Category: Christina Iverson

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Constructed by: Christina Iverson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: The End Is in Sight

Themed answers each END with something that helps our SIGHT, IS found IN our eyes:

• 39A “We’re almost there!,” and what can be said about 17-, 25-, 51-, and 64-Across? : THE END IS IN SIGHT

• 17A Curtain holder in a bathroom : SHOWER ROD
• 25A Purple flower with a fuzzy patch : BEARDED IRIS
• 51A Orange marker in a construction zone : TRAFFIC CONE
• 64A Student at the top of the honor roll : STAR PUPIL

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

Bill’s time: 4m 58s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

16 “__!” … “Polo!” : MARCO

Marco Polo is a game of tag that is played in a swimming pool. Marco! Polo!

17 Curtain holder in a bathroom : SHOWER ROD
51 Orange marker in a construction zone : TRAFFIC CONE

The retina is the tissue that lines the inside of the eye, and is the tissue that is light-sensitive. There are (mainly) two types of cells in the retina that are sensitive to light, namely rods and cones. Rods are cells that best function in very dim light and only provide black-and-white vision. Cones on the other hand function in brighter light and can perceive color.

21 Commercial lead-in to “bnb” : AIR-

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 …

23 Gaelic speaker : CELT

The Celts are a very broad group of people across Europe who are linked by common languages. The original Celts were largely absorbed by other cultures, although a relatively modern revival of the “Celtic identity” is alive and well in Britain and Ireland. Such Celtic peoples today are mainly found in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany in France.

24 French fashion initials : YSL

Yves Saint Laurent (YSL)

25 Purple flower with a fuzzy patch : BEARDED 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 iris is the colored part of the eye. It has an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.

28 Country singer Loretta : LYNN

Singer Loretta Lynn is sometimes referred to as the First Lady of Country Music. Lynn was born in 1932 in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner and his wife, and so famously is also referred to as “the Coal Miner’s Daughter”. Her much younger sister (by 19 years) is the singer Crystal Gayle.

29 Scotch’s partner : SODA

We call carbonated water “club soda”, because “Club Soda” used to be a brand name. The Club brand of drinks is actually Irish, and is owned by a company now known as C&C. As kids, we grew up on Club Orange and Club Lemon. Club Soda, not so much …

46 Root vegetable in Nigerian cuisine : TARO

Taro is a root vegetable that is grown for its edible underground plant stems (corms). The English name “taro” is borrowed from the Maori language of New Zealand. The same plant is known as “gabi” in the Philippines, “arbi” in much of India, and “jimbi” in parts of Africa where Swahili is spoken.

59 “Dance the Night” singer __ Lipa : DUA

“Dance the Night” is a 2023 song co-written and recorded by English-Albanian singer/songwriter Dua Lipa. It made it the number one spot in the UK and Ireland, but not in the US. Dua Lipa appeared in the celebrated 2023 movie “Barbie”, playing Mermaid Barbie. In return, Barbie’s director Greta Gerwig made a cameo in the music video for “Dance in the Night”.

64 Student at the top of the honor roll : STAR PUPIL

The pupil of the eye is the hole located in the center of the iris through which light enters the retina. The term “pupil” came into English via French from the latin “pupilla”, which is the diminutive form of “pupa” meaning “girl, doll”. The term came about due to the tiny doll-like image that one can see of oneself when looking into the center of another’s eyes.

Down

3 Pattern of spirals on a fingerprint : WHORL

Fingerprint patterns are classified into three different patterns: loops, whorls and arches.

4 Actor Rob of “Parks and Recreation” : LOWE

Actor Rob Lowe is one of the “founding” members of the so-called Brat Pack, having appeared in the movie “St. Elmo’s Fire”. More recently, he played a regular character on the TV show “Parks and Recreation”. My favorite of his roles though, was playing Sam Seaborn on Aaron Sorkin’s great drama series “The West Wing”. When “The West Wing” first aired, Seaborn was billed as the show’s main character, but outstanding performances from the rest of the cast and some great writing meant that Lowe’s role became “one of many”. This led to some dissatisfaction on Lowe’s part, and eventually he quit the show.

9 “Yo te __” : AMO

In Spanish, one might say “yo te amo” (I love you) “con flores” (with flowers).

