Day: May 18, 2025

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Constructed by: Ed Sessa
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Work in Progress

Themed answers sound like common phrases, but with letters added to create a kind of WORKER:

• 26A One minding everyone’s p’s and q’s? : ALPHABET SUPERVISOR (from “alphabet soup”)
• 42A Cruise ship physician? : FLOATING DOCTOR (from “floating dock”)
• 53A Luncheonette worker? : COUNTER WAITER (from “counterweight”)
• 78A Banker offering a penny for your thoughts? : MEMORY CASHIER (from “memory cache”)
• 89A Artisan who specializes in life-size replicas of bison? : BUFFALO BUILDER (from “Buffalo Bill”)
• 108A Character in “Driving Miss Piggy”? : THE MUPPET CHAUFFEUR (from “The Muppet Show”)
• 32D One working with flower and dough? : BOTANY BAKER (from “Botany Bay”)
• 42D Couturier for Tinker Bell? : FAIRY TAILOR (from “fairy tale”)

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

Bill’s time: 20m 27s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Insurer with a fowl mascot : AFLAC

In 1999, Aflac (American Family Life Assurance Company) was huge in the world of insurance but it wasn’t a household name, so a New York advertising agency was given the task of making the Aflac brand more memorable. One of the agency’s art directors, while walking around Central Park one lunchtime, heard a duck quacking and in his mind linked it with “Aflac”, and that duck has been “Aflacking” ever since …

6 LED screen alternative : LCD TV

Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are the screens that are found in most laptops today, and in flat panel computer screens and some televisions. LCD monitors basically replaced Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) screens, the old television technology.

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a specialized form of semiconductor that when switched on releases photons (light). LEDs were used in early digital watches, and are getting more and more popular even though their use in electronic equipment is fading away. LEDs are used as replacements for the much less-efficient tungsten light bulbs. I replaced all of my tungsten Xmas lights many years ago and saved a lot on my electricity bill.

18 Stylish Geoffrey : BEENE

Geoffrey Beene was an American fashion designer. He had an impressive list of clients that included First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Nancy Reagan. He had a very successful line of clothing called “Beene Bag”.

19 Chicago hub : O’HARE

The IATA airport code for O’Hare International in Chicago is ORD, which comes from Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field (OR-D).

24 Old school : ALMA MATER

The literal translation for the Latin term “alma mater” is “nourishing mother”. The phrase was used in ancient Rome to refer to mother goddesses, and in Medieval Christianity the term was used to refer to the Virgin Mary. Nowadays, one’s alma mater is the school one attended, either high school or college, usually one’s last place of education.

26 One minding everyone’s p’s and q’s? : ALPHABET SUPERVISOR (from “alphabet soup”)

Believe it or not, alphabet pasta (pasta shaped like letters of the alphabet) has been around since the 1870s. Campbell’s introduced its Alphabet Soup brand in the 1950s.

29 Most articles in The Onion : SATIRES

“The Onion” is a satirical news network, with a print newspaper and a heavy online presence. “The Onion” newspaper was founded by two college students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1988. The founders sold the operation a year later for about $20,000. The paper grew steadily until 1996 when it began to publish online and really took off. I think it’s worth a tad more than $20,000 today …

30 Shaft on a unicycle : AXLE

In 2007, a student rode a unicycle for 24 hours around the athletic track at Aberystwyth University. In so doing, the young man broke the record for the longest ride on a unicycle without feet touching the ground, a distance of 105.57 miles. He also covered a total distance of 282 miles over the full 24-hour period.

31 Place of rapid development : HOTBED

In gardening terms, a hotbed is an area where decaying matter makes it warmer than its surroundings. The heat is generated by the activity of the organisms responsible for decomposition. The term “hotbed” is used figuratively in describing an environment that incubates some sort of growth or development, as in “a hotbed of activity”.

36 One of 30 in septiembre : DIA

In Spanish, there are 30 “días en septiembre” (days in September).

39 Pub order : PINT

A US pint comprises 16 fluid ounces, and an imperial pint is 20 fluid ounces. The term “pint” comes into English via Old French, ultimately from the Latin “picta” meaning “painted”. The name arose from a line painted on the side of a beer glass that marked a full measure of ale.

