Category: Alan Massengill

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Constructed by: Alan Massengill & Doug Peterson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Ridesharing

Themed answers each include a RIDE as a hidden word SHARED between words in the answer:

• 62A Service offered by 18-Down, and what’s happening in the answers to the starred clues : RIDESHARING

• 17A *Barbie-inspired doll on “The Simpsons” : MALIBU STACY (hiding “BUS”)
• 31A *”OK, gotta go!” : WELL, I’M OUT (hiding “LIMO”)
• 36A *Free baseball, so to speak : EXTRA INNINGS (hiding “TRAIN”)
• 46A *Limb for Jaime Sommers or Steve Austin : BIONIC ARM (hiding “CAR”)

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

Bill’s time: 6m 26s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

15 Upscale Honda brand : ACURA

Acura is a luxury vehicle brand produced by the Japanese automaker Honda. Acura was the first Japanese luxury car brand to be introduced to the US, in 1986. The Acura Legend and Acura Integra were the first two models released.

17 *Barbie-inspired doll on “The Simpsons” : MALIBU STACY (hiding “BUS”)

In “The Simpsons” universe, Malibu Stacy is a doll, a favorite of young Lisa Simpson. However, the doll’s manufacturers created a toy with an overtly sexist message. Lisa decides to create a doll herself that is a more positive role model for girls, and calls that doll “Lisa Lionheart”.

We use the term “bus” for a mode of transportation as it is an abbreviated form of the original “omnibus”. We imported “omnibus” via French from Latin, in which language it means “for all”. The idea is that an omnibus is a carriage “for all”.

21 Many a Henry James heroine : HEIRESS

Author Henry James was born in New York City, but left the US while a young man and eventually settled in England. The list of his novels includes several that have been adapted for film and television, including “The Turn of the Screw”, “Washington Square”, “The Wings of the Dove” and “The Bostonian”. James died in Chelsea, London but his ashes were buried in Cambridge, Massachusetts at his request.

23 Spice in pumpkin spice, often : MACE

Pumpkin spice is a blend of spices that is a common ingredient in pumpkin pies. It is mainly found in American stores, and is roughly equivalent to the blend referred to as “mixed spice” in other English-speaking parts of the world. The main spices included are cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

28 “Purgatorio” poet : DANTE

Dante’s epic narrative poem “Divina Commedia” (Divine Comedy) is divided into three parts: “Inferno”, “Purgatorio” and “Paradiso” (Hell, Purgatory and Paradise).

29 Justin from Canada : BIEBER

Justin Bieber is a young pop singer from London, Ontario. Bieber was actually discovered on YouTube by talent manager Scooter Brown. Fans of Bieber call themselves “Beliebers”. Personally, I’m no believer in Bieber …

31 *”OK, gotta go!” : WELL, I’M OUT (hiding “LIMO”)

The word “limousine” derives from the name of the French city of Limoges. The area around Limoges is called the Limousin, and it gave its name to a cloak hood worn by local shepherds. In early motor cars, a driver would sit outside in the weather while the passengers would sit in the covered compartment. The driver would often wear a limousin-style protective hood, giving rise to that type of transportation being called a “limousine”. Well, that’s how the story goes …

35 Pundit piece : OP-ED

“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

A pundit is a learned person to whom one might turn for an opinion. “Pundit” is derived from the Hindi word “payndit” meaning “learned man”.

43 Hall’s Hall of Fame partner : OATES

Daryl Hall & John Oates are a pop music duo who were most successful in the late seventies and early eighties. They had six number one hits, including the 1982 release “Maneater”.

46 *Limb for Jaime Sommers or Steve Austin : BIONIC ARM (hiding “CAR”)

I much preferred “The Bionic Woman” than the original show, “The Six Million Dollar Man”. Wagner played Jaime Sommers, who was badly injured in a parachute jump. She was treated by implanting robotic devices that gave her speed, strength and exceptional hearing.

“The Six Million Dollar Man” is a 1970s sci-fi show that starred Lee Majors as the title character Steve Austin. The series is based on a 1972 novel called “Cyborg”.

51 Gospel writer enshrined in a Venice basilica : ST MARK

St. Mark’s Basilica is the Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Venice, Italy. In front of the basilica is the Piazza San Marco, the city’s main public square. St. Mark’s Square is a remarkable urban space in Europe as the sound of the human voice dominates, rather than the sound of traffic. That is indeed remarkable …

52 Metallica’s “__ It Sleeps” : UNTIL

“Until It Sleeps” is a 1996 song released by heavy-metal band Metallica. It was to be the only top-ten hit for Metallica (in the US). It was co-written by lead vocalist James Hetfield. The lyrics refer to his mother’s battle with cancer, with cancer being the “It” in the song’s title. Hetfield’s parents were Christian Scientists, and did not believe in medical treatment.

