Category: Bill Thompson

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Constructed by: Bill Thompson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: B and B

Themed answers each comprise two words starting with the letter B:

• 50D Cozy lodging hinted at by 18-, 23-, 36-, 50-, and 55-Across : B AND B

• 18A Some barbecue ribs : BABY BACKS
• 23A Safest courses of action : BEST BETS
• 36A Star of classic TV’s “The Incredible Hulk” : BILL BIXBY
• 50A Nickname of boxer Ray Mancini : BOOM BOOM
• 55A Cartoon rabbit with a Brooklyn accent : BUGS BUNNY

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

Bill’s time: 5m 13s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10 “Jeopardy!” contestant lineup, e.g. : TRIO

The TV show “Jeopardy!” first went on the air in 1964, and is another successful Merv Griffin creation. But, it took the introduction of Alex Trebek as host in order to bring the show into the big times. Trebek was host from 1984 until his sad passing in 2020.

14 Hybrid garment : SKORT

The garment called a “skort” is a hybrid between a “skirt” and “shorts”.

20 Kareem’s former name : LEW

Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s name at birth was Ferdinand Lewis “Lew” Alcindor. Alcindor changed his name when he converted to Islam.

22 Lacto-__ vegetarian : OVO

A lacto-ovo vegetarian is someone who does not consume meat or fish, but who does eat eggs (ovo) and dairy (lacto) products.

25 Food pkg. info : NET WT

Net weight (nt. wt.)

28 Hawaiian hellos : ALOHAS

The Hawaiian word “aloha” has many meanings in English: affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. More recently, “aloha” has come to mean “hello” and “goodbye”, but only since the mid-1800s.

29 Abruptly broke off communications : GHOSTED

A rather insensitive person might break off a relationship simply by cutting off all communication with his or her partner, without any warning. Such a move is referred to as “ghosting” in modern parlance, particularly when the relationship relies heavily on online interaction.

31 Japanese currency : YEN

The Japanese yen is the third-most traded currency in the world, after the US dollar and the euro.

36 Star of classic TV’s “The Incredible Hulk” : BILL BIXBY

Actor Bill Bixby was perhaps best known for his television work. He co-starred in the 1960s sitcom “My Favorite Martian”, playing the title character’s “nephew”. Most famously perhaps, Bixby played Dr. David Banner, the title character’s alter ego, in the 1970’s action show “The Incredible Hulk”.

In the seventies and eighties TV show “The Incredible Hulk”, Lou Ferrigno played Hulk. Hulk’s alter ego in the comics was Bruce Banner, but in the show he was called David Banner, and played by Bill Bixby.

49 Island near Venezuela : ARUBA

Aruba is one of the so-called ABC islands located off the northern coast of Venezuela. “ABC Islands” is a name given to the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean. The nickname comes from the first letters of the island names: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. All three of the ABC islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The country name “Venezuela” originated with the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Vespucci saw stilt houses around Lake Maracaibo that reminded him of the city of Venice, leading him to call the region “Veneziola” meaning “Little Venice”. Over time, “Veneziola” evolved into “Venezuela” as a result of Spanish influence.

50 Nickname of boxer Ray Mancini : BOOM BOOM

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini is a retired professional boxer who held the World Boxing Association’s lightweight title in the 1980s. Ray’s father was also a boxer, and one who had the same nickname: Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini.

52 Citi Field team, on scoreboards : NYM

Citi Field is a relatively new baseball stadium used by the New York Mets (NYM) that sits right next door to the site of Shea stadium, where the Mets had played for decades. The new facility’s name comes from corporate sponsor Citigroup.

53 Madeline of “Blazing Saddles” : KAHN

Madeline Kahn was an actress best known for her comedic roles, especially those directed by Mel Brooks. Kahn also had her own TV sitcom, called “Oh Madeline”. But, it only lasted one season, in 1983.

“Blazing Saddles” is a 1974 Mel Brooks movie that has become a modern-day classic. I really only enjoy one Mel Brooks film, and “Blazing Saddles” isn’t it. Just in case you’re interested, I very much enjoy “Young Frankenstein” …

54 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.