46 British school since 1440 : ETON

Eton College near Windsor in the south of England was founded way back in 1440 by King Henry VI. Originally known as “The King’s College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor”, the school was intended to provide free education to poor boys. Free education today at Eton? Not so much …

47 Bikini tops : BRAS

The origin of the word “bikini”, describing a type of bathing suit, seems very uncertain. One story is that it is named after the Bikini Atoll, site of American A-bomb tests in the forties and fifties. The name “bikini” was chosen for the swim-wear because of the “explosive” effect it had on men who saw a woman wearing the garment …

49 Biblical prophet : HOSEA

Hosea was one of the Twelve Prophets of the Hebrew Bible. The Twelve Prophets are also known as the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament in the Christian Bible.

52 Palais figure : ROI

In French, a “roi” (king) might be found in a “palais” (palace).

58 “Magic 3” rapper : NAS

“Magic 3” is a studio album by American rapper Nas, released in 2023. It marks the third installment in his “Magic” series, following “Magic” (2021) and “Magic 2” (2023).

61 __-Dame de Paris : NOTRE

Notre-Dame de Paris is the spectacular Gothic cathedral that sits on the Île de la Cité, one of the islands in the middle of the River Seine in Paris. Notre-Dame is home to many beautiful and significant artifacts, the most famous of which is the Crown of Thorns supposedly worn by Jesus Christ at his execution, placed in the cathedral in 1239. It’s also home to some magnificent gargoyles on the roof, and you can climb up to the roof and take a very close look at them. Well, you used to be able to, until the tragic fire of 2019. The cathedral re-opened at the end of 2014, but I’m not sure about the tour of the roof …

64 Ancient pyramid builders : MAYANS

The giant step-pyramid known as El Castillo at Chichen Itza is probably the most famous example of Mayan ceremonial architecture. Chichén Itzá is a Mayan ruin located in the Mexican state of Yucatán. It is the second-most visited archaeological site in the country (after the ancient city of Teotihuacan). Chichén Itzá has seen a surge in the number of visitors since the development of nearby Cancún as a tourist destination.

69 Tiny listening device : EARBUD

Earbuds are small headphones that plug directly into the user’s ear canals.

72 Beginning of time? : TEE

The word “time” begins with a letter T (tee).

73 Tri-tip, e.g. : STEAK

A tri-tip is a cut of meat that might also be called tip roast, round tip roast and sirloin tip roast. Tri-tip is a cut of beef from the rear of the animal. It is a triangular muscle, hence the name.

75 Balaclava : SKI MASK

A balaclava is a piece of headgear that covers the whole head, exposing only the face or part of the face. This warm headgear was originally knitted and sent to British troops who were fighting in bitter cold weather in the Crimean War. The “helmet” took its name from the town of Balaklava that is near Sevastopol in Crimea, Ukraine.

76 Barnyard bleat : MAA!

“Maa” is the call of a goat.

78 Banker offering a penny for your thoughts? : MEMORY CASHIER (from “memory cache”)

In the world of computers a “cache” is a component that stores data locally so that there is no need to go get that original data all over again after the first usage. Applications that use a cache move along more quickly. A good example is a web browser that will store some information from a website in a cache on one’s computer. When you ask your browser to visit a website that you’ve used before, while the browser is waiting for the latest information from the website it will display the old data (the stuff that doesn’t change, that was retained from the last visit) from its cache, so that you don’t have to wait so long to view a web page.

83 Doll once sold with mustache and sideburn decals : KEN

Barbie’s male counterpart doll is Ken, and Ken’s family name is Carson. Barbie’s full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts. When Ken was introduced in 1959, it was as Barbie’s boyfriend. In 2004 it was announced that Ken and Barbie were splitting up, and needed to spend quality time apart. Soon after the split, Barbie “met” Blaine, a boogie boarder from Australia. Happily, Barbie and Ken reconciled and reunited on Valentine’s Day 2011.

84 Jack Ma’s company : ALIBABA

Alibaba.com is the largest online business-to-business trading website for small businesses. Basically, Alibaba facilitates the buying and selling of goods between manufacturers and retailers.

