Day: October 3, 2025

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Constructed by: Alan Southworth

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Down in Front

Themed answers need us to place “DOWN” IN FRONT in order to agree with the corresponding clues:

• 54A “I can’t see through you!,” and what’s needed to complete 17-, 24-, 33-, and 45-Across? : DOWN IN FRONT!

• 17A Said, “Skipping school isn’t a big deal,” say? : DOWNPLAYED HOOKY
• 24A Australian-themed amusement park? : DOWN UNDER WORLD
• 33A Unused vacation days, essentially? : DOWNTIME TO SPARE
• 45A Recession indicator? : DOWNTURN SIGNAL

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

Bill’s time: 6m 38s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

7A Bus. type : LLC

A limited liability company (LLC) has a structure that limits the liability of the owner or owners. It is a hybrid structure in the sense that it can be taxed as would an individual or partnership, while also maintaining the liability protection afforded to a corporation.

13A Some Argentine reds : MALBECS

Malbec is a red wine grape that used to be mainly associated with Bordeaux. A frost killed off much of the crop in Bordeaux in the fifties, and today Malbec wines are more closely linked to Argentina and California. I must admit to being a fan of Malbec blends …

15A Lock insert : OAR

Oarlocks are swiveling braces on the sides of a rowing boat that hold the oars as the boat is being propelled. Back in Ireland, we call them “rowlocks” (pronounced “rollox”).

17A Said, “Skipping school isn’t a big deal,” say? : DOWNPLAYED HOOKY

Apparently the term “hooky” comes from “hoekje”, the Dutch name for the game hide-and-seek. To play hooky is to shirk one’s responsibility, as in a schoolkid taking a day off without permission.

19A Iran neighbor: Abbr. : PAK

The Iran-Pakistan border runs over 550 miles, and separates Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province from Pakistan’s Balochistan province. It stretches from a tripoint in the north shared with Afghanistan, to the Gulf of Oman in the south.

22A Mother in a stable family? : MARE

There are lots of terms to describe horses of different ages and sexes, it seems:

• Foal: horse of either sex that is less than one year old
• Yearling: horse of either sex that is one to two years old
• Filly: female horse under the age of four
• Colt: male horse under the age of four
• Gelding: castrated male horse of any age
• Stallion: non-castrated male horse four years or older
• Mare: female horse four years or older

23A Philosopher Descartes : RENE

The great French philosopher Rene Descartes made the famous statement in Latin, “Cogito ergo sum”. This translates into French as “Je pense, donc je suis” and into English as “I think, therefore I am”. Anything pertaining to the philosophy of Descartes can be described by the adjective “Cartesian”.

27A __ table : TRESTLE

A trestle table comprises a tabletop sitting on two or three trestle supports, usually with a cross-member linking those supports. The term “trestle” came into English from the Old French word “trestel” meaning “small stool”. “Trestel” is also the root of the modern French word “tréteau” meaning “sawhorse”. A trestle table is essentially a tabletop supported by a series of sawhorses.

30A Berry touted as a superfood : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

We hear the word “superfood” a lot these days. I think it’s important that we realize that our friends in marketing coined the term to promote foods that have supposed health benefits, even though there’s no obligation to prove those health benefits exist. Since 2007, the European Union (EU) has banned the use of the term “superfood” in marketing of foodstuffs unless there is credible scientific research to back up any health claim. Good for the EU …

32A Crewmate of Sulu and Bones : SCOTTY

In the “Star Trek” series on television and in the movies, the colorful character named Scotty was played by Canadian actor James Doohan. Doohan joined the Royal Canadian Artillery at the start of WWII, and participated in the D-Day Invasion of Normandy. After surviving the landing, that same day Doohan was shot by one of his own men in a tragic mishap. Doohan was hit six times, with a bullet to his chest stopped by a silver cigarette case he was carrying. One of Doohan’s fingers was shot off in the incident. He managed to conceal that injury during his acting career.

Mr. Hikaru Sulu was played by George Takei in the original “Star Trek” series. Takei has played lots of roles over the years, and is still very active in television. Did you know that he appeared in the 1963 film, “Pt-109”? He played the helmsman steering the Japanese destroyer that ran down John F. Kennedy’s motor torpedo boat. From destroyer helmsman to starship helmsman …

Actor DeForest Kelley is best known for playing Bones McCoy in the original “Star Trek” cast. The show’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, originally offered Kelley the role of Spock, but Kelly refused it and so was given the part of the ship’s medical officer.

