Category: Katie Hale

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Constructed by: Katie Hale
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Pulled Rank

Themed answers each hide a military RANK spelled out in circled letters in the grid. Those letters have been PULLED/stretched apart:

• 63A Asserted one’s authority, and what can be found in this puzzle’s circled letters : PULLED RANK

• 18A “I luv u” message holder : CANDY HEART (pulled CADET)
• 25A Textbook dividers : CHAPTER HEADINGS (pulled CAPTAIN)
• 40A Hybrid interactive experience : AUGMENTED REALITY (pulled GENERAL)
• 53A “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” actress : MELISSA JOAN HART (pulled MAJOR)

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

Bill’s time: 8m 30s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

18 “I luv u” message holder : CANDY HEART (pulled CADET)

The forerunner to Sweethearts candy was introduced in 1866, with the famous sayings written on the candy tailored for use at weddings. One of the original expressions was, “Married in pink, he will take a drink”. The original candy was a lot bigger, to fit all those words! The smaller, heart-shaped candy hit the shelves in 1901. We’ve been able to buy Sweethearts with the words “Text me” since 2010.

20 “The Lion King” lion : SIMBA

Among the group of lions at the center of “The Lion King” story, young Simba is the heir apparent and the lion cub destined to take over as leader of the pride. His uncle is jealous of Simba, and plots with a trio of hyenas to kill Simba, so that he can take his position. The uncle was originally named Taka (according to books) but he was given the name Scar after being injured by a buffalo. The trio of hyenas are called Shenzi, Banzai and Ed.

21 Nintendo avatar : MII

Nintendo introduced customizable avatars for the company’s video game consoles starting in 1997. The first customizable avatars for the Wii system were introduced in 2006, and were given the inventive name “Miis”.

40 Hybrid interactive experience : AUGMENTED REALITY (pulled GENERAL)

Augmented reality is reality that has been augmented (duh!), augmented with computer-generated elements. The idea is that one’s digital world interface interacts more closely with a person’s perception of the real world. Augmented reality differs from virtual reality in that the latter presents purely computer-generated content.

48 Hiker’s mix : GORP

“Gorp” is a name sometimes used for trail mix, particularly by hikers. It’s not really known for sure how this name came about, but some say it stands for “good old raisins and peanuts” or perhaps “gobs of raw protein”.

50 Cooling syst. meas. : BTU

In the world of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), the power of a heating or cooling unit can be measured using the British Thermal Unit (BTU). This dated unit is the amount of energy required to heat a pound of water so that the water’s temperature increases by one degree Fahrenheit.

52 “__ Green”: Kermit’s song : BEIN’

“Bein’ Green” is the signature song of Kermit the Frog, Jim Henson’s puppet character that appeared on “Sesame Street” and “The Muppet Show”. The song is also known by the first line “It’s not easy bein’ green”.

53 “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” actress : MELISSA JOAN HART (pulled MAJOR)

Actress Melissa Joan Hart is perhaps best known for portraying the title character on the long-running TV show “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”. Hart was beyond her teenage years when the show first aired in 1996 (she was 20), and the original run lasted for seven years.

58 CIO or CTO : EXEC

Chief information officer (CIO)

Chief technology officer (CTO)

59 Good Charlotte genre : EMO

Good Charlotte is a rock band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. The band creates a bit of a stir offstage in the world of vegetarians. One of the band members was actually named Vegetarian of the Year by PETA a few years ago, and the whole group used to be visible in its support of animal rights. However, in the last couple of years, the Good Charlotte name has become associated with promotions of the Kentucky Fried Restaurant chain of restaurants, leading to some charges of hypocrisy.

61 __ basin : TIDAL

A tidal basin is an area that fills with water at high tide, and then that water level is maintained by artificial means. I used to live in a village on the East Coast of Ireland where there was a saltwater swimming pool that would be filled by the high tide twice a day. The same principle I guess.

69 “__ in Borderland”: manga series : ALICE

“Alice in Borderland” manga sci-fi thriller series that ran in Japan from 2010 to 2016. It was adapted into a live-action TV show that first aired in 2020.

70 Inventor Howe : ELIAS

Elias Howe was an American inventor. Howe wasn’t the first to come up with the idea of a sewing machine, but he was the first to develop one that was functional.

74 Big name in golf equipment : PING

PING is a manufacturer of sports equipment, mainly for golf, that was founded in 1959 as a garage business by an engineer working at General Electric. Karsten Solheim started making putters, and chose the name for his company from the sound made as the metal club struck the ball.

Down

2 Orthodontist’s org. : ADA

American Dental Association (ADA)

Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry dealing with the straightening of teeth. The name comes from the Greek “orthos” meaning “straight” and “dontia” meaning “teeth”.

