Day: June 26, 2025

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Constructed by: Roland Huget
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Genetic Mutation

Themed answers each contain the letter string “GENETIC”, but MUTATED (anagrammed):

• 63A Change studied by evolutionary biologists, or what can be found in the answer to each starred clue? : GENETIC MUTATION

• 17A *Technical team supervisor : PROJECT ENGINEER
• 27A *Special occasion mailing : GREETING CARD
• 49A *Place of monumental achievement? : ANCIENT EGYPT

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

Bill’s time: 10m 11s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Erie Canal city : UTICA

Utica in New York is known as “Second Chance City” these days, due to the relatively recent influx of refugees from war-torn parts of the world and from Bosnia in particular. These immigrants have helped revitalize the area and reverse a trend of population loss.

10 Hippie event : BE-IN

Just before 1967’s “Summer of Love” in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, a Human Be-In was held in the city’s Golden Gate Park. The Be-In is described as a “happening”, a gathering triggered by a new state law banning the use of LSD. The term “Human Be-In” is a play on “humanist sit-in”.

15 Female gamete : OVUM

A gamete is a reproductive cell that has half the full complement of genes needed to make a normal cell. In sexual reproduction, it takes two gametes, one from each parent, to fuse into one cell which then develops into a new organism. The female gamete is the ovum, and the male the sperm.

16 The 411 : INFO

Several large US cities started using the telephone number “411” in the 1930s for local directory assistance. “411” was used in markets where the Bell System of telephone companies was prevalent. The number “113” served the same purpose on markets dominated by GTE and other telephone companies, with the last such usage of “113” disappearing in the 1980s. The term “4-1-1” is now used in North America as slang for “information”.

22 Google Books __ Viewer: tool that tracks word usage frequency : NGRAM

The Google Books Ngram Viewer searches for words or phrases and charts the frequency of their usage in print media. The database used for the search comprises sources printed between the years 1500 and 2022.

25 Sky streakers : METEORS

A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic body traveling through space. Once in the atmosphere, the meteoroid is referred to as a “meteor” or “shooting star”. Almost all meteoroids burn up, but if one is large enough to survive and reach the ground then we call it a meteorite. The word “meteor” comes from the Greek “meteōros” meaning “high in the air”.

32 Blended juice prefix : CRAN-

A blend of cranberry and apple juice is sold by Ocean Spray as Cran-Apple juice.

41 Staff member? : NOTE

The sets of five horizontal lines and four spaces that are used in musical notation are known as staves. The singular of “staves” is “staff” in American English, but “stave” in British English.

49 *Place of monumental achievement? : ANCIENT EGYPT

The term “monument” can describe a stone or building erected in remembrance. Our word comes directly from the Latin “monumentum”, which describes the same thing. In turn, “monumentum” comes from the Latin “monere” meaning “to remind”. Monuments are built to remind us of some person or event.

52 Sleep aid of folklore : SANDMAN

The sandman is a mythical character from folklore who is said to induce sleep and bring good dreams by sprinkling sand on the eyes of children.

57 Hawaiian coffee region : KONA

Kona coffee is cultivated on the Big Island of Hawaii, on the slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualalai, two of the five volcanoes on the island. Coffee plants were brought to Kona in 1828 and late in the 19th century, coffee became a viable and worthwhile crop. Today Kona is one of the most expensive and popular coffees in the world.

59 Birds associated with wisdom : OWLS

The Greek goddess Athena (sometimes “Athene”) is often associated with wisdom, among other attributes. In many representations. Athena is depicted with an owl sitting on her head. It is this linkage of the owl with the goddess of wisdom that led to today’s perception of the owl as being “wise”. Athena’s Roman counterpart was Minerva.

63 Change studied by evolutionary biologists, or what can be found in the answer to each starred clue? : GENETIC MUTATION

Genetic variation is a fundamental behind the process of natural selection. Genetic variation is the result of mutations occurring in genes. If a mutation results in an individual that is more fit for survival, then the principle of “survival of the fittest” makes it more likely that the individual will mate. The mutation can then be passed onto offspring.

66 Lines that cross at (0,0) : AXES

In the world of coordinate geometry, the point (0,0) is the spot where the horizontal x-axis and the vertical y-axis intersect, a place we call the origin.

68 Capital on the Red River : HANOI

Hanoi (“Hà Nội” in Vietnamese) was the capital of North Vietnam, and Saigon the capital of South Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, Hanoi was made capital of the reunified state. Saigon, the larger metropolis, was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoi is located in the delta of the Red River, and is just over 50 miles from the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea.

69 Shoemaker’s form : LAST

A last is a wooden or metal (usually) form that is shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers when repairing and manufacturing shoes.

Down

1 Some park workers : UMPS

Back in the 15th century, “an umpire” was referred to as “a noumpere”, which was misheard and hence causing the dropping of the initial letter N. The term “noumpere” came from Old French “nonper” meaning “not even, odd number”. The idea was that the original umpire was a third person called on to arbitrate between two, providing that “odd number” needed to decide the dispute.

2 Garr of “Young Frankenstein” : TERI

Actress Teri Garr had a whole host of minor roles in her youth, including appearances in nine Elvis movies. Garr’s big break came with the role of Inga in “Young Frankenstein”, and her supporting role in “Tootsie” earned Garr an Academy Award nomination. Sadly, Teri Garr suffered from multiple sclerosis, and was a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

I am not really a big fan of movies by Mel Brooks, but “Young Frankenstein” is the exception. I think the cast has a lot to do with me liking the film, as it includes Gene Wilder (Dr. Frankenstein), Teri Garr (Inga), Marty Feldman (Igor) and Gene Hackman (Harold, the blind man).