86 Name on a rap sheet : ALIAS

A rap sheet is a criminal record. “Rap” is a slang term dating back to the 1700s that means “blame, responsibility” as in “to take the rap”, “bad rap” and “to beat the rap”. This usage morphed into “rap sheet” in the early 1900s.

87 Inventor/actress Lamarr : HEDY

Hedy Lamarr was an American actress who was actually born in Vienna in modern-day Austria. Not only was Lamarr a successful Hollywood performer, during WWII she was the co-inventor of a frequency-hopping, spread-spectrum method of transmitting radio signals that is still used to this day in wireless communication. Impressive …

88 Most populous city in southwest Colombia : CALI

In terms of population, Cali is the third-largest city in Colombia (after Bogotá and Medellin). Santiago de Cali (the full name for the city) lies in western Colombia. Apparently, Cali is a destination for “medical tourists”. The city’s surgeons have a reputation for being experts in cosmetic surgery and so folks head there looking for a “cheap” nose job. Cali has also been historically associated with the illegal drug trade and money laundering.

89 Artisan who specializes in life-size replicas of bison? : BUFFALO BUILDER (from “Buffalo Bill”)

There are two species of bison left (four species are extinct). We are most familiar with the American bison (commonly called the American buffalo), but there is also a European bison, which is sometimes called a “wisent”.

Buffalo Bill Cody became a great showman after he retired from the US Army. While serving in the Army, Buffalo Bill was awarded the Medal of Honor. William Frederick Cody earned his “Buffalo Bill” nickname while supplying buffalo meat to the Kansas Pacific Railroad. Cody “hunted” and slaughtered over 4,000 American bison in an 18-month period to fulfill his contract with the railroad.

95 Asteroids named for a Roman god : AMORS

Amor asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids. Their orbits lie entirely outside Earth’s orbit, though they come close, making them of scientific interest for studying the early solar system and potential resource extraction. Significantly, NASA’s NEAR Shoemaker probe made history in 2001 by orbiting and landing on 433 Eros, an Amor asteroid, marking the first time that a robotic probe landed on an asteroid.

97 Covered in gold : GILT

To gild is to coat with gold. The phrase “to gild the lily” means to add unnecessary ornamentation, to try to improve something that is already ideal.

98 Subj. for some immigrants : ESL

English as a Second Language (ESL)

108 Character in “Driving Miss Piggy”? : THE MUPPET CHAUFFEUR (from “The Muppet Show”)

Jim Henson’s ensemble of puppets known as the Muppets made their debut on the TV show “Sam and Friends” in the 1950s. Some Muppets started appearing in 1969 on “Sesame Street”, and then the troupe were given “The Muppet Show” in 1976. And today, there’s no sign of their popularity waning.

113 Idylls : PASTORALS

An idyll (also “idyl”) is a short poem with a pastoral theme, usually depicting the scene in romantic and idealized terms. The word “idyl” comes from the Greek “eidyllion”, which literally translates to “little picture” but was a word describing a short poem with a rustic theme.

118 Seller of Storå loft beds : IKEA

Bunk beds and loft beds are space-saving sleeping arrangements. Bunk beds stack two beds vertically, one atop the other, maximizing floor space. Loft beds elevate a single bed high above the ground, freeing up the area underneath for other uses, like a desk, storage, or a seating area.

121 Sea eagles : ERNES

The ern (sometimes “erne”) is also known as the white-tailed eagle or the sea eagle.

122 NL East team with a “curly W” logo : NATS

The Washington Nationals (“Nats”) started out life as the Montreal Expos in 1969, and were the first Major League Baseball team in Canada. The Expos moved to Washington in 2005 becoming the Nats.

Down

1 Arafat’s successor : ABBAS

Mahmoud Abbas took over as Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 2004 after the death of Yasser Arafat. Abbas is also the President of the Palestinian National Authority, a position equivalent to head of state.

3 Navigated furniture in a game of the floor is lava, say : LEAPT

“Floor Is Lava” is a game show based on a children’s game of the same name. In the original game, children must navigate a room, avoiding the “floor” as it is made out of “lava”. In the game show, contestants also navigate a room, but the floor/lava is 80,000 gallons of slippery, bright-red goop.