4 Wall hanging showing 48 states, perhaps : OLD MAP

Alaska became the 49th state to join the United States on January 3rd, 1959. Hawaii became the 50th state just a few months later, on August 21st.

5 Largest island in French Polynesia : TAHITI

Tahiti is the most populous island in French Polynesia, which is located in the central Southern Pacific. Although Captain Cook landed in Tahiti in 1769, he wasn’t the first European to do so. However, Cook’s visit was the most significant in that it heralded a whole spate of European visitors, who brought with them prostitution, venereal disease and alcohol. Included among the subsequent visitors was the famous HMS Bounty under the charge of Captain Bligh.

French Polynesia (Polynésie française) is a vast overseas territory of France that is located in the South Pacific Ocean. It comprises 118 islands and atolls dispersed over 1,609 square miles, the most populous being Tahiti.

6 “__ your words”: toddler parent’s phrase : USE

… and not your fists.

7 Nutritionist’s no. : RDA

Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII, and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.

8 “Sunrise” singer Jones : NORAH

“Sunrise” is a 2004 song co-written and recorded by Norah Jones. It is the lead single from her album “Feels Like Home”. “Sunrise” didn’t do so well, and never made it into the Billboard 100.

12 “The Lion King” meerkat : TIMON

Timon and Pumbaa are a pair of characters in Disney’s 1994 animated film “The Lion King”. Timon is a meerkat, and was voiced by the great Nathan Lane. Pumbaa is a warthog, and was voiced by Ernie Sabella.

19 Puppy plaint : YIP

A plaint is a grouse, a complaint.

23 Chevy SUV : TAHOE

The Chevrolet Tahoe SUV was introduced in 1994. It is based on the same platform as the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, and it shares many of its components. The Tahoe is sold under the Silverado badge in Mexico.

26 __ boson: elementary particle : HIGGS

Particle physics is beyond me, but I do know that bosons are subatomic particles. They can be elementary like photons or composite like mesons, which are composed of one quark and one antiquark. “Bosons” are named for the Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose who developed Bose-Einstein statistics along with Albert Einstein.

27 Q.E.D. center : ERAT

The initialism “QED” is used at the end of a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument. QED stands for the Latin “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “that which was to be demonstrated”.

29 Meyer of “Line of Duty” : DINA

Dina Meyer started her acting career with a recurring role on the TV show “Beverly Hills, 90210”. She then landed the lead female role in the 1995 movie “Johnny Mnemonic”.

“Line of Duty” is a 2019 thriller starring Aaron Eckhart as a cop trying to rescue an 11-year-old girl who was abducted. Australian actress Courtney Eaton plays a woman whose live-streaming news channel broadcasts the cop’s progress. Haven’t seen this one, but it sounds interesting …

35 Marinade in Spanish cooking : ADOBO

In Spanish and Mexican cuisine, a dish prepared adobo-style has been marinated in a mixture containing paprika, oregano, salt, garlic and vinegar. “Adobo” is Spanish for “marinade, seasoning”.

37 Laurie of “Twin Peaks” : PIPER

Piper Laurie garnered three Best Supporting Actress nominations, for her performances in “The Hustler” (1961), “Carrie” (1976) and “Children of a Lesser God” (1986), but was beaten out each time. She eventually won a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe, for portraying the devious and narcissistic Catherine Martell on the TV drama “Twin Peaks” in the early 1990s.

39 Director Coogler : RYAN

Film director Ryan Coogler was at the helm for a string of successful movies early in his career, namely “Fruitvale Station” (2013), “Creed” (2015) and “Black Panther” (2018). Coogler works a lot with actor Michael B. Jordan, who appeared in all of the aforementioned films.

44 Actress Wilson : RITA

Actress Rita Wilson is also a producer. She produced the 2002 movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, which was destined to become the highest-grossing independent movie of all time. Wilson married fellow actor Tom Hanks in 1988.

56 Unit of energy : JOULE

James Joule was an English physicist who spent much of his life working in the family brewing business. Joule used his work in the brewery to study the relationship between heat and mechanical work. In honor of his achievements, his name is used for the unit of energy in the International System of Units (i.e. the joule).

66 Comedian Wong : ALI

Ali Wong is a stand-up comedian from San Francisco who is a protégé of Chris Rock. She made two very successful Netflix stand-up specials “Baby Cobra” and “Hard Knock Wife”. She also worked as a writer for the hit sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat”.

67 Persona __ grata : NON

A persona non grata (plural “personae non gratae”) is someone who is not welcome. The phrase is Latin for “an unacceptable person”. The opposite phrase is “persona grata”, meaning “acceptable person”.