3 “Survivor” find : IDOL

The reality show “Survivor” is based on a Swedish television series created in 1997 called “Expedition Robinson”. The American “Survivor” is widely considered as the leading reality TV show. It was the first highly-rated reality TV offering to become very profitable.

4 Wheedle : CAJOLE

“To wheedle” is to influence by flattery for one’s gain. Such a lovely verb, I think …

5 Schooner filler : ALE

A schooner is a glass of varying capacity, depending on where it’s used. Over in Britain, a schooner is a large sherry glass. The smaller sherry glass is known as a clipper, with both names apparently referring to the size of ships that brought sherry over from Spain. Here in the US, a schooner is usually a beer glass that’s rounded, with a short stem. The size can be anything from 18 oz. to 32 oz.

8 First hip-hop group to have music videos on MTV : RUN-DMC

Run-DMC was a hip hop group from Queens, New York. The trio took its name from two of the group’s members: Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels.

11 Año start : ENERO

In Spanish, we start “el año” (the year) in “enero” (January) as noted on a “calendario” (calendar).

24 Ellipsis alternative: Abbr. : ETC

An ellipsis (plural “ellipses”) is a series of dots (usually three) used to indicate an omission in some text. The term comes from the Greek word “élleipsis”, which means “omission”.

27 Showy flower, briefly : GLAD

The gladiolus is a perennial flower in the iris family. Gladioli are sometimes referred to as “sword lilies”, and sometimes as “glads”.

29 “L’__, c’est moi”: Louis XIV : ETAT

“L’État, c’est moi” is a French phrase, supposedly spoken by Louis XIV on his deathbed. It translates to “I am the State”, and would appear to mean that Louis considered himself to be “above his station” as it were. However, many dispute the quotation, and argue that Louis actually said on his deathbed that even though he was dying, the State would live on.

30 Garden sentinel : GNOME

In English folklore, the fairy’s anti-hero is the diminutive gnome, an evil ugly character. Although the charastics of gnomes vary in folklore, typically they are described as diminutive humanoids who live underground. Over the centuries, the gnome has become more lovable. We now have garden gnomes, and even the Travelocity Gnome.

38 Consumer Reports task : ROAD TEST

“Consumer Reports” is a monthly magazine that has been published by Consumers Union since 1936. Consumers Union was established as a non-profit organization with the mission to “test products, inform the public, and protect customers.”

44 Classic TV brand : RCA

RCA, or the Radio Corporation of America, played a significant role in the history of television as a pioneer in the industry. RCA developed and introduced the first electronic television system in 1939 at the New York World’s Fair. RCA also created the NTSC (National Television System Committee) broadcast standard, which was adopted in the United States in 1953 and is still used today for analog television broadcasting. Additionally, RCA produced the first color television sets in 1954.

46 Summer ermine : STOAT

The stoat has dark brown fur in the summer, and white fur in the winter. Sometimes the term “ermine” is used for the animal during the winter when the fur is white. Ermine skins have long been prized by royalty and are often used for white trim on ceremonial robes.

47 Decimal value of hexadecimal A : TEN

A hexadecimal numeral system is one based on the number 16. Such a system requires sixteen distinct symbols, six more than are needed for our base-10 system. These usually are the symbols 0-9 for the numbers 0 to 9, and A-F for the numbers 10 through 15.

50 Mushroom that drips black liquid : INKCAP

Inkcap mushrooms are known for their unique method of spore dispersal called deliquescence. This means that their gills and caps progressively dissolve into a black, inky fluid as the mushrooms mature, hence their name.

51 Location label : GEOTAG

Geotagging is the process of adding geographical metadata to various media such as photographs, videos, websites, or documents. This metadata is usually in the form of latitude and longitude coordinates.

52 “Love Story” novelist : SEGAL

Erich Segal wrote two hit screenplays, namely “Yellow Submarine” (the Beatles’ animated movie) and “Love Story” (starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw). He wrote the novel “Love Story” after the screenplay. As the novel was published before the film was released, there is a popular misconception that the movie is based on the book.

53 Echo assistant : ALEXA

Amazon Echo is a voice-controlled hardware device that can be used to provide several services including playing radio programs and music, recording of shopping lists, and managing a calendar. The device just sits in the home listening, until it hears a “wake up” command.

54 Dressed to the __ : NINES

The term “to the nines” means “to perfection”. The first person to use the term in literature was Robbie Burns. Apparently the idea behind the use of “nines” is figurative (pun!), with the number nine considered “ideal” as it is arrived at by multiplying three by three.

61 Diving bird : LOON

The bird known as a loon here in North America is called a diver in Britain and Ireland. The name “diver” comes from the bird’s habit of swimming calmly and then suddenly diving below the surface to catch a fish. The name “loon” comes from an Old English word meaning “clumsy” and reflects the awkward gait of the bird when walking on land.

64 “Hometown Proud” food market chain : IGA

The initialism “IGA” stands for “Independent Grocers Alliance”, and is a chain of supermarkets that extends right around the world. IGA’s headquarters is in Chicago. The company uses the slogan “Hometown Proud Supermarkets”.

65 Epiphany cry : AHA!

An epiphany is an appearance or manifestation, especially of a supreme being. By extension, “epiphany” can also apply to a sudden insight or intuitive perception. The term derives from the Greek “epiphainein” meaning “to manifest, display”.