Category: Katie Hale

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Constructed by: Amanda Cook & Katie Hale
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Finish Growing Flora

Themed answers each end with a form of vegetation, growing in size as we descend the grid:

• 17A Potential March Madness bracket buster : SIXTEEN SEED
• 25A Hair coloring technique with an ombre effect : SHADOW ROOT
• 37A Mind-body connector : BRAIN STEM
• 51A Electrifying industrial facility : POWER PLANT
• 60A “Black Hole Sun” grunge band : SOUND GARDEN

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

Bill’s time: 6m 11s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Girl Scout sash addition : BADGE

The Girl Guides of America organization was founded in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia. That first meeting formed a troop consisting of eighteen girls. There are now almost 4 million girl scouts. Just one year after its formation, the group changed its name to the Girl Scouts of the United States and moved its headquarters to Washington, D.C.

11 Flamenco cry : OLE!

Flamenco is a style of Spanish music and dance. The origin of the word “flamenco” isn’t clearly understood, but the explanation that seems most credible to me is that it comes from Flanders in Northern Europe. Given that “flamenco” is the Spanish word for “Flemish” and Flanders is home to the Flemish people it makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

16 “Industry Baby” rapper Lil __ X : NAS

“Lil Nas X” is the stage name of rapper Montero Lamar Hill. He was born and raised just outside of Atlanta. His first hit was “Old Town Road”, which is classified as country rap.

17 Potential March Madness bracket buster : SIXTEEN SEED

“Bracketology” is a term used to describe the process of predicting which college basketball teams will advance in a bracket in the annual NCAA Basketball Tournament. President Barack Obama famously participates in an ESPN segment called “Baracketology” in which he predicts the outcome of the tournament, game by game.

“March Madness” is the name given to the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Championship (among others), that is held in the spring each year. Another name is “the Big Dance”.

19 Egyptian viper : ASP

The Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) is also known as the asp. That said, the term “asp” can apply to several species of snake, including the Egyptian cobra. Legend has it that Cleopatra committed suicide by enticing an asp to bite her. If that’s true, then that asp was probably an Egyptian cobra.

23 Pilates surface : MAT

Pilates is a physical exercise system developed by, and named for, Joseph Pilates. Pilates introduced his system of exercises in 1883 in Germany.

25 Hair coloring technique with an ombre effect : SHADOW ROOT

The shadow root technique used to color hair results in the hair’s roots being darker than the ends, with a gradual transition from one tone to the other.

29 “Gossip Girl” steps location : THE MET

In the TV show “Gossip Girl”, the high schoolers around whom the show is based often have lunch together on the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

“Gossip Girl” is a teen drama TV show that originally aired from 2007 to 2012. It is based on the series of young adult novels of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. Both the show and novels are about a group of privileged high schoolers in New York City. The exploits of the teens are chronicled by an unknown gossip blogger, hence the title.

32 Cooks (up), as grub : RUSTLES

To rustle up or scare up something is to find it by searching, by using some effort.

34 Flying formations : VEES

Apparently, birds that fly in a V-formation do so for a couple of reasons. One is that it makes for efficient flight and conserves energy. The leading bird gets no advantage, but every following bird gets to “slipstream” a little. It has been noted that the lead bird drops to the back of the formation when he/she gets fatigued. It’s also thought that the flock can stick together more easily when in formation, so it is more difficult to lose someone along the way.

36 “Frozen” princess : ELSA

“Frozen” is a 2013 animated feature from Walt Disney Studios that is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Snow Queen”. The film is all about the exploits of Princess Anna, the younger sister of Elsa, Snow Queen of Arendelle. Elsa was originally intended to be a villain, a malicious and power-hungry character. By the final version of the film, Elsa had transformed from a one-dimensional villain into a fully fleshed-out protagonist.

37 Mind-body connector : BRAINSTEM

The brainstem is the small part of the brain that connects to the spinal cord. It comprises three parts: the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata.

43 JPEG alternatives : PNGS

Portable Network Graphics (PNG) is a popular image file format that supports lossless compression, meaning it retains all the image data and quality even after compression. PNG files were developed to replace GIF files, which have a limited color palette.

44 Prefix with scope or soft : MICRO-

Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen met and became friends in high school. Gates was three years younger than Allen, but the pair gravitated towards each other due to a shared interest in computers. One of their first programming projects was to create a computerized version of tic-tac-toe, which they did together on a time-shared computer that was donated to the school by the Mothers’ Association. The two parted company when they graduated and went to different colleges, Allen to Washington State and Gates to Harvard. Allen dropped out of school to start work as a programmer, and he later convinced Gates to drop out of Harvard so that they could create Microsoft.

