilah”, meaning “the” and “deity”. So, “Allah” can be translated as “God”.

19 Nary a soul : NO ONE

The adjective “nary” means “not one”, as in “nary a soul” or even “nary a one”.

23 Actor Beatty : NED

Actor Ned Beatty is possibly best remembered for the rather disturbing “squeal like a pig” scene in the movie “Deliverance”. Beatty also earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1976 movie “Network”.

24 Hairstyle that frames the face : CURTAIN BANGS

The curtain bangs hairstyle is characterized by a center part and longer, feathered sides that gently curve away from the face.

29 Rain-__ gum : BLO

Rain-Blo bubble gum balls were introduced in 1940 by Leaf Confectionery, a company that was then based in the Netherlands.

30 Oscar winner Mahershala : ALI

Mahershala Ali is an actor and sometime rapper. Among the more memorable roles Ali has had are lobbyist Remy Danton in TV’s “House of Cards”, and Colonel Boggs in “The Hunger Games” series of movies. He also won Best Supporting Actor Oscars for playing Juan in the 2016 drama “Moonlight”, and Dr. Don Shirley in 2018’s “Green Book”.

35 Diva’s piece : ARIA

The term “diva” comes to us from Latin via Italian. It is the feminine form of “divus” meaning “divine one”. The word is used in Italy to mean “goddess” or “fine lady”, and especially is applied to the prima donna in an opera. We often use the term to describe a singer with a big ego.

43 Brief “Whew, the week is almost over!” : TGIF

“Thank God It’s Friday” (TGIF)

44 Pants, briefly : TROU

Trousers are pants, the garment covering the lower body and each leg separately. Ultimately, the word “trousers” evolved from the Erse word “triubhas” that described close-fitting shorts. Back in the 1600s there was a colorful saying:

A jellous wife was like an Irish trouze, alwayes close to a mans tayle

45 Pop singer Rita : ORA

Rita Ora is a British singer who was born Rita Sahatçiu in Pristina, Yugoslavia to Albanian parents. The family name “Sahatçiu” comes from a Turkish word meaning “watchmaker”. Rita’s parents changed their name to make it easier to pronounce. So, the family name morphed from “watchmaker” to “time”, which is “ora” in Albanian.

48 Country singer Tim whose father pitched in the MLB for 19 seasons : MCGRAW

Country singer Tim McGraw is the son of the late Tug McGraw, the baseball pitcher. McGraw’s wife is fellow country singer Faith Hill.

51 Exposure-determining setting, in photography : SHUTTER SPEED

Shutter speed, in photography, determines how long a camera’s shutter remains open, allowing light to reach the image sensor. A fast shutter speed freezes action, ideal for sports or wildlife photography, while a slow shutter speed blurs movement, creating artistic effects like light trails or smooth water.

56 IRS form expert : CPA

Certified public accountant (CPA)

58 Filmmakers Ethan and Joel : COENS

I think it’s great to see two brothers working together and being so successful. Joel and Ethan Coen are two movie producers and directors who both live in New York City. The Coen brothers do love the movie-making business and they even married industry “insiders”. Ethan’s wife is film editor Tricia Cooke, and Joel is married to one of my favorite actresses, the talented Frances McDormand.

61 Vinyl collectible : ALBUM

The Latin word “album” translates as “white”. Back in the 17th century, public notices and lists of names were written on a board painted white, or in a souvenir book with white pages known as an “albo” (from “album”). Over time, the term “album” came to be used in English for a blank book created to collect signatures or other mementos. By the end of the 19th century, albums were used to collect photographs. The term “album” was applied to long-playing gramophone records in the early 1950s, because the record sleeves resembled large photographic albums.

Strictly speaking, the term “vinyl” describes the ethenyl functional group (-CH=CH₂) found in some organic chemicals. Perhaps the most often encountered example of such a chemical is vinyl chloride, a chemical used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride. The name “vinyl” was coined in 1851 by German chemist Hermann Kolbe. He chose the term because the vinyl group is closely related to ethyl alcohol, and “vinum” is Latin for “wine”. Cheers …

67 Gillette razor : ATRA

Fortunately for crossword constructors, the Atra was introduced by Gillette in 1977, as the first razor with a pivoting head. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.

68 Memory units : BYTES

In the world of computing, a bit is the basic unit of information. It has a value of 0 or 1. A “byte” is a small collection of “bits” (usually 8), the number of bits needed to uniquely identify a character of text. The term “byte” is an abbreviation for “binary digit”.

69 U.K. awards : MBES

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry in the UK that was established in 1917 by King George V. There are five classes within the order, which are in descending seniority:

• Knight Grand Cross (GBE)
• Knight Commander (KBE)
• Commander (CBE)
• Officer (OBE)
• Member (MBE)

Down

1 Fusion restaurant chain co-owned by Robert De Niro : NOBU

Nobu Matsuhisa is a celebrity chef from Japan. Nobu was invited to open a Japanese restaurant in Lima, Peru in 1973, and while in South America developed his own Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine. He moved to the US a few years later, and opened a restaurant named Matsuhisa in Los Angeles. Actor Robert De Niro visited that restaurant, and suggested to Matsuhisa that he open a restaurant in New York City. Eventually, after De Niro offered to participate in a joint venture, Matsuhisa agreed and opened the first Nobu. Now there are “Nobu” and “Matsuhisa” restaurants all over the world.

2 Knee parts, for short : ACLS

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee. It is located in the center of the knee and connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone).