5 Viola’s false identity in “Twelfth Night” : CESARIO

At the start of William Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night”, Viola is shipwrecked and separated from her twin brother Sebastian, whom she believes has drowned. Viola disguises herself as a young man named Cesario. Later in the play, Sebastian turns up alive, and the identical looking “Cesario” and Sebastian appear together in the same scene. Viola reveals her true identity, and several plot lines resolve themselves very happily.

7 Guitarist Atkins known as the “Country Gentleman” : CHET

Chet Atkins was a guitarist famous for playing “smooth” country music that crossed over into the genre of lighter pop music.

8 Root beer brand : DAD’S

Dad’s root beer was developed by Ely Klapman and Barney Berns in 1937, and was given the name “Dad’s” in honor of Klapman’s father who used to make root beer for his family at home.

10 Scooter whose name means “wasp” in Italian : VESPA

Vespa is a brand of motor scooter that was originally made in Italy (and now all over the world) by Piaggio. “Vespa” is Italian for “wasp”.

12 Oscar winner Malek : RAMI

Actor Rami Malek’s big break came with the leading role in the television series “Mr. Robot”. In 2018, Malik gave an Oscar-winning performance playing Freddie Mercury in the hit biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”. That marked the first time that an actor of Egyptian descent won an Academy Award for Best Actor.

13 Punctuation in a 99-Across : SLASH

The punctuation mark “/” has been around for a long time, and has been known by several names including “oblique”, “stroke” and “virgule”. The name “slash” is relatively new, arising in the very early 1960s and gaining popularity with the proliferation of computers.

15 Rodent in some zodiacs : RAT

The zodiac is like a map of the sky, divided into twelve sections. Each section is linked to a constellation, and these constellations have names like Aries (the ram) and Taurus (the bull). The word “zodiac” comes from Greek, meaning “circle of animals,” because many constellations have animal names. Astrology uses the zodiac to try and understand how stars and planets might affect people’s lives. Astronomy, on the other hand, uses the zodiac as a tool for mapping the sky.

16 Sistine Chapel figure : EVE

The Sistine Chapel is located in the Pope’s residence in Rome. The chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who was responsible for restoring the old Capella Magna in the 15th century. It was about a century later (1508-1512) that Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel under the patronage of Pope Julius II.

20 Pasta sauce staple : GARLIC

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.

25 Subjunctive, e.g. : MOOD

In grammar, “mood” indicates how a verb expresses a speaker’s attitude. The subjunctive is a mood used for hypothetical or desired situations, unlike the indicative (facts) or imperative (commands):

• Indicative: “The crossword is here.” (States a fact)
• Imperative: “Finish the crossword!” (Gives a command)
• Subjunctive: “If I were you, I would give up trying to solve it.” (Hypothetical)

27 Banjoist Fleck : BELA

Béla Fleck is a banjo player who performed with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. He was born in New York City and was given the name Béla Anton Leoš Fleck. He was named after Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, Austrian composer Anton Webern, and Czech composer Leoš Janáček. That’s quite a name to live up to, but by all accounts Fleck is one of the most technically proficient banjo players the world has ever known.

28 “Star Wars” Celebration, e.g. : EXPO

The first World’s Fair was held in 1851, known back then as the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. The fair was the idea of Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. It was held in a magnificent glass and cast-iron structure called the Crystal Palace that was purpose-built for the occasion. The Great Exhibition spawned a tradition of what became known as World’s Fairs, expositions that feature national pavilions created by participating countries. The term “Expo” was coined for Expo 67, a 1967 World’s Fair held in Montreal. Since then, we’ve been using “expo” to describe any large exposition or trade show.

Star Wars Celebration is a massive fan convention dedicated to the “Star Wars” franchise. The first Star Wars Celebration took place in Denver, Colorado, in 1999, to coincide with the release of “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”. Since then, it has become a recurring event, moving to various locations around the world.

32 One working with flower and dough? : BOTANY BAKER (from “Botany Bay”)

Botany Bay is on the coast of Sydney, Australia, notable for being the landing site of Captain James Cook in 1770. Cook originally named the bay “Stingrays Harbour” due to the abundance of stingrays found there. However, the name was later changed to “Botany Bay” by naturalist Joseph Banks, who accompanied Cook on the voyage. Banks was impressed by the vast and diverse array of plant specimens collected at the site, hence the “botany” reference.

