Category: Jill Singer

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Constructed by: Jill Singer
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Facial Expression

Themed answers are all common EXPRESSIONS, and each includes a part of the FACE:

• 40A Many an emoji, and a feature of the starred clues and their answers? : FACIAL EXPRESSION

• 18A *”Attractive!” : EYE-CATCHING!
• 24A *”Noisy!” : EAR-PIERCING!
• 49A *”Amazing!” : JAW-DROPPING!
• 64A *”Delicious!” : LIP-SMACKING!

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

Bill’s time: 5m 37s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

15 Hoosier hoopster : PACER

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, who play in the NBA. The name was chosen when the team was formed in 1967. “Pacers” is a homage to harness racing pacers (famed in Indiana) and the pace car used in the Indianapolis 500.

The exact origin of the word “hoosier” is unknown, but has been around since at least 1830. The term had no direct linkage with Indiana until John Finley of Richmond, Indiana wrote a poem called “The Hoosier’s Nest” in 1833. A few years later, by 1840, “hoosiers” was generally accepted as a term describing Indiana residents.

17 Large volume : TOME

“Tome” first came into English from the Latin “tomus” which means “section of a book”. The original usage in English was for a single volume in a multi-volume work. By the late 16th century, “tome” had come to mean “large book”.

20 Othello’s false friend : IAGO

Despite being portrayed as a villain in William Shakespeare’s “Othello”, Iago is one of the most complex characters in the play. He is known for his Machiavellian tactics, manipulating the other characters to achieve his selfish goals.

22 Urchin-eating mammal : OTTER

Male and female otters are known as dogs and bitches, with the offspring called pups. Males and females are sometimes referred to as boars and sows. A collection of otters is a bevy, family, lodge or perhaps a romp. When in water, a collection of otters can be called a raft.

Sea urchins are globular, spiny creatures found just about everywhere in the ocean. The “roe” of a sea urchin is eaten as a delicacy in several cuisines around the world. In a sushi restaurant, the sea urchin roe is called “uni”. The term “roe” normally means “fish eggs”, but in the case of the sea urchin it refers to the gonads of both the male and female.

23 Place to stop on an RV trip : KOA

Kampgrounds of America (KOA) was founded in 1962 by Montana businessman Dave Drum, who opened up his first property along the Yellowstone River. His strategy was to offer a rich package of services including hot showers, restrooms and a store, which he hoped would attract people used to camping in the rough. The original campground was an immediate hit and Drum took on two partners and sold franchises all over the country. There are about 500 KOA sites today.

31 Thin nails : BRADS

A brad is a slender wire nail with a relatively small head that is typically used to tack pieces of wood together, i.e. to fasten either temporarily or with minimal damage to the wood. Nowadays, brads are commonly applied using a nail gun.

36 Pulitzer winner Ferber : EDNA

Edna Ferber was a novelist and playwright from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Ferber won a Pulitzer for her novel “So Big”, which was made into a film a few times, most famously in 1953 starring Jane Wyman. Ferber also wrote “Show Boat”, “Cimarron” and “Giant”, which were adapted successfully for the stage and/or big screen.

40 Many an emoji, and a feature of the starred clues and their answers? : FACIAL EXPRESSION

An emoji is a character found on many cell phones that is much like an emoticon, but is more elaborate. The use of emojis originated in 1997 on mobile phones in Japan, and within a few years spread around the world. “Emoji” is a Japanese word meaning “picture word”.

45 Expert in Islamic law : MUFTI

A mufti is a jurist who interprets Islamic law. A nonbinding opinion issued by a mufti is a fatwa.

46 Breakfast brand : EGGO

Eggo is a brand of frozen waffles that was introduced by Kellogg in 1953. The brand experienced a surge in popularity in the 1980s due to a successful ad campaign featuring a family sitting down to breakfast together and enjoying Eggo waffles. The tagline of the commercials, “Leggo my Eggo”, is still recognized today.

48 Sunscreen letters : SPF

Sun protection factor (SPF)

66 Site with tutorials : EHOW

eHow is a how-to website that was founded in 1999. eHow has an awful lot of content but doesn’t do a great job of assessing the value of that content. I wouldn’t recommend it …

67 Water filter brand : BRITA

Brita is a German company that specializes in water filtration products. Brita products do a great job of filtering tap water, but they don’t “purify” it as they don’t remove microbes. That job is usually done by a municipality before the water gets to the faucet.

Down

2 Breakfast brand : MAYPO

Maypo is a brand of instant oatmeal that has maple flavor. Maypo was introduced in 1953, and has had some famous athletes promoting the product over the years. Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain and Johnny Unitas have all been seen on TV exclaiming, “I want my Maypo!”

3 Winter carnival structure : ICE PALACE

An ice palace is a temporary structure, one made from blocks of ice. The first such structure was built on the order of the Empress Anna in Saint Petersburg, Russia in the winter of 1739. That particular ice palace was an elaborate affair, erected during the celebrations following Russia’s victory over the Ottoman Empire. The palace survived for several months, eventually melting at the start of the following summer.

