Category: Mat Holmes

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Constructed by: Mat Holmes

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Scare Quotes

Themed answers are all famous QUOTES from SCARY movies:

62A Punctuation that expresses skepticism, or what the answers to the starred clues may be called? : SCARE QUOTES

• 18A *”The Shining” : HERE’S JOHNNY
• 27A *”Frankenstein” : IT’S ALIVE
• 39A *”The Sixth Sense” : I SEE DEAD PEOPLE
• 53A *”Saw” : GAME OVER

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

Bill’s time: 6m 27s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A “__ luego” : HASTA

“Hasta luego” translates literally from Spanish as “until later”, and is used to say “see you later”.

11A Starboard’s opposite : PORT

The left side of a ship used to be called the “larboard” side, but this was dropped in favor of “port” as the pronunciation of “larboard” was easily confused with “starboard”, the right side of the vessel. The term “port” was chosen as it was customary to dock a ship, for loading in port, with the left side of the vessel against the dock.

The starboard side of a ship is her right side. “Starboard” is a term that comes from the Old English “steorbord” meaning “side on which a vessel was steered”. Apparently, old Germanic peoples constructed boats that were habitually propelled and steered by a paddle on the right side.

15A “Stolen Car” singer Beth : ORTON

Beth Orton is a musician from England whose music combines elements of electronica and folk music, referred to as “folktronica”.

16A Fast-food item celebrated with multiple farewell tours : MCRIB

The McDonald’s McRib sandwich is based on a pork patty. There isn’t any pork rib in the patty though. It is primarily made up of pork shoulder meat.

18A *”The Shining” : HERE’S JOHNNY

“Here’s Johnny!” is a famous line spoken by a crazed Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) as he chops through a bathroom door in “The Shining”. The film is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. I haven’t seen the whole movie because I can’t cope with Stephen King stories …

21A Burma’s first prime minister : U NU

U Nu was the first Prime Minister of Burma, in office from 1948 until 1956. Who knew …? (that’s a lame play on “U Nu”, apologies).

23A Wolfgang Puck restaurant : SPAGO

Wolfgang Puck is a celebrity chef from Austria. Puck is the man behind the famous pair of restaurants in Southern California called “Spago”. The name “Spago” is the Italian word for “string, twine”. It was chosen because it is also a slang term for “spaghetti”.

25A Large agricultural knife : MACHETE

A machete is a large knife, one usually 13-18 inches long. The term “machete” is the diminutive of “macho” meaning “hammer, sledgehammer”.

27A *”Frankenstein” : IT’S ALIVE

The classic 1931 film “Frankenstein” is based on the Mary Shelley novel of the same name, and stars Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein and Boris Karloff as the Monster. Bela Lugosi was offered the role of Henry Frankenstein first, and then was recast as the Monster. Lugosi tried working with the Monster role but eventually bowed out. Many say that the decision to leave was one of the worst of Lugosi’s career.

30A Toffee candy bar : SKOR

The candy bar named “Skor” is produced by Hershey’s. “Skor” is Swedish for “shoes”, and the candy bar’s wrapping features a crown that is identical to that found in the Swedish national emblem. What shoes have to do with candy, I don’t know …

31A Formula One event : RACE

In motor racing, the designation “formula” is a set of rules that all participants and cars must abide by. The definition of “Formula One” was agreed back in 1946, with the “one” designating that it is the most advanced of the “formulae”, and the most competitive.

33A Chatty starlings : MYNAS

Some species of myna (also “mynah”) birds are known for their ability to imitate sounds.

34A UFC sport : MMA

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport in which competitors use a variety of techniques from a variety of traditional combat sports and martial arts.

38A “The Simpsons” creator Groening : MATT

Matt Groening is a cartoonist. He created two successful animated shows for television, namely “The Simpsons” and “Futurama” (neither of which I really appreciate, and I think that’s my fault).

39A *”The Sixth Sense” : I SEE DEAD PEOPLE

“The Sixth Sense” is a fabulous 1999 film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I remember watching “The Sixth Sense” for the first time on an airplane (in the days when everyone in the cabin watched the same movie at the same time). Shyamalan wasn’t well known for his famous surprise endings to films at that point. It was very gratifying to hear my fellow passengers join me in a big “gasp” at the appropriate point in the story …

43A Laryngitis docs : ENTS

The suffix “-itis” is used to denote inflammation, as in laryngitis (inflammation of the larynx), otitis (inflammation of the ear), tendinitis (inflammation of a tendon), tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils) and sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses).