55 1950s sitcom name : DESI

Desi Arnaz was famous for his turbulent marriage to Lucille Ball. Arnaz was a native of Cuba, and was from a privileged family. His father was Mayor of Santiago and served in the Cuban House of Representatives. However, the family had to flee to Miami after the 1933 revolt led by Batista.

60 “Black Hole Sun” grunge band : SOUNDGARDEN

Soundgarden was a rock band formed in 1984 by drummer Chris Cornell and guitarist Kim Thayil. They were active from 1984 through 1997, and again from 2010 through 2018. The band’s name came from an outdoor public art work called “A Sound Garden” that can be seen on the campus of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Seattle. After Soundgarden’s co-founder Cornell committed suicide in 2017, the NOAA’s Sound Garden became a makeshift memorial to the singer.

65 Modernist architect who lived to be 102 : PEI

Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei was raised in Shanghai. He moved to the US to study architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Although he transferred soon after to MIT. The list of his designs includes the John F. Kennedy Library in Massachusetts, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, and the celebrated glass-and-steel pyramid in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Pei passed away in 2019, at 102 years of age.

66 Hebrew prophet : HOSEA

Hosea was one of the Twelve Prophets of the Hebrew Bible. The Twelve Prophets are also known as the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament in the Christian Bible.

67 Actress Mary Tyler __ : MOORE

In the world of entertainment, actress Mary Tyler Moore was perhaps best known for her leading roles in “The Dick Van Dyke Show” in the sixties, and in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the seventies. She also actively supported several social causes, including advocating for juvenile diabetes awareness, animal rights and vegetarianism.

68 ID on an I-9 form : SSN

Form I-9 is used by the federal government to verify the identity of an employee and confirm that the person has authorization to work in the US.

Down

1 __ Vegas : LAS

Las Vegas is known as the Marriage Capital of the World due to the incredibly high number of weddings that take place there. Historically, the marriage “frenzy” started when it became relatively easy to get a marriage license, and when wedding ceremonies could be performed for a nominal fee.

2 “Moonlight” actor Mahershala : ALI

Mahershala Ali is an actor and sometime rapper. Among the more memorable roles Ali has had are lobbyist Remy Danton in TV’s “House of Cards”, and Colonel Boggs in “The Hunger Games” series of movies. He also won Best Supporting Actor Oscars for playing Juan in the 2016 drama “Moonlight”, and Dr. Don Shirley in 2018’s “Green Book”.

3 Basic foxtrot move : BOX STEP

In dance, a box step is a step that creates a square or box pattern on the floor. The box step features in several ballroom dances including the rumba and waltz.

The foxtrot is smooth and flowing like a waltz, but in 4/4 time as opposed to 3/4. The dance is named for the vaudeville dancer Harry Fox, who popularized it in the early 1900s.

6 Banana buy : BUNCH

The banana is actually a berry, botanically speaking. And, bananas don’t really grow on trees. The “trunk” of the banana plant is in fact a pseudostem. The pseudostem is a false stem comprising rolled bases of leaves, and it can grow to 2 or 3 meters tall.

8 Invoice word : DUE

An invoice is an itemized bill. The term “invoice” comes from the Middle French “envois” meaning “dispatch (of goods)”. The root verb is “envoyer”, which translates as “to send”.

9 Future MBA’s exam : GRE

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

12 Ropes at the rodeo : LASSOES

Our English word “lasso” comes from the Spanish “lazo”, and ultimately from the Latin “laqueum” meaning “noose, snare”.

22 Twin sister of Apollo : ARTEMIS

Artemis was an ancient Greek goddess, and the equivalent of the Roman goddess Diana. Artemis was also a daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. Among other things, she was the goddess of the hunt, and so often is depicted carrying a bow and arrows.

23 “The Hills” airer : MTV

“The Hills” is an MTV reality show that follows the life of a Laguna Beach High School graduate as she pursues a career in the fashion industry. The graduate is Lauren Conrad, who was one of the students who were followed in the precursor reality show “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County”.

24 “Eureka!” : AHA!

“Eureka” translates from Greek as “I have found it”. The word is usually associated with Archimedes, uttered as he stepped into his bath one day. His discovery was that the volume of water that was displaced was equal to that of the object (presumably his foot) that had been submerged. He used this fact to determine volume (and density) of a crown, something he needed in order to determine if it was made of pure gold or was a forgery.