55 Actress Turley of “Mad Men” : MYRA

Myra Turley is a film and television actress, best known for her roles as Dale in the 1995 sitcom “Muscle”, and as Madeline Evelley in Clint Eastwood’s 2006 war film “Flags of Our Fathers”. She has also played Katherine Olson, Peggy Olson’s mother, in the TV drama series “Mad Men”. Turley is also an acting coach, and started to teach acting at the Myra Turley Acting Studio in Los Angeles in 1997.

61 Basketball target : HOOP

Basketball is truly a North American sport. It was created in 1891 by Canadian James Naismith at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. His goal was to create something active and interesting for his students in the gym. The first “hoops” were actually peach baskets, with the bottoms of the baskets intact. When a player got the ball into the “net”, someone had to clamber up and get the ball back out again in order to continue the game!

69 Bit part : CAMEO

Even in my day, a cameo role was more than just a short appearance in a movie (or other artistic piece). For the appearance to be a cameo, the actor had to play himself or herself, and was instantly recognizable. With this meaning it’s easy to see the etymology of the term, as a cameo brooch is one with the recognizable carving of the silhouette of a person. Nowadays, a cameo is any minor role played by a celebrity or famous actor, regardless of the character played.

A “walk-on role” in a performance is one in which the actor makes an appearance on stage or on set, but has no dialog. One line of dialog elevates the role to a “bit part”.

72 Japanese city that’s home to Nijo Castle : KYOTO

Nijo Castle in Kyoto was completed in 1626 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. The city of Kyoto took over ownership of the castle in 1939, and it has been open to the public since 1940.

Down

2 Dean’s list fig. : GPA

Grade point average (GPA)

4 Larynx : VOICE BOX

The voice box or larynx is where pitch and volume of sound are manipulated when we talk. The structure called the Adam’s apple that protrudes from the human neck is formed by the thyroid cartilage that surrounds the larynx. The Adam’s apple of males tends to increase in size during puberty, so the feature tended to be associated more with males in days gone by, perhaps leading to the name “Adam’s” apple. A doctor specializing in treating the larynx is a laryngologist.

5 Idris of “The Suicide Squad” : ELBA

Idris Elba is a British actor and DJ. He was born in London to a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother. Elba’s breakthrough role came in 2002, when he was cast as Stringer Bell in the HBO series “The Wire”.

“The Suicide Squad” is a 2021 superhero movie in the DC Comics universe, and a sequel to the 2016 film “Suicide Squad”. It has quite the cast, including Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis and Peter Capaldi.

8 “Levitating” singer __ Lipa : DUA

“Levitating” is a 2020 song co-written and released by English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa. Apparently, the writing team composed the song while imagining themselves in an “Austin Powers” movie with Mike Myers dancing to the tune. Yeah, baby!

9 Structure stabilized by a keystone : ARCH

The keystone of an arch is the last piece put in position, the placement of which allows the arch to bear weight. The keystone sits right at the apex.

10 Actor Diggs : TAYE

Taye Diggs is an actor most associated with the Broadway show “Rent”, in which he played the nasty landlord Benny. He then co-starred on the television show “Private Practice”. Diggs’ given name is “Scott”, and the nickname “Taye” comes from saying the given name as “Scottay”.

11 EGOT winner Rita : MORENO

Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress Rita Moreno is one of the few performers to have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony (EGOT). Moreno got her big break, and won her Oscar, for playing Anita in the 1961 screen adaptation of “West Side Story”. And, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2004.

12 1974 hit with Spanish lyrics : ERES TU

We have a big event across Europe every year called the Eurovision Song Contest. Each nation enters one song in competition with each other, and then voters across the whole continent decide on the winner. That’s how ABBA got their big break when they won in 1974 with “Waterloo”. In 1973, Spain’s entry was “Eres tú” (“It’s You”, literally “You Are”) sung by the band Mocedades. “Eres tú” came second in the competition, but should have won in my humble opinion.

16 Any Super Bowl LVI-winning player : LA RAM

Super Bowl LVI was played at the end of the 2021 season between the Cincinnati Bengals and the LA Rams. The Rams had home team advantage as the game was played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Rams emerged victorious, winning 23-20. Apparently, the Super Bowl LVI broadcast was the second-most watched in the history of the NFL.

18 Lyft competitor : UBER

When transportation company Uber went public in 2019, it was a well-subscribed offering. However, Uber’s shares dropped in value soon after trading opened, and finished the day 11% down. As a result, Uber shares suffered the biggest IPO first-day dollar loss in US history.

Lyft was founded in 2012 as a ride-sharing service in San Francisco, California. The company’s original name was “Zimride” and it was focused on long-distance ride-sharing.

23 Degree for future execs : MBA

The world’s first Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree was offered by Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, in 1908.