3 Red lines on a baseball, e.g. : STITCHING

A baseball is made by wrapping string around a rubber or cork center, and then covering the resulting sphere with leather. The string inside a baseball can measure up to a mile in length.

6 Retro photo effect : SEPIA

Sepia is that rich, brown-gray color so common in old photographs. “Sepia” is the Latinized version of the Greek word for cuttlefish, as sepia pigment is derived from the ink sac of the cuttlefish. Sepia ink was commonly used for writing and drawing as far back as ancient Rome and ancient Greece. The “sepia tone” of old photographs is not the result of deterioration over time. Rather, it is the result of a deliberate preservation process which converts the metallic silver in the photographic image to a more stable silver sulfide. Prints that have been sepia-toned can last in excess of 150 years.

7 Gut bacteria : E COLI

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are usually harmless bacteria found in the human gut, working away quite happily. However, there are some strains that can produce lethal toxins. These strains can make their way into the food chain from animal fecal matter that comes into contact with food designated for human consumption.

9 Geometric designs used as meditative aids : MANDALAS

The sand mandala is a beautiful creation made with colored sand in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Mandalas are elaborate designs created by monks over many, many hours. Once the design is completed it is immediately destroyed, symbolizing the transitory nature of material life.

10 “Evil Woman” gp. : ELO

The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) recorded the song “Evil Woman” in 1975. “Evil Woman” was written by the band’s lead vocalist Jeff Lynne, in just thirty minutes!

12 Bowling alley divisions : LANES

Bowling has been around for an awfully long time. The oldest known reference to the game is in Egypt, where pins and balls were found in an ancient tomb that is over 5,000 years old. The first form of the game to come to America was nine-pin bowling, which had been very popular in Europe for centuries. In 1841 in Connecticut, nine-pin bowling was banned due to its association with gambling. Supposedly, an additional pin was added to get around the ban, and ten-pin bowling was born.

18 Young explorer in “The Lost City of Gold” : DORA

“Dora and the Lost City of Gold” is a 2019 live-action film based on the animated TV show “Dora the Explorer”. Isabela Merced (now “Isabela Merced”) plays the title character. I find it a little satisfying that “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” was actually filmed in and around the city of Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia …

28 Disembarked : ALIT

In getting on and off a seagoing vessel, one embarks and disembarks (also “debarks”). The terms “embark” and “disembark” come from the name of the small ship known as a barque.

32 Utah summer hrs. : MDT

Mountain Daylight Time (MDT)

34 Paleo- opposite : NEO-

The prefix “paleo-” means “prehistoric, primitive”. It comes from the Greek word “palaios” which means “old, ancient”. The prefix “neo-” would be the opposite, meaning “new, recent”.

37 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.

41 __ pump: drainage aid in a basement : SUMP

The term “sump” has been used for a “pit to collect water” since the middle of the 17th century. Prior to that, “sump” meant “marsh, morass”.

49 Gospel singer Winans : CECE

CeCe Winans (real given name “Priscilla”) is a Gospel music singer. She is part of a duo with her brother, BeBe Winans (real name Benjamin).

51 Spread out, as fingers : SPLAY

The verbs “to splay” and the noun “display” are linked through the idea of spreading out or presenting something openly. “Splay” usually implies a spreading or extending outward, particularly of limbs or fingers, to occupy a wider area. Similarly, “display” suggests the arrangement and presentation of items for viewing, effectively spreading them out for public attention.

52 Nun’s attire : HABIT

Nuns are women who have taken religious vows to live a life of prayer, celibacy, and service to their community. The word “nun” comes from the Latin word “nonna,” which means “mother” or “grandmother”. Nuns have been a part of many different religious traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam.

53 __ salts: foot-soaking stuff : EPSOM

The Surrey town of Epsom in England is most famous for its racecourse (Epsom Downs), at which the Epsom Derby is run every year, one of the three races that make up the English Triple Crown. We also come across “Epsom salts” from time to time. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, originally prepared by boiling down mineral waters. Epsom was indeed a spa town at one time. The town is also home to Epsom College, an English “public school” (which actually means “private, and expensive”). One of Epsom’s “old boys” was the Hollywood actor Stewart Granger.

54 Post-injury regimen : REHAB

Quite often, the terms “regime” and “regimen” seem to be used interchangeably. In contemporary usage, “regime” is applied more generally, and “regimen” more specifically. A “regimen” is a systematic approach that one might apply to something, to exercise or diet for example. The term “regime” can also be used in such contexts, but can have additional definitions, such as “government in power”. A form of government cannot be described as a “regimen”.

56 Keto no-no : CARB

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.

59 Fictional sleuth Wolfe : NERO

Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective and the hero of many stories published by author Rex Stout. There are 33 Nero Wolfe novels for us to read, and 39 short stories. There are also movie adaptations of two of the novels: “Meet Nero Wolfe” (1936) which features a young Rita Hayworth, and “The League of Frightened Men” (1937). One of Wolfe’s endearing traits is his love of good food and beer, so he is a pretty rotund character.

60 With 8-Down, Samwise Gamgee player in “The Lord of the Rings” : SEAN …
8 See 60-Down : … ASTIN

Sean Astin is best known for playing the title role in the 1993 film “Rudy” and the character Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” movies. You might also have seen him playing Lynn McGill in the 5th season of “24”. Astin is the son of actress Patty Duke, and the adopted son of actor John Astin (of “The Addams Family” fame).

64 Players who only bat, briefly : DHS

Baseball’s American League (AL) has allowed a designated hitter (DH) in each team’s lineup since 1973, whereas the National League (NL) only adopted the DH rule in 2022.