4 Gumshoes : TECS

“Gumshoe” is a slang word used for a private detective or private investigator (P.I.). Apparently the term dates back to the early 1900s, and refers to the rubber-soled shoes popular with private detectives at that time.

5 Latin 101 verb : ERAT

“Esse” is the Latin for “to be”. “Sum” means “I am”, “est” means “he, she is”, and “erat” means “he, she was”.

6 Pelvic bones : SACRA

The sacrum (plural “sacra”) and the two ilia (singular “ileum”) are three bones in the human pelvis.

7 Old anesthetic : ETHER

Ethers are a whole class of organic compounds, but in the vernacular “ether” is specifically diethyl ether. Diethyl ether was once very popular as a general anesthetic.

8 Like potato chips but not mashed potatoes : CRISP

French fries are called “chips” back in Ireland where I grew up. And what we call “chips” in the US are known as “crisps” in Britain and Ireland. In France, French fries are known as “pommes frites” (fried potatoes).

9 Metal derived from cassiterite : TIN

Cassiterite is an ore containing tin oxide, and is the most important source of metallic tin. The ore’s name comes from the Greek “kassiteros” meaning “tin”.

11 Sutures : STITCHES UP

A suture is used to close an open wound. The term “suture” comes from the Latin word “suere” meaning “to sew”, the past participle of which is “sutus”.

12 South American mammal related to the raccoon : COATI

A coati is a member of the raccoon family and is also known as the Brazilian aardvark, or the snookum bear. The coati is native to Central and South America, but can also be found in the southwest of the United States.

13 Pharmaceutical giant : AMGEN

AMGen is a biotechnology company that was founded in 1980 as Applied Molecular Genetics. The company’s headquarters is in Thousand Oaks, California.

22 “You for Me” singer Rita : ORA

Rita Ora is a British singer who was born Rita Sahatçiu in Pristina, Yugoslavia to Albanian parents. The family name “Sahatçiu” comes from a Turkish word meaning “watchmaker”. Rita’s parents changed their name to make it easier to pronounce. So, the family name morphed from “watchmaker” to “time”, which is “ora” in Albanian.

29 Gp. known for travelers’ checks : TSA

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

31 Buddy letters : BFF

Best friend forever (BFF)

32 Issa of “The Photograph” : RAE

“The Photograph” is a 2020 film starring Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield. Rae plays the daughter of a famed photographer (portrayed by Courtney B. Vance), and Stanfield plays a journalist who is investigating the life of her mother. This one is probably best described as a romantic drama, and one I’d like to see one day …

39 Singer-songwriter DiFranco : ANI

Ani DiFranco is a folk-rock singer and songwriter. DiFranco has also been labeled a feminist icon, and in 2006 won the Woman of Courage Award from the National Organization for Women.

41 Amazon’s arrow smile, e.g. : LOGO

Amazon.com introduced its celebrated “smiling” logo in 2000. A clever design, the company name sits above an curved arrow that goes from the first letter “a” to the letter “z”, implying the all-encompassing scope of the merchandise offered by Amazon. That arrow also has the shape of a friendly “smile”. Clever …

42 Texting tech : SMS

Short Message Service (SMS) is the name for the text messaging service that many of us still use on our cell phones to contact friends and family.

47 Hurdle for Ph.D. hopefuls : GRE

Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.

49 Ballet leaps : JETES

In the world of ballet, a dancer performs an entrechat by jumping vertically into the air and rapidly crossing the legs before and behind.

50 Hilo hello : ALOHA

Hilo is the largest settlement on the Big Island of Hawaii, and has a population of over 43,000 (that’s not very many!). I love the Big Island …

51 Inelegant bit of typesetting : WIDOW

In the world of typesetting, a widow is a short line of type, perhaps one that ends a paragraph, but one that spills over onto the next page or column. It’s a no-no as a “widow” looks a little weird sitting there on “her” own.

52 Dilation target : PUPIL

An unnatural constriction of the pupil of an eye is called miosis. Unnatural dilation is known as mydriasis.

53 Place to share pics : INSTA

Instagram (often abbreviated to “Insta”, or “IG”) is a photo-sharing application, one that is extremely popular. Instagram started in San Francisco in 2010. Facebook purchased Instagram two years later, paying $1 billion. The billion-dollar Instagram company had just 13 employees at the time of the sale …

58 Tool for making neat beds : EDGER

That might be a flower bed.

61 Patients’ main MDs : PCPS

Primary care physician (PCP)

62 Pod in Cajun cuisine : OKRA

Cajun cuisine is named for the French-speaking Acadian people who were deported from Acadia in Canada to Louisiana in the 18th century.

65 George Gershwin’s songwriting brother : IRA

Ira Gershwin was the lyricist who worked with his brother George to create such American classics as the songs “I Got Rhythm” and “Someone to Watch Over Me”, as well as the opera “Porgy and Bess”. After George Gershwin died, Ira continued to create great music, and worked with the likes of Jerome Kern and Kurt Weill.

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