33 Sherlock’s sister : ENOLA

“The Enola Holmes Mysteries” is a series of detective novels for young adults by American author Nancy Springer. The title character is the 14-year-old sister of 34-year-old Sherlock Holmes, the detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Springer’s novels were adapted into a 2020 film “Enola Holmes” that Netflix picked up at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. I saw this one, and the sequel, and enjoyed both …

36 Singer Celine : DION

French-Canadian singer Céline Dion first came to international attention when she won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, in which she represented Switzerland in the competition that was hosted in Dublin, Ireland. She is now the best-selling Canadian artist of all time.

37 Pt. of RIT : INST

The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private school in Rochester, New York that is actually located in the town of Henrietta. Despite the “technology” moniker, the school has a noted fine arts program. RIT was formed in 1891 when the Rochester Athenaeum (a literary society) merged with the Mechanics Institute (a technical training institute). The school’s first name was the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute, but this was changed to RIT in 1944.

38 Outfielder Tommie who was AL Rookie of the Year in 1966 : AGEE

Tommie Agee was a Major League Baseball player who played mainly with the Indians, White Sox and Mets. He was one of the “Amazin’ Mets”, and was famous for making two phenomenal catches in game three of the 1969 world series, potentially saving five runs. Agee was also the first Mets outfielder to win a Gold Glove, doing so in 1970.

40 Rich layer cake : TORTE

A torte is a type of cake made primarily with eggs, sugar and ground nuts (but no flour).

42 Couturier for Tinker Bell? : FAIRY TAILOR (from “fairy tale”)

Tinker Bell is a fairy in the “Peter Pan” story by J. M. Barrie. “Tink” is a minor character in the original play and novel, but evolved into a major character in the many, many film and television adaptations of the tale.

“Haute couture”, literally “high dressmaking” in French, is a name given to the creation of exclusive fashions. A couturier is someone who creates or sells such fashions.

45 Food writer Drummond : REE

Ree Drummond is a food writer and blogger. Drummond’s blog “The Pioneer Woman” recounts her daily life on her family’s working ranch outside of Pawhuska, Oklahoma.

48 Novelist Jaffe : RONA

Rona Jaffe was an American novelist perhaps most famous for two of her books, “The Best of Everything” and “Mazes and Monsters”. “The Best of Everything” was published in 1958 and has been compared with the HBO television series “Sex and the City” as it depicts women in the working world. “Mazes and Monsters” was published in 1981 and explores a role-playing game similar to Dungeons & Dragons and the impact it has on players.

53 Washington venue? : CINEMA

Denzel Washington is an actor from Mount Vernon, just outside New York City. Washington’s big break came with a TV role, playing Dr. Philip Chandler on “St. Elsewhere” from 1982 to 1988.

60 Dubai’s country, briefly : UAE

Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the federation known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two largest members of the UAE (geographically) are Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the only two of the seven members that have veto power over UAE policy.

65 1960s muscle car : GTO

The initialism “GTO” was used on several touring cars (including a famous Pontiac) and stands for “Gran Turismo Omologato”. Italian car manufacturers started the tradition of calling their luxury performance cars “Gran Turismo”, and calling those cars they approved for racing “Gran Turismo Omologato”. The phrase “gran turismo omologato” translates as “grand touring homologated”, “homologated” being a technical term signifying official approval.

71 Big Apple fashion label : DKNY

Donna Karan is an American fashion designer, creator of the Donna Karan New York (DKNY) clothing label. Karan was very much raised in the fashion industry, as her mother was a model and her stepfather a tailor.

73 Tolkien dragon : SMAUG

The dragon named Smaug is the principal antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”.

74 Heat meas. : KCAL

I wish we’d stop using the term “calorie”, because it is so confusing. In terms of physics, a calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree celsius (at one atmosphere of pressure). The so-called “food calorie” is one thousand times as large, as it is defined in terms of kilograms instead of grams. In attempts to differentiate between these two definitions, the former is sometimes referred to as the “small calorie” and is given the symbol “cal”. The latter is referred to as the “large calorie” and given the symbol “Cal”, with a capital C. If only we’d use the SI system of units, we’d be thinking in just joules, instead of large and small and food calories.

