Day: October 11, 2025

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Constructed by: Rafael Musa

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 14m 08s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Warning on some sauce : ATOMIC

That’s very, very hot.

7 __ Darya river : AMU

The Amu Darya is a major river in Central Asia that empties into the Aral Sea. It is also called the Oxus or Amu River.

10 Solidarity leader Walesa : LECH

Lech Walesa worked as an electrician in the Gdansk Shipyards in Poland. He was active in the trade union movement in the days when unions were not welcome behind the Iron Curtain. His efforts resulted in the founding of Solidarity, the first independent trade union in Soviet-controlled territory. For his work, Walesa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and in 1990 he became the first democratically elected President of Poland. He has lost support in Poland in recent years, but he is a very popular booking on the international speaking circuit.

17 Words before a gavel banging : GOING TWICE

The small hammer that one raps on a table or desk to call a meeting to order, or perhaps to signify a sale at an auction, is called a gavel. The term “gavel” is actually American English, and is a word that emerged in the early 19th century.

20 [Jazz hands] : TADA!

Jazz hands is a dance move in which the performer extends the hands with palms towards the audience and fingers splayed. The technique is very much associated with famed choreographer Bob Fosse.

21 “David Copperfield” villain : HEEP

Uriah Heep is a sniveling and insincere character in the novel “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens. The character is such a “yes man” that today, if we know someone who behaves the same way, then we might call that person a “Uriah Heep”.

22 Caldo de __: Mexican beef soup : RES

In Spanish, a living female cow is a “vaca” and a bull is a “toro”. “Res” is the term used for a head of cattle, particularly one raised for its meat. “Carne de res” translates literally as “meat of cattle”, which we simply call “beef”.

26 Cake or Bread : BAND

Cake is a rock band from Sacramento that formed in 1991. When asked about the name “Cake”, the band’s trumpeter Vince DiFiore said that it wasn’t a reference to the food item, and rather to the state of being caked on something, like mud on the bottom of a shoe.

27 Asset in cornhole : AIM

Cornhole is a game in which contestants throw bean bags towards a tilted-up platform with a hole in it. Bags that land in the hole score 3 points, and bags that land on the board score 1 point.

28 Dallas-to-Plano dir. : NNE

It’s not really certain how the Texas city of Dallas got its name. One theory suggests that it is named for US Vice President George M. Dallas, who served under President James K. Polk. Another theory suggests that it was named for the Scottish village of Dallas, in the north-east of the country.

Plano, Texas is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Settlers chose the name “Plano” in the 1840s. “Plano” is Spanish for “flat”, a reference to the terrain in the area.

35 Events that only get some coverage? : PARTIAL ECLIPSES

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes into the shadow cast by the Earth from the light of the Sun, in other words when the Earth is positioned directly between the Sun and the Moon. The more spectacular solar eclipse takes place when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, so that the Earth falls into the shadow cast by the Moon.

36 Big primate : APE

Primates are mammals, many of whom are omnivorous and make good use of their hands. They also have larger brains relative to their body size, compared to other animals. The order Primates includes apes, lemurs, baboons, and humans.

39 Pitfall! consoles : ATARIS

“Pitfall!” Is a video game that Atari released way back in 1982. Star of the game is Pitfall Harry.

41 Be overly maudlin : CLOY

To be maudlin is to be excessively sentimental. The term “maudlin” comes into English from the tearful and repentant sinner Mary Magdalene who was forgiven by Jesus. Mary’s surname “Magdalene” became the name “Maudelen” in Middle English, and then “maudlin” meaning “tearful”.

45 Work : OPUS

The Latin for “work” is “opus”, with the plural being “opera”. We sometimes use the plural “opuses” in English, but that’s just to annoy me …

47 Like the oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber : PURE

Crossword Assistant
Custom Gem
This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional.

Show thinking
Of course. Here is the updated Googly with a general explanation of hyperbaric therapy.

47A Like the oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber : PURE
Hyperbaric therapy is a medical treatment that involves breathing inside a chamber where the air pressure is increased to levels higher than our normal atmosphere. There are two main types of this therapy, distinguished by the gas that is breathed. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) uses pure oxygen. This treatment super-oxygenates the blood and is used for serious conditions like “the bends” (decompression sickness) and carbon monoxide poisoning. Hyperbaric Air Therapy (HBAT) uses normal air (about 21% oxygen). In this treatment, the pressure itself is the main therapeutic element, and it is used to aid recovery (after athletic stress, say) and to reduce inflammation.

48 “A Visit From the Goon Squad” novelist : EGAN

Jennifer Egan is an author who grew up in San Francisco. Egan’s 2010 work “A Visit from the Goon Squad” won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Usually termed a novel, “A Visit from the Goon Squad” is structured in such a way that it is sometimes described as a collection of linked short stories.

52 Break in? : STAYCATION

A staycation is a vacation spent at home, or using home as a base. The term “staycation” emerged around 2005, and exploded in popularity during the financial crisis of 2007-2009. As gas prices soared and the economy stumbled, many people opted for holidays at home as a cost-saving measure. The term saw another massive resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic. I wonder why ….?

53 Otorhinolaryngologists, for short : ENTS

An ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon is an otorhinolaryngologist.

Down

1 Herald : AUGUR

The verb “to augur” means “to bode, serve as an omen”. The term comes from the name of religious officials in ancient Rome called augurs whose job it was to interpret signs and omens.

2 Enemies to lovers, e.g. : TROPE

A trope is a figure of speech. The term “trope” comes from the Greek word “tropos” that has the same meaning. The term has evolved in meaning to also describe a common or overused device or theme.