55 Cartoon rabbit with a Brooklyn accent : BUGS BUNNY

Bugs Bunny debuted in the 1940 animated short “A Wild Hare”. Since then, Bugs has appeared in more films than any other cartoon character.

58 Corn-based breakfast side : GRITS

When grain has been separated from its chaff, to prepare it for grinding, it is called “grist”. Indeed, the word “grist” is derived from the word “grind”. Grist can be ground into a relatively coarse meal, or into a fine flour. The names can be confusing though. For example, the grist from maize when ground to a coarse consistency is called “grits”, and when ground to a fine consistency is called “corn meal”. There is an idiomatic phrase “grist for one’s mill”, meaning something used to one’s advantage. The grinding mechanism, or the building that holds the mechanism, is known as a “gristmill”.

60 Apt name for a tuxedo cat : OREO

A tuxedo cat is one with a white and black coat. Specifically, the coloring is a solid black coat with white fur on the paws, belly chest, throat and sometimes the chin.

62 Bert’s “Sesame Street” pal : ERNIE

For many years, I believed that the “Sesame Street” characters Bert and Ernie were named after two roles played in the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. In the movie, the policeman’s name is Bert and his taxi-driving buddy is named Ernie. However, the “Sesame Street” folks have stated that the use of the same names is just a coincidence. Aww, I don’t wanna believe that’s a coincidence …

63 “Ideas worth spreading” spinoff : TEDX

The acronym “TED” stands for “Technology, Entertainment and Design”. TED is a set of conferences held around the world by a non-profit group called the Sapling Foundation. The conference subjects are varied, and the meetings are often led by big names such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Gates and Jane Goodall. The Sapling Foundation then makes recordings of the conferences available for free online with the intent of disseminating the ideas globally. These conferences are known as “TED Talks”. There are also TEDx events, which are locally-run talks presented under license from TED.

64 “Dear” advice giver : ABBY

The advice column “Dear Abby” first appeared in 1956. Pauline Phillips was Abby back then, but now the column is written by Jeanne Phillips, her daughter. The full name of the “Abby” pen name is Abigail Van Buren, which Pauline Phillips came up with by combining “Abigail” from the biblical Book of Samuel, and “Van Buren” after the former US president. “Dear Abby” was also a radio show in the sixties and seventies.

65 Boston airport : LOGAN

Boston’s Logan Airport (BOS) is named for General Edward Lawrence Logan, a military officer from South Boston who fought in the Spanish-American War.

Down

1 Intelligence org. with a Cryptologic Museum : NSA

The National Cryptologic Museum (NSM) is located just outside Fort Meade in Maryland, home to the National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters. The NSM is open to the public, and was established in 1993. The museum’s building was once the Colony Seven Motel.

2 Luau instrument : UKULELE

The ukulele (uke) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

5 “Take me to your leader” speakers, briefly : ETS

The phrase “Take me to your leader” is used somewhat humorously by fictional extraterrestrials who encounter life on Earth for the first time. Often seen in cartoons, the phrase likely originated in “The New Yorker” magazine in 1953. The relevant issue featured a cartoon showing two aliens addressing a horse, with the words “Kindly take us to your President!”

8 Japanese beef city : KOBE

Kobe is a port city on the island of Honshu in Japan. Here in North America, the city of Kobe is perhaps most famous for its beef. And yes, basketball star Kobe Bryant was named after that very same beef.

9 Rainbow’s place : SKY

Sunlight reflected by airborne water droplets can produce rainbows. The water droplets act as little prisms, dispersing the white light into its constituent colors. Sometimes we see double rainbows. If we look carefully, we can see that the order of the colors in the first and second arcs is reversed.

10 __ of justice: case that makes a mockery of the court : TRAVESTY

Back in the 17th century, a travesty was a burlesque or artistic imitation of a serious work, a parody. The term “travesty” has come to mean a distorted representation in general, a sham or a mockery.