76 Bright parrot : MACAW

Macaws are beautifully-colored birds native to Central and South America that are actually a type of parrot. Most species of macaws are now endangered, with several having become extinct in recent decades. The main threats are deforestation and illegal trapping and trafficking of exotic birds.

77 Site of an 1836 siege : ALAMO

The famous Alamo in San Antonio, Texas was originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero. The mission was founded in 1718 and was the first mission established in the city. The Battle of the Alamo took place in 1836, a thirteen-day siege by the Mexican Army led by President General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Only two people defending the Alamo Mission survived the onslaught. One month later, the Texian army got its revenge by attacking and defeating the Mexican Army in the Battle of San Jacinto. During the surprise attack on Santa Anna’s camp, many of the Texian soldiers were heard to cry “Remember the Alamo!”.

81 Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, e.g. : SIBS

Those would be the kids on “The Simpsons”.

85 Caps worn during conclave : BIRETTAS

A biretta is a type of cap, one with three or four peaks and often a central tuft. Birettas are often worn by the clergy, and are particularly associated with the Roman Catholic tradition.

Our use of the word “conclave” as a private assembly comes from its original use with reference to the papal conclave, a meeting of the College of Cardinals to elect a new Pope.

90 Leg bones : FIBULAS

The fibula is the calf bone. It lies beside the tibia, with both bones sitting under the femur.

91 Mopsy’s sister : FLOPSY

Beatrix Potter was an English author famous for the children’s books she wrote and illustrated. The most famous character in her stories was Peter Rabbit, whose sisters were Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. Potter put her talent as an artist to good use in the scientific world as well. She recorded many images of lichens and fungi as seen through her microscope. As a result of her work, she was respected as an expert mycologist.

93 Affair with ti leaves : LUAU

Ti leaves and luau leaves are often confused, but they refer to different plants, though both are used in Hawaiian culture. Ti leaves come from the ti plant, a shrub-like plant with long, broad leaves. They are used for wrapping food for cooking, making leis, and in traditional Hawaiian ceremonies. The term “luau leaves” typically refers to the leaves of the taro plant. These leaves are essential for making the traditional Hawaiian dish called lau lau, where meat or fish is wrapped and steamed in them.

96 London district near Oxford Circus : SOHO

The area of London called Soho had a very poor reputation for most of the 20th century as it was home to the city’s red-light district. Soho went through a transformation in recent decades, and has been a very fashionable neighborhood since the 1980s.

Oxford Circus is a busy intersection in London’s West End, where Oxford Street and Regent Street meet. It’s renowned as one of the busiest shopping districts in Europe, attracting millions of visitors each year.

101 “Dagnabbit” : NERTS

“Nerts” is a slang term, a corruption of “nuts!”

105 MetLife competitor : 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.

MetLife is the familiar name for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. MetLife was founded way back in 1868, and is headquartered in New York City.

109 K or Wal finale : -MART

Kmart was once the third-largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and Target. The company was founded by S. S. Kresge in 1899, with the first outlets known as S. S. Kresge stores. The first “Kmart” stores opened in 1962, with the “K” standing for “Kresge”. Kmart was famous for its promotions known as “blue light specials”, a program first introduced in 1965 and discontinued in 1991. I remember being in a Kmart store soon after coming to live in the US. That evening an employee installed a light stand an aisle away from me, switched on a flashing blue light and there was some unintelligible announcement over the loudspeaker system. I had no idea what was going on …

Walmart (previously “Wal-Mart”) takes in more revenue than any other publicly traded company in the world. Over in my homeland, Walmart operates under the name Asda. Walmart’s worldwide headquarters are in Bentonville, Arkansas, the home of Sam Walton’s original Five and Dime. You can actually go into the original store, as it is now the Walmart Visitor Center.

113 Brooch : PIN

A brooch is an ornamental accessory held by a pin or clasp, and worn near the neck. The term “brooch” comes from the Old French “broche” meaning “long needle”.