Day: July 8, 2025

Advertisement

Constructed by: Noelle Griskey
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Endgames

Themed answers END with card GAMES:

• 64A Chess finales, and a feature of the answers to the starred clues : ENDGAMES

• 17A *Wrestling contest where opponents hold hands : THUMB WAR
• 25A *Homemade liquor during Prohibition : BATHTUB GIN
• 39A *Marinated antipasto items : ARTICHOKE HEARTS
• 51A *Isthmus : LAND BRIDGE

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

Bill’s time: 6m 05s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

14A Roll of fabric : BOLT

“Bolt” is the name given to a roll of cloth of specific length, especially one coming directly off a loom.

17A *Wrestling contest where opponents hold hands : THUMB WAR

A thumb war (also “thumb wrestling”) is a kid’s game in which two players grasp each other’s hand, with thumbs pointing upwards. At the “go”, each competitor tries to pin his or her opponent’s thumb with their own.

21A Georgia home of the Allman Brothers : MACON

The Georgia city of Macon was named in 1823 in honor of North Carolina politician Nathaniel Macon, who served as Speaker of the US House of Representatives from 1801 to 1807.

The Allman Brothers Band has to be one of the most unlucky bands in the business. Soon after the group had its big break with the 1971 album “At Fillmore East”, one of the two Allman brothers, Duane, was killed in a motorcycle accident. One year later, bassist Berry Oakley was killed, also in a motorcycle accident. The other brother, Gregg Allman, passed away in his home in 2017.

23A Poetry Out Loud org. : NEA

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program created by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation. Launched in 2005, it encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. The program helps students build public speaking skills, self-confidence, and an appreciation for literary history.

25A *Homemade liquor during Prohibition : BATHTUB GIN

The term “bathtub gin” is used for any spirit that is made by an amateur. The term arose during the days of prohibition. Gin was the most popular drink in the twenties and cheap versions of gin were made by mixing grain alcohol with water and flavorings. The gin bottles were too tall to be topped off with water from a sink faucet, and so a bathtub tap was used instead. Hence, “bathtub gin”.

30A Quilters’ gathering : BEE

Back in 18th-century America, when neighbors would gather to work for the benefit of one of their group, such a meeting was called a bee. The name “bee” was an allusion to the social nature of the insect. In modern parlance, a further element of entertainment and pleasure has been introduced, for example in a quilting bee, or even a spelling bee.

35A “It’s a cinch!” : EASY!

The term “cinch” was absorbed into American English from Spanish in the mid-1800s, when it was used to mean a “saddle-girth”. “Cincha” is the Spanish word for “girdle”. In the late 1800s, “cinch” came to mean a ‘sure thing”, in the sense that a saddle-girth can provide a “sure hold”.

39A *Marinated antipasto items : ARTICHOKE HEARTS

As one might imagine from their appearance, artichokes are actually a type of thistle. The edible part of the artichoke is the base of the flower bud, the heart, which is harvested before the flower fully blooms. If left unharvested, the flower of the artichoke plant will eventually bloom into a large, bright purple flower. I cannot stand artichoke hearts. One of the very few vegetables that I refuse to eat …

44A Sticky pine product : RESIN

Resinous trees have evolved the ability to secrete resins in response to an injury. The resin serves as a barrier, protecting the tree from insects and pathogens that might otherwise exploit the site of the injury.

46A “Humpty Dumpty” rhyme scheme : AABB

Humpty Dumpty is a character in a nursery rhyme. He is usually depicted as an egg, although that isn’t specifically called out in the original rhyme:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

49A Thompson who won four NBA championships with the Warriors : KLAY

Klay Thompson used to be one of the “Splash Brothers”, when he played alongside Stephen Curry for the Golden State Warriors. The nickname arose from the pair’s exceptional ability to consistently make three-point shots, causing the net to “splash” with the ball.