44A Tubular pasta : ZITI

Cylindrical pasta is known in general as “penne”, and there are many variants. For example, ziti is a particularly large and long tube with square-cut ends. “Penne” is the plural of “penna”, the Italian for “feather, quill”.

45A Tire gauge meas. : PSI

Pounds per square inch (PSI) is a measure of pressure.

48A South African currency : RAND

The rand is the currency of South Africa. Much of South Africa’s famed gold comes from mines around Johannesburg in the Witwatersrand (Afrikaans for “the ridge of white waters”). The rand currency takes its name from this ridge.

53A *”Saw” : GAME OVER

The “Saw” franchise of movies is gruesome in the extreme. I’ve only seen a few minutes of “Saw” footage (accidentally). The storylines center on imprisoned victims who are faced with having to mutilate themselves in order to escape. Ugh …

58A One of music’s Allman Brothers : DUANE

The Allman Brothers Band has to be one of the most unlucky groups in the business. Soon after the group had its big break with the 1971 album “At Fillmore East”, one of the two Allman brothers, Duane, was killed in a motorcycle accident. One year later, bassist Berry Oakley was killed, also in a motorcycle accident. The other brother, Gregg Allman, passed away in his home in 2017.

59A Stipulation for some parties, briefly : BYOB

Bring Your Own Beer/Bottle/Booze (BYOB, and sometimes just “BYO”)

60A Metallic lode : ORE

A lode is a metal ore deposit that’s found between two layers of rock or in a fissure. The mother lode is the principal deposit in a mine, usually of gold or silver. “Mother lode” is probably a translation of “veta madre”, an expression used in mining in Mexico.

62A Punctuation that expresses skepticism, or what the answers to the starred clues may be called? : SCARE QUOTES

I must admit, I probably overuse scare quotes in this blog. Scare quotes are quotation marks placed around a word or phrase implying a non-standard usage. Yes, a “non-standard” usage …

66A Rock’s Mötley __ : CRUE

Mötley Crüe is an American rock band from Los Angeles. They’ve been around since 1981, co-founded by the famous drummer Tommy Lee. Tommy Lee is also known for his two celebrated marriages, the first with Heather Locklear and the second with Pamela Anderson. The name “Mötley Crüe” was chosen as someone once described the band members as a “motley looking crew”. The spelling was made to look a little more exotic, with the umlauts added over the “o” and “u” one day, as the band were drinking bottles of “Löwenbräu” beer!

67A Pisa landmark : TOWER

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. It is known for its nearly four-degree lean, which is caused by an unstable foundation. The tower was built in the 12th century and began to lean during construction. The lean worsened over time, and by the 1990s, the tower was at risk of collapse with a lean of 5½ degrees. A major stabilization project was undertaken in the 1990s, which reduced the lean to 3.97 degrees.

69A Cold War initials : USSR

The term “Cold War” was popularized by novelist George Orwell in a 1945 essay about the atomic bomb. Orwell described a world under threat of nuclear war as having a “peace that is no peace”, in a permanent state of “cold war”. The specific use of “cold war” to describe the tension between the Eastern bloc and the Western allies is attributed to a 1947 speech by Bernard Baruch, adviser to Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

70A Crock-Pot concoctions : STEWS

We often use the term “crockpot” as an alternative for “slow cooker”. The generic term comes from the trademark “Crock-Pot”, which is now owned by Sunbeam products.

71A Hops-drying ovens : OASTS

An oast is a kiln used for drying hops as part of the brewing process. Such a structure might also be called an “oast house” or “hop kiln”. The term “oast” can also apply to a kiln used to dry tobacco.

Down

2D Big concert venues : ARENAS

Our term “arena” comes from the Latin “harena”, describing a place of combat. Originally “harena” was used for “sand” or “sandy place”. Those Ancient Roman places of combat were covered with sand to soak up blood.