38A Laura Lippman genre : NOIR

Journalist and author Laura Lippman is perhaps best known for her series of detective novels featuring reporter turned private investigator Tess Monaghan. In 2006, Lippman married David Simon, the creator of the hit show “The Wire”, in a ceremony officiated by filmmaker John Waters.

39A Carrier renamed in 1997 : USAIR

From 1953, what we recently referred to as US Airways was called Allegheny Airlines. In the seventies, customers became very dissatisfied with the company’s service levels as it struggled to manage a rapid expansion in its number of flights. These problems earned the airline the nickname “Agony Air”. Allegheny tried to leave the “agony” behind in 1979 and changed its name to USAir, but commuters then just used the nickname “Unfortunately Still Allegheny”. The name was changed again, in 1997, to US Airways. US Airways merged with American Airlines in 2013, and the “US Airways” brand name was gradually replaced with “American Airlines”.

40A Says grace over, say : BLESSES

A grace is a short prayer recited before or after a meal, especially in the Christian tradition. The term “grace” comes from the Latin “gratiarum actio” meaning “act of thanks”.

45A Recession indicator? : DOWNTURN SIGNAL

An economic recession is the opposite of an economic expansion (or “boom”). While a recession is a period of economic contraction and decline, an expansion is a period of significant growth and increased activity. The two phases are part of the natural business cycle of a modern economy.

49A __ Scotia : NOVA

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia (NS) lies on the east coast of the country and is a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The area was settled by Scots starting in 1621, and Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland”.

50A Locale of the 2018, 2020, and 2022 Olympics : ASIA

There have been four Summer Olympics hosted in Asia: Tokyo (1964), Seoul (1988), Beijing (2008), and Tokyo (2020, though it was held in 2021 due to the pandemic).

57A Not long. for this world? : LAT

Lines of latitude are imaginary horizontal lines surrounding the planet. The most “important” lines of latitude are, from north to south:

• Arctic Circle
• Tropic of Cancer
• Equator
• Tropic of Capricorn
• Antarctic Circle

Lines of longitude are imaginary lines that run from pole to pole. The distance between lines of longitude decreases as you move away from the equator. At the equator, the distance between lines of longitude is about 69 miles. At 60 degrees north or south, the distance is 35 miles. At the poles, the lines of longitude converge to a single point.

58A Airbnb alternative : INN

Airbnb is a website-based service that matches people wanting to rent out short-term living quarters to people seeking accommodation. The company was founded in 2008 as AirBed & Breakfast. The original concept was renting out an “air bed” and providing “breakfast” to someone looking for cheap, temporary accommodation. That’s right; the “Air” in “Airbnb” has nothing to do with “air” travel …

59A Whistle blower : REFEREE

Back in the early 17th century, a referee was someone who examined patent applications. We started using the same term for a person presiding over a sporting event in the 1820s. “Referee” is a derivative of the verb “to refer”, and literally describes someone who has the authority to make a decision by “referring” to a book, archive etc.

60A High trains : ELS

Elevated railroad (El)

61A Ed.’s pile : MSS

An editor (ed.) might read or edit a manuscript (ms).

Down

3D Paige known as the “First Lady of British Musical Theatre” : ELAINE

Singer and actress Elaine Paige has a career that spans more than 50 years. She is best known for originating the role of Eva Perón in the first West End production of the musical “Evita”. Paige also originated the role of Grizabella in the production of “Cats” and introduced the hit song “Memory” to the world. She never married, although was in an 11-year relationship with Tim Rice, who wrote the lyrics for “Evita”.

4D Some drones : BEES

Drone bees (and ants) are fertile males of the species, whose sole role in life seems to be to mate with a queen. Given that drone bees make no honey, we sometimes use the term “drone” figuratively, to describe a lazy worker, or someone who lives on the labors of others.

5D Med. condition with repetitive behavior : OCD

Apparently, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is the fourth most commonly diagnosed mental disorder, making it about as prevalent as asthma.

7D Sarge’s superior : LOOIE

A “looie” (lieutenant) has a higher rank than a “noncom” (noncommissioned officer) such as a “sarge” (sergeant).