51A *Isthmus : LAND BRIDGE

A land bridge is a narrow strip of land, often created by geological processes or fluctuations in sea level (like during ice ages), that connects two landmasses that would otherwise be separated by water. Perhaps the most famous historical land bridge is Beringia, which connected Asia and North America during glacial periods, facilitating the migration of early humans and animals into the Americas.

The word “isthmus” (plural “isthmi”) comes from the Greek word for “neck”. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that usually connects two large land masses. The most notable examples of the formation are the Isthmus of Corinth in the Greek peninsula, and the Isthmus of Panama, connecting North and South America.

60A __-Coeur Basilica: Paris tourist spot : SACRE

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Basilique du Sacré-Coeur) is that gorgeous white structure that sits at the top of the hill known as “butte Montmartre” in Paris, the highest point in the city. I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited Sacré-Coeur several times, and find it to be a much more stunning building outside than in …

61A Pianist’s practice piece : ETUDE

An étude is a short instrumental composition that is usually quite hard to play and is intended to help the performer master a particular technique. “Étude” is the French word for “study”. Études are commonly performed on the piano.

64A Chess finales, and a feature of the answers to the starred clues : ENDGAMES

In chess, the endgame is the phase where there are very few pieces left on the board. Unlike the opening and middlegame, where strategy often revolves around complex piece coordination, endgames are typically about king safety, pawn promotion, and precise calculations before making individual moves. It’s tough to recover from a mistake during the endgame.

66A Experts : MAVENS

I’ve always loved the term “maven”, which is another word for “expert”. Maven comes into English from the Yiddish “meyvn” describing someone who appreciates and is a connoisseur.

67A Rum quaff : GROG

Edward Vernon was a naval officer with the nickname “Old Grog”. In 1740, Vernon ordered that the daily ration of rum for his sailors should be watered down, in order to reduce discipline problems caused by drunkenness. The diluted rum was sweetened with sugar, and lemon or lime added to help preserve it on long voyages. This recipe, found to reduce scurvy among sailors (because of the citrus) spread throughout the Royal Navy, and “grog” was born. As an aside, George Washington’s older half-brother named the famous Washington Mount Vernon Plantation in honor of Edward Vernon. We use the derivative term “groggy” to mean “unsteady on the feet”, as if under the influence of “grog”.

69A White of “The Golden Girls” : BETTY

Betty White holds the record for the longest television career by a female entertainer, spanning over 80 years. Beyond her memorable roles as Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls,” she was a principled advocate for animal rights. She had a clause in her contracts ensuring animal welfare was prioritized on set.

71A __ 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.

Down

1D Gentle yoga style : HATHA

Hatha yoga is a yoga system developed in 15th century India. Traditional Hatha yoga is a more “complete” practice than often encountered in the west, involving not just exercise but also meditation and relaxation. “Hatha” is a Sanskrit word meaning “force”.

2D Like some committees : AD HOC

The Latin phrase “ad hoc” means “for this purpose”. An ad hoc committee, for example, is formed for a specific purpose and disbanded after making its final report.

6D Camel kin in Peru : LLAMA

The llama is a camelid mammal very much associated with the Andean cultures. Despite the association with South America, it is thought that the ancestors of the modern llama migrated south from the Great Plains of North America about 40 million years ago.

7D Classic Fender, familiarly : STRAT

The Stratocaster (often “Strat”) is an electric guitar that has been made by Fender since 1954. The company that made Fender electric guitars was founded in Fullerton, California in 1946 by Leo Fender.

8D Fortunetelling decks : TAROTS

Tarot cards originated in 15th-century Italy, not as a mystical tool, but as playing cards for a game similar to bridge. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that they became widely associated with divination, particularly after French occultists began publishing treatises on their symbolic meanings.