7D Ibuprofen target : ACHE

The drug ibuprofen was discovered in 1961 by Dr. Stewart Adams and John Nicholson at the Boots Pure Drug Company in the UK, and initially developed as a safer alternative to aspirin for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Adams famously tested the compound’s pain-relieving powers by taking an early 600mg dose to cure his own hangover prior to a major pharmaceutical speech!

9D Diarist Anaïs : NIN

Anaïs Nin was a French author who was famous for the journals that she wrote for over sixty years from the age of 11 right up to her death. Nin also wrote highly regarded erotica and cited D. H. Lawrence as someone from whom she drew inspiration. Nin was married to banker and artist Hugh Parker Guiler in 1923. Decades later in 1955, Nin married former actor Rupert Pole, even though she was still married to Guiler. Nin and Pole had their marriage annulled in 1966, but just for legal reasons, and they continued to live together as husband and wife until Nin passed away in 1977.

11D Elite wheelchair rugby player, maybe : PARALYMPIAN

The Winter and Summer Paralympic Games grew out of a gathering of British disabled WWII veterans that coincided with 1948’s Summer Olympic Games. The first official Paralympic Games was held in Rome in 1960.

24D Nonstick spray brand : PAM

PAM cooking spray was introduced in 1961 by Leon Rubin and Arthur Meyerhoff. The name “PAM” is an acronym … standing for “Product of Arthur Meyerhoff”. Who’d a thunk it …?

28D U. of Maryland athlete : TERP

The sports teams of the University of Maryland (UMD) are called the Maryland Terrapins, or “Terps” for short. The name dates back to 1932 when it was coined by the university’s president at the time, Curley Byrd. He took the name from the diamondback terrapins that are native to the Chesapeake Bay.

32D Online representative : AVATAR

The Sanskrit word “avatar” describes the concept of a deity descending into earthly life and taking on a persona. It’s easy to see how in the world of online presences one might use the word avatar to describe one’s online identity.

35D Woodworking tool that resembles an axe : ADZ

An adze (also “adz”) is similar to an ax, but is different in that the blade of an adze is set at right angles to the tool’s shaft. An ax blade is set in line with the shaft.

39D Space trailer of the 1970s and ’80s? : INVADERS

Space Invaders is one of my favorite video games. It is truly a classic from the good old days (not that I play video games anymore).

41D Word on Irish stamps : EIRE

There are only two sovereign nations named for a female. The island country of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean was named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse. The island country of Ireland (“Éire” in Irish) was named for the goddess Ériu from Irish mythology.

42D Dish whose name means “bone with a hole” in Italian : OSSO BUCO

Osso buco is a traditional Italian dish that is typically made with veal shanks that are braised with vegetables and herbs. The name “osso buco” means “bone with a hole” in Italian, which refers to the marrow-filled bone in the center of the veal shank. The marrow is considered a delicacy and is often scooped out and served with the dish.

43D Brain test letters : EEG

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of electrical activity caused by the firing of neurons within the brain. The EEG might be used to diagnose epilepsy, or perhaps to determine if a patient is “brain dead”.

51D Fed. bench nine : SCOTUS

The US Constitution doesn’t specify the size of the Supreme Court, but authorizes the Congress to determine the number of justices. The court started with six justices in 1789, and the size of the bench grew with the size of the country and the number of judicial circuits. There were as many as ten justices, from 1863 to 1866. There have been nine justices since 1869.

56D __ au vin : COQ

The French word “coq” actually means rooster, but a more tender bird is usually chosen for the classic French dish “coq au vin”. The most common wine used for the “vin” is burgundy, but sometimes another red wine is chosen, and you can also find on a menu “coq au Champagne” and “coq au Riesling”.

61D CGI-heavy superhero franchise : MCU

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

Marvel Comics was founded in 1939 as Timely Comics, before becoming Atlas Comics in 1951 and eventually Marvel Comics in 1961. The “Marvel” brand had existed from day one, and Timely Comics’ first publication was “Marvel Comics #1” in October 1939. That first comic featured the superhero the Human Torch.

65D __ pro nobis : ORA

“Ora pro nobis” translates from Latin as “pray for us”. It is a common phrase used in the Roman Catholic tradition and is often shortened to “OPN”.