8D Luka Doncic, for one : LAKER

NBA player Luka Doncic has basketball in his blood. His father, Sasa Donci, is a former player and professional coach in Luca’s native Slovenia. Prior to joining the NBA, made his professional debut at just 16 years old with Real Madrid’s basketball club in Spain. He made his professional debut for the team at just 16 years old, becoming the youngest player in the club’s history to do so. Just before Luca left for the NBA in 2018, he helped lead Real Madrid to a victory in the EuroLeague finals.

22D The “Mo” of Motown : MOTOR

The city of Detroit was founded in 1701 by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French explorer. The original settlement was named for the Detroit River, which in turn takes its name from the French word “détroit” meaning “strait”. Detroit became inextricably linked with the automotive business from the very early 20th century when Henry Ford and others set up manufacturing in the area. This link to transportation led to Detroit’s nicknames “Motor City” and “Motown”. The city’s economic strength declined at the beginning of the 21st century, resulting in a 25% drop in population between 2000 and 2010. Detroit filed for the country’s largest municipal bankruptcy in history in 2013, facing a debt of $18.8 billion. The city exited bankruptcy at the end of 2014.

31D Cyclotron particle : ION

A cyclotron accelerates charged particles (ions) using a magnetic field, usually directing the particles round and round a huge underground circular structure.

32D “__ the tea!” : SPILL

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.

33D Romanov supporters : TSARISTS

The House of Romanov was the second and last imperial dynasty to rule over Russia, after the Rurik dynasty. The reign of the Romanovs ended when Emperor Nicholas II abdicated following the February Revolution of 1917. Famously, Nicholas II and his immediate family were murdered soon after he stepped down, and other members of the Romanov Dynasty were sent into exile by the Bolsheviks.

34D Turner memoir : I, TINA

“I, Tina” is a 1986 autobiography by Tina Turner. The book was so successful it was adapted into a movie called “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” The film version was released in 1993 and stars Angela Bassett as Tina Turner. The first chapter of the biography is called “Nut Bush”, a reference to the small farming community of Nutbush, Tennessee where Turner was born (as Anna Mae Bullock).

35D Buckwheat noodle : SOBA

Soba is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. In Japan, the word “soba” tends to describe any thin noodle, in contrast with the thicker noodle called “udon”.

Despite the name, “buckwheat” is not related to wheat, and nor is it a grass. Instead, it is related to rhubarb. As the seeds are eaten, buckwheat is known as a “pseudocereal”. The name comes from “beech wheat”, a reference to the resemblance of buckwheat seeds to beech nuts from the “beech” tree, and the fact that buckwheat seeds are used like “wheat”.

36D Not set in stone : MUTABLE

Something that is mutable is prone to change. “Mutable” entered English in the late 14th century, coming from the Latin verb “mutare”, meaning “to change”. It shares the same root with words like “commute” (change places), “mutate” (undergo a change), and mutual (changed between two people).

42D Hermosillo’s state : SONORA

Hermosillo is a city in the northwest of Mexico that is the capital of the state of Sonora. The city was founded by the Spanish in 1700s as a collection of three mission villages, called Our Lady of the Populace, Our Lady of Angels and the Holy Trinity of Pitic. The growing settlement eventually took on the name “Villa del Pitic”, which was changed to “City of Hermasillo” in 1828 in honor of General José María González de Hermosillo.

44D Like some peanuts and winter roads : SALTED

I have to say it, because it drives me crazy. Peanuts aren’t nuts. They’re legumes, a plant in the bean and pea family. The flowers of the peanut plant last only one day and then wither. The fertilized ovary develops an elongated “peg” that grows downwards, pushing the ovary down into the soil. The ovary develops underground into a mature peanut pod containing between one and four seeds, which we call “nuts”. But they aren’t nuts. Did I say that already …?

Halite is the mineral form of sodium chloride, and is also known as “rock salt”. It is used to melt ice, as salt water has a lower freezing point than pure water. Adding salt to icy sidewalks can therefore cause any ice to melt (as long as the ambient temperature isn’t too low). A mixture of halite and ice can also be used to cool things below the freezing point of water, perhaps to make ice cream.

47D Met Gala interview topics : GOWNS

The Costume Institute Gala is an annual fundraising event that benefits the Anna Wintour Costume Center in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. The fundraiser is commonly referred to as the “Met Gala” or “Met Ball”, and was established in 1948.

55D E-file org. : IRS

The IRS e-file system began as a very limited pilot program for the 1986 tax season, available only to professional tax preparers in Cincinnati and Phoenix. It became available nationwide in 1990, and nowadays fewer than 10% of all returns are filed on paper.