9D Utah or Maine, in Washington, D.C. : AVENUE

Famously, the layout of the streets in Washington was designed by French-born American architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant. The L’Enfant Plan called for a grid of east-west and north-south streets. This grid was crisscrossed with diagonal avenues. The avenues and streets met at circles and rectangular plazas. The east-west streets are generally named for letters, while the north-south streets are numbered. Later, many of the diagonal avenues were named for states of the union.

11D Former Knicks center Patrick : EWING

Patrick Ewing is a former NBA player, and a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2008 for his individual career and in 2010 as a member of the 1992 Olympic team. Ewing is Jamaican-born, and moved with his family to the US in 1975. He was actually born in the British Colony of Jamaica, as Jamaica became independent from the UK the day after his birth.

16D Like turkey chili : LEAN

The full name of the dish that is often called simply “chili” is “chili con carne”, Spanish for “peppers with meat”. The dish was created by immigrants from the Spanish Canary Islands in the city of San Antonio, Texas (a city which the islanders founded). The San Antonio Chili Stand was a popular attraction at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and that stand introduced the dish to the rest of America and to the world.

22D Skydivers’ needs : CHUTES

The term “parachute” was coined by Frenchman François Blanchard, from “para-” meaning “defense against” and “chute” meaning “a fall”.

26D La __ Tar Pits : BREA

The La Brea Tar Pits are located right in the heart of the city of Los Angeles. At the site there is a constant flow of tar that seeps up to the surface from underground, a phenomenon that has been around for tens of thousands of years. What is significant is that much of the seeping tar is covered by water. Over many, many centuries animals came to the water to drink and became trapped in the tar as they entered the water to quench their thirst. The tar then preserved the bones of the dead animals. Today a museum is located right by the Tar Pits, recovering bones and displaying specimens of the animals found there. It’s well worth a visit if you are in town …

28D Ms. __-Man: arcade classic : PAC

The Pac-Man arcade game was released first in Japan in 1980, and is as popular today as it ever was. The game features characters that are maneuvered around the screen to eat up dots and earn points, while being pursued by ghosts named Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. The name of the game comes from the Japanese folk hero “Paku”, who is known for his voracious appetite. The spin-off game called Ms. Pac-Man was released in 1981.

30D Tote or duffel : BAG

A duffel bag is a cylindrical tote bag with a drawstring top, often used by military personnel. The bag is made of this cloth, a cloth that originally came from the town of Duffel in Belgium, hence the name.

31D Pitching stat : ERA

Earned run average (ERA)

33D Food preservative acid : SORBIC

Sorbic acid is a natural organic compound derived from the berries of the rowan tree (Sorbus aucuparia), which gives it its name. It is widely used as a food preservative because it inhibits the growth of mold, yeast, and fungi, particularly in foods like cheese, wine, baked goods, and dried fruits.

38D Fr. fashion brand : YSL

Yves Saint Laurent (YSL)

40D Apple Pencil device : IPAD

The Apple Pencil is a stylus released in 2015 that was designed for the iPad Pro tablet computer. The Apple Pencil is quite “smart”, and has a pressure sensitive tip. It also includes a bluetooth device for additional connectivity to the computer system itself,and not just the screen. Another nice feature is a Lightning connector, so that the computer can charge the stylus for half an hour’s use in only 15 seconds.

50D Ski town in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains : ALTA

The Wasatch Range is at the western edge of the Rocky Mountains and runs through Utah. “Wasatch” is a Ute word meaning “mountain pass”.

54D Wine residue : DREGS

The dregs in wine, the sediment that settles during fermentation (and sometimes in the bottle), are also called “lees”.

57D “Skyfall” vocalist : ADELE

Adele’s “Skyfall” theme song, released in 2012 for the James Bond film of the same name, earned her an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy Award. It was the first Bond theme song to win an Oscar.

61D Soufflé ingredients : EGGS

A soufflé is a French dish that is usually served as a dessert. The verb “souffler” means “to blow, blow up”.

65D Part of a URL : DOT

An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a uniform resource locator (URL).