11 Italian cheese in stuffed shells : RICOTTA

Ricotta is an Italian cheese made from the milk of a sheep or a cow. It is produced from the whey of the milk, the liquid left after the curds have been separated out (curds are used to make “traditional” cheese). The whey is heated again so that the remaining protein precipitates out, producing ricotta cheese. The word “ricotta” literally means “recooked”, which makes sense to me now …

19 U2 lead singer : BONO

Irish singer Bono is a Dubliner who was born Paul David Hewson. As a youth, Hewson was given the nickname “Bono Vox” by a friend, a Latin expression meaning “good voice”, and so the singer has been known as Bono since the late seventies. His band’s first name was “Feedback”, later changed to “The Hype”. The band members searched for yet another name and chose U2 from a list of six names suggested by a friend. They picked U2 because it was the name they disliked least …

23 Chesapeake __ Bridge-Tunnel : BAY

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) extends across the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, and has a length of 17.6 miles. It includes 12 miles of bridges and two mile-long tunnels. The CBBT is often confused with the much shorter Chesapeake Bay Bridge that crosses the bay further north, connecting Annapolis and Kent Island.

24 Island near Java : BALI

Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is known as the “Island of the Gods” due to its rich and unique culture, which is steeped in religious and spiritual beliefs.

Java is a large island in Indonesia that is home to the country’s capital, Jakarta. With a population of over 130 million, Java is the most populous island in the world, with even more people than Honshu, the main island of Japan.

26 Spider’s trap : WEB

The silk that makes up a web is a protein fiber that is “spun” by a spider. Spider silk is about one sixth of the density of steel, yet has a comparable tensile strength.

27 NFL scores : TDS

A National Football League (NFL) player might score a touchdown (TD).

33 Skelton’s Kadiddlehopper : CLEM

Clem Kadiddlehopper was a character played by comedian Red Skelton. Clem was inspired by a real person named Carl Hopper, who was one of Skelton’s neighbors in his hometown of Vincennes, Indiana.

34 Like some dicts. : ABR

Abridged (abr.)

36 Anklets worn with poodle skirts, informally : BOBBY SOX

Bobby socks (or “bobby sox”) are so called because they are shorter than knee socks, they are “bobbed”, shortened, as in a bob haircut. Bobby soxers were young women who were fans of pop music in the 1940s, and who often wore poodle skirts and bobby socks, hence the name.

Poodle skirts have a solid color with a prominent design on the front. Back in the fifties, a poodle was a popular design to adorn the skirt, hence the name “poodle skirt”.

38 Health resort : SPA

The word “spa” migrated into English from Belgium, as “Spa” is the name of a municipality in the east of the country that is famous for its healing hot springs. The name “Spa” comes from the Walloon word “espa” meaning “spring, fountain”.

39 NHL great Bobby : ORR

Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking. While still 31 years old, in 1979, Orr became the youngest person inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Prior to that, in 1967, Orr became the youngest person named the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.

43 Zagreb’s country : CROATIA

Zagreb is the capital city of the Republic of Croatia. Zagreb has been around a long, long time, and dates back to the diocese of Zagreb that was founded at the end of the 11th century.

44 Actor Hanks : TOM

Tom Hanks is such a great actor. He has played so many iconic roles in a relatively short career. Hanks is from California, and studied theater for a couple of years in Hayward, California not far from here. Tom’s son Colin Hanks is one of the stars of the TV comedy “Life in Pieces”. Hanks is married to the talented actress Rita Wilson.

46 Young sheep : LAMB

An adult male sheep is a ram, although a castrated ram is known as a wether. An adult female is a ewe, and a young sheep is a lamb.

48 Mall pizza chain : SBARRO

The Sbarro chain of pizza restaurants was founded by Italian immigrants, Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro.

50 Cozy lodging hinted at by 18-, 23-, 36-, 50-, and 55-Across : B AND B

The Sbarro chain of pizza restaurants was founded by Italian immigrants, Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro.

57 Mex. neighbor : USA

The Mexico-US border is the most frequently-crossed border in the world, although it is only the tenth longest border in the world between two countries.

59 Capitol Hill VIP : SEN

The designer of Washington D.C., Pierre L’Enfant, chose the crest of a hill as the site for the future Congress House. He called the location “Jenkins Hill” and “Jenkins Heights”. Earlier records show the name as “New Troy”. Today, we call it “Capitol Hill”.