11 Allowed to roam, as chickens : FREE RANGE

Outside of the US, the term “free range” is used to describe farming in which animals are allowed to roam freely and are not caged or penned up. In the US, the term is simply a marketing device, usually indicating that the animal has some access to an outdoor area, the size or nature of which is undefined. The politics of food …

12 Gut bacteria : E COLI

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are usually harmless bacteria found in the human gut, working away quite happily. However, there are some strains that can produce lethal toxins. These strains can make their way into the food chain from animal fecal matter that comes into contact with food designated for human consumption.

18 Phonetic term often associated with they/them pronouns : ENBY

The non-binary (NB, enbie, enby) spectrum of gender identities covers those that do not qualify as exclusively masculine or feminine.

22 Sticky tree secretion : 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.

26 “The Hate U Give” writer Thomas : ANGIE

“The Hate U Give” is a 2017 novel for young adults penned by Angie Thomas. Central to the storyline is a white police officer shooting and killing a Black youth. “The Hate U Give” topped The New York Times young adult best-seller list for 50 weeks. Despite this, it was one of the most challenged books for several years, according to the American Library Association.

28 Big name in jeans : LEE

The Lee company that is famous for making jeans was formed in 1889 by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.

34 Golden State sch. : USC

“Golden State” has been the official nickname of California since 1968. The nickname reflects the expansion of the state’s economy that followed the discovery of gold in 1848, and also the fields of golden poppies seen growing wild across California in the spring.

35 The “N” of TNT : -NITRO-

“TNT” is an abbreviation for “trinitrotoluene”. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

37 “__ Persisted”: children’s book by Chelsea Clinton : SHE

“She Persisted” is a 2017 children’s picture book authored by Chelsea Clinton, and illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. The book introduces readers to inspirational women, such as Helen Keller and Harriet Tubman.

Chelsea Clinton is the only child of former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Chelsea and Hillary Clinton co-authored a couple of books: “The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience” and “Grandma’s Gardens”, the latter being a children’s book. Chelsea also co-authored a scholarly work called “Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why?”

38 Ga. capital : ATL

The city of Atlanta, Georgia (A-Town) had its beginnings in the late 1830s when the location was chosen as the terminus for a new railroad to be built connecting Georgia with the Midwestern United States. The city’s name was chosen by the Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad, apparently after the middle name of the daughter of Governor Wilson Lumpkin: “Atalanta”.

40 Maker of squishy darts : NERF

Nerf is a soft material used in a whole series of toys designed for “safe” play indoors. The Nerf product is used to make darts, balls and ammunition for toy guns. “NERF” is an acronym, standing for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam.

41 Humanlike robot : DROID

“Droid” is short for “android” and is used to describe a robot that resembles a human. The Latin word “androides” was used in English in the 18th century to mean “like a man”. Science fiction writers introduced us to “android” in the early 1950s.

49 Composer Lloyd Webber : ANDREW

English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is best known for the many hit stage musicals that he has created over his career, including “Cats”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “Evita” and “Jesus Christ Superstar”. He has music in his blood, as his mother was a violinist and pianist, and his father was Director of the London College of Music. Andrew’s younger brother is celebrated cellist Julian Lloyd Webber.

52 Juliet’s partner : ROMEO

In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, it is explicitly stated that Juliet is 13 years of age, and the assumption is that Romeo is perhaps a little older.

53 Zodiac transition points : CUSPS

The word “cusp” comes from the Latin “cuspis” meaning “spear, point”. In the world of astrology, a cusp is an imaginary line separating two signs of the zodiac. For example, some whose birthday is between April 16 and April 26 is said to have been born “on the cusp” between the signs Aries and Taurus.

54 Board game that dropped “The Settlers of” from its name : CATAN

The Settlers of Catan (now just “Catan”) is a board game that was introduced in 1995, in Germany as “Die Siedler von Catan”. The game is very popular in the US and was called “the board game of our time” by the “Washington Post”. My son plays it a lot, and as a lover of board games, I am going to have to check it out …

57 Swollen marks : WELTS

The welt of a shoe is a strip, often made of leather, that runs along the perimeter of the outsole. It is used to attach the shoe’s upper to the outsole. The term “welt”, in this sense, dates back to the early 1600s. The extended use to mean “ridge on the skin from a wound” dates to the early 1800s.