28 PreCheck org. : TSA

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operates its precheck program known as “TSA Pre✓” (or “TSA PreCheck”). Members of the program receive expedited screening at most airports. In order to become a member, a traveler must apply online, appear in person at a designated office for a background check and fingerprinting, and pay a fee for a 5-year membership.

30 Alexander Calder sculptures : MOBILES

Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist. Calder is famous for having invented the mobile sculpture, a work made up of several pieces hanging on a string in equilibrium. In effect they are what we might know as “mobiles”, operating on the same principle as mobiles that sit over cribs in a nursery. Calder refers to his large, stationary sculptures as “stabiles”.

34 Pressed music medium : VINYL

Strictly speaking, the term “vinyl” describes the ethenyl functional group (-CH=CH₂) found in some organic chemicals. Perhaps the most often encountered example of such a chemical is vinyl chloride, a chemical used to produce the polymer polyvinyl chloride. The name “vinyl” was coined in 1851 by German chemist Hermann Kolbe. He chose the term because the vinyl group is closely related to ethyl alcohol, and “vinum” is Latin for “wine”. Cheers …

35 2023 World Cup finalists, briefly : ENG

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship was hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand, making it the first Women’s World Cup held in the Southern Hemisphere. Australia made it to the semi-final round, losing 3-1 to England. That match was the most watched television broadcast in Australian history. England then lost 1-0 to Spain in the final.

41 Udon and soba : NOODLES

Soba is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. In Japan, the word “soba” tends to describe any thin noodle, in contrast with the thicker noodle called “udon”.

45 Snack on a stick : CORN DOG

The hot dog on a stick (corn dog) dates back at least to 1947, and probably earlier. The name corn dog comes from the corn batter around the hot dog, and its resemblance on the stick to an ear of corn.

46 Baseball Hall of Famer Campanella : ROY

Roy Campanella was a Major League Baseball player considered by many to have been one of the greatest catchers the game has ever seen. Campanella played for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the forties and fifties and was a pioneer in breaking the color barrier as he started out playing in the Negro Leagues. Sadly, he was paralyzed in a car accident when in his late thirties and so his career was tragically cut short.

47 Top Billboard spot : ONE

“Billboard” was founded way back in 1894 as a trade magazine for the advertising and bill posting industry. The editorial focus gradually moved towards music as phonographs, radios and the recorded music business took off in the early part of the 20th century. “Billboard” published its first “music hit parade” 1936, and is now famous for its collection of lists that track music sales.

49 Country singer Yearwood : TRISHA

Trisha Yearwood is an American country music singer. She was discovered by the man who is now her third husband, country music legend Garth Brooks.

52 67-Across co-star : ASNER
[67A Actress Mary Tyler __ : MOORE]

Ed Asner was most famous for playing the irascible but lovable Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and on the spin-off drama “Lou Grant”. Off-screen Asner was noted for his political activism. He served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and was very involved in the 1980 SAG strike. When “Lou Grant” was canceled in 1982, despite decent ratings, there was a lot of talk that the cancellation was a move by the network against Asner personally. In fact, one of Asner’s activist colleagues, Howard Hesseman (who played Johnny Fever) found that his show “WKRP in Cincinnati” was also canceled … on the very same day.

57 __ Sutra : KAMA

The “Kama Sutra” is renowned for its descriptions of positions that can be used for sexual intercourse, but the sutra includes many other texts that deal with various matters of a sexual nature, including how to woo a woman, the conduct of a “chief wife”, the conduct of “other wives”, how to make money as a courtesan, and much more.

58 Word with Man or Maiden : IRON …

Iron Man is another comic book superhero, this one created by Stan Lee for Marvel Comics. The character is the alter ego of Tony Stark, and has become very famous in recent years since the appearance of the 2008 action movie “Iron Man” starring Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role. Iron Man’s love interest, Pepper Potts, is routinely played by Gwyneth Paltrow in the same series of films.

Iron Maiden is a heavy metal band from London that has been around since 1975. Heavy metal – not really my cup of tea …

61 Alley-__ pass : OOP

An alley-oop is a play in basketball in which one player lobs the ball close to the basket for a teammate who usually scores with a slam dunk.

62 Mex. and Can. 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.

The US-Canada border is the longest international border in the world. The total length is 5,525 miles. Canada’s border with the lower 48 states is 3,987 miles long, and the border with Alaska extends 1,538 miles.

63 Triage sites, briefly : ERS

Triage is the process of prioritizing patients for treatment, especially on the battlefield. The term “triage” is French and means “sorting”.

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