32 Hosp. worker : LPN

Licensed practical nurse (LPN)

33 Tropical garland : LEI

Leis are traditional Hawaiian garlands that are made from various types of flowers, leaves, and other materials. They were originally worn by ancient Hawaiians as a symbol of their social status and to signify important events such as weddings and funerals.

37 Cars singer Ocasek : RIC

Ric Ocasek was an American musician of Czech heritage. He was the lead vocalist of the Cars rock band.

38 Actress de Armas : ANA

Ana de Armas is an actress from Cuba. Having attended the National Theater School of Cuba, she moved to Spain at the age of 18. Thre, she made a name for herself in a Spanish TV series called “El Internado”. De Armas moved to Los Angeles in 2014, after which her performance opposite Ryan Gosling in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” earned her critical acclaim.

40 Radioactive emission : GAMMA RAY

Gamma radiation was discovered by the French chemist Paul Villard, as he studied radiation coming from the chemical element radium. This radiation was called “gamma”, the third letter in the Greek alphabet, as alpha and beta particles had already been identified.

41 Lisa Loeb’s biggest hit : STAY

Singer Lisa Loeb was discovered by actor Ethan Hawke, who lived just across the street from her in New York City. Hawke took a demo of her song “Stay (I Missed You)” and gave it to director Ben Stiller, who in turn used it over the ending credits of his 1994 movie “Reality Bites”. The movie was a hit, the song went to number one, and Loeb became the first artist ever to hit that number one spot without having signed up with a record label. Good for her!

45 Calypso-influenced genre : SKA

The musical style known as calypso originated in Trinidad and Tobago, but there seems to be some debate about which influences were most important as the genre developed. It is generally agreed that the music was imported by African slaves from their homeland, but others emphasize influences of the medieval French troubadours. To me it sounds more African in nature. Calypso reached the masses when it was first recorded in 1912, and it spread around the world in the thirties and forties. It reached its pinnacle with the release of the famous “Banana Boat Song” by Harry Belafonte.

46 Malarkey : BUSHWA

Bushwa is rubbish, nonsense, rot. The term “bushwa” originated in the early 1900s and may be a derivative of “bourgeois”.

It’s not really known how the word “malarkey” came to mean “lies and exaggeration”. What is known is that “Malarkey” is also used as a family name.

48 “Lawrence of Arabia” star : O’TOOLE

Irish actor Peter O’Toole got his big break in the movies when he played the title role in the 1962 epic film “Lawrence of Arabia”. My favorite of O’Toole’s movies is much lighter fare, namely “How to Steal a Million” in which he stars opposite Audrey Hepburn. O’Toole never won an Oscar, but holds the record for the greatest number of Best Actor nominations without a win (8).

“Lawrence of Arabia” is a 1962 movie that recounts the real life story of T. E. Lawrence, a British army officer who was famous for his role in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I. The title role in the film is played by Irish actor Peter O’Toole. The role of Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish is played by Omar Sharif.

49 Kinda chilly : NIPPY

Something cold might be described as “nippy”, having a “biting” chill.

50 Angled joints : MITERS

A miter joint is one in which two pieces of wood are joined at ninety degrees, with the ends of each individual piece of wood cut at 45 degrees. The four joints in the corners of a picture frame are often miter joints.

51 “Late Night” host after Jimmy : SETH

Seth Meyers is an actor and comedian who is perhaps best-known today for hosting his own late night talk show on NBC. Meyers might be described as a poker shark. He won the third season of Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2004.

Jimmy Fallon was a cast member for a number of years on “Saturday Night Live” before getting his own talk show in 2009, “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”. Fallon took over “The Tonight Show” from Jay Leno in 2014. I’m not a big Fallon fan …

54 Gnocchi sauce : PESTO

Pesto sauce is more completely called “pesto alla genovese”, i.e. pesto from Genoa. A traditional recipe calls for crushed garlic, pine nuts, salt, basil leaves, parmesan cheese and olive oil. Yum …

Gnocchi are small dumplings in Italian cuisine that can be made from various ingredients including potato, my personal favorite. The name “gnocchi” might be derived from the Italian “nocchio” meaning “knot in wood”.

57 Crocus kin : IRIS

Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term “iris” is a Greek word meaning “rainbow”. Many species of irises are called “flags”. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English “flagge” meaning “reed”. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.

The crocus (plural “croci”) is a plant genus in the iris family. The term “crocus” ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word for “saffron”. Saffron spice comes from Crocus sativus, the “saffron crocus”.

58 Designer Ricci : NINA

The Nina Ricci fashion house was founded by Italian-born Maria “Nina” Ricci, in Paris in 1932.

63 TV actress Susan : DEY

Actress Susan Dey first appeared on “The Partridge Family” when she was 17-years-old when she had no acting experience. Years later, Dey won a Golden Globe for playing the leading role of Grace Van Owen in “L.A. Law”.

64 Brief “As I see things” : IMO

In my opinion (IMO)