3 Dying words? : OBITS

Our word “obituary” comes from the Latin “obituaris”. The Latin term was used for “record of the death of a person”, although the literal meaning is “pertaining to death”.

4 Hand for a mariachi band? : MANO

The name “mariachi”, used for a typically Mexican popular band, is said to be a corruption of the French word for “marriage” (i.e. “mariage”). This perhaps dates back to the times of Napoleon II when France had political and cultural influence over Spain.

5 English equivalent to the French -ant : -ING

A gerund is a form of a verb that can be used as a noun. For example, the gerund of the verb “to solve” is “solving”, as in the phrase “we really enjoyed the solving of the crossword”.

7 Tangent : ASIDE

In geometry, a tangent is a straight line that just touches a curve at a single point and then continues on without crossing it. A tangential remark “touches” on the main subject for a brief moment and then veers off in another direction, much like the line and the curve. The term “tangent” comes from the Latin verb “tangere” meaning “to touch”.

8 Ground mineral in joint compound : MICA

Mica is a silicate mineral. Thin sheets of mica are transparent and are used in place of glass in certain applications. This form of mica is called isinglass, and as it has a better thermal performance than glass it is a great choice for “peepholes” in boilers and lanterns. Mica is also used in the electronics industry, making use of its unique electrical and thermal insulating properties.

13 “I Can’t Breathe” singer-songwriter : HER

H.E.R.’s song “I Can’t Breathe” was released on June 19, 2020, the holiday known as Juneteenth. It was written as a protest song in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd that year. The title is a direct reference to Floyd’s last words, which became a powerful slogan for the Black Lives Matter movement. “I Can’t Breathe” was a big success, winning the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 2021.

21 Habitat for __ : HUMANITY

Habitat for Humanity is a US-based nonprofit that was founded in 1976 with the aim of building affordable housing.

23 Gin cocktails : MARTINIS

The term “martini” probably takes its name from the “Martini & Rossi” brand of dry vermouth, although no one seems to be completely sure. What is clear is that despite the Martini name originating in Italy, the martini drink originated in the US. The original martini was made with gin and sweet vermouth, but someone specifying a “dry” martini was given gin and dry vermouth. Nowadays we use dry vermouth for all martinis, and the term “dry” has become a reference to how little vermouth is included in the drink. Famously, Noël Coward liked his drink very dry and said that a perfect martini is made by “filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy”. On the contrary, adding extra vermouth results in a “wet” martini. The German-American journalist and satirist H. L. Mencken referred to the martini as “the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet”.

27 Carpenters’ union? : ANT COLONY

Carpenter ants can wreak havoc in a wooden structure. They burrow into damp wood creating galleries and pathways that form a complex network of nests. Unlike termites though, carpenter ants don’t feed on the wood.

29 Abbr. on some medical forms : HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a piece of legislation dating back to 1996. At its heart, HIPPA is designed to ensure that your doctor and medical insurance company protect your data, your Protected Health Information (PHI).

30 Substance in herbal medicine : ADAPTOGEN

An “adaptogen” is a natural substance used in herbal medicine that some believe can help the body “adapt” to and resist physical, chemical, or biological stress. Ginseng is a good example of a plant that yields compounds classed as adaptogens.

33 Shot provider : HYPO

An injection using a hypodermic needle might be termed a “shot” in North America, and a “jab” in Britain and Ireland.

40 Old Norse characters : RUNES

A rune is a character in an alphabet that is believed to have mysterious powers. In Norse mythology, the runic alphabet was said to have a divine origin.

43 Treat with vanilla creme : OREOS

The Oreo was the best-selling cookie in the 20th century, and almost 500 billion of them have been sold since they were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco. In those early days the creme filling was made with pork fat, but today vegetable oils are used instead. If you take a bite out of an Oreo sold outside of America you might notice a difference from the homegrown cookie, as ingredients can change in the overseas versions to give a different taste.

46 Centers of drupes : PITS

Our everyday usage of “nut” is often at odds with the botanical definition of the term. Examples of “true nuts” are acorns, chestnuts and hazelnuts. On the other hand, even though we usually refer to almonds, pecans and walnuts as “nuts”, botanically they are classified as “drupes”. Both drupes and true nuts are fruits, the vehicles that flowering plants use to disseminate seeds. True nuts are examples of a “dry fruit”, a fruit that has no fleshy outer layer. Drupes are examples of a “fleshy fruit”, a fruit with a fleshy outer layer that often makes it desirable for an animal to eat. Familiar examples of drupes are cherries, peaches and plums. We eat the fleshy part of these drupes, and discard the pit inside that contains the seed. Other examples of drupes are walnuts, almonds and pecans. The relatively inedible flashy part of these drupes is usually removed for us before they hit our grocery stores shelves. We crack open the pit inside and eat the seed of these drupes. No wonder we use the term “nuts” to mean “crazy”!

47 Mets slugger Alonso : PETE

Pete Alonso is a professional first baseman who made his Major League debut in 2019 with the New York Mets. In that first season, Alonso set the record for most home runs by a rookie in a single season with 53, breaking the previous record set by Aaron Judge in 2017. Alonso’s nickname is “Polar Bear”.

48 Manchego source : EWE

Manchego is a cheese made from sheep’s milk that comes from La Mancha in Spain. The term “Manchego” is used to describe things related to La Mancha.

49 Org. now known as Scouting America : BSA

In 2025, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) went through a rebranding exercise, and changed the organization’s name to Scouting America.

This clue reflects a very recent and significant rebranding for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). In May 2024, the organization announced that it will officially change its name to Scouting America. The new name is intended to emphasize inclusivity and reflect the reality that girls were already a major part of its programs.

50 Cleveland pro : CAV

The Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavs joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1970.