Category: Tom Pepper

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Constructed by: Tom Pepper & Zhouqin Burnikel
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: H₂O

Themed answer are common phrases, but with a letter “H” changed “2” a letter “O”:

• 23A Destroying personal chicken pens? : BUSTING ONE’S COOPS (from “busting one’s chops”)
• 39A Spilling a drink or double-dipping chips? : PARTY OOPS (from “party hops”)
• 58A Exuberant support for Polo? : MARCO MADNESS (from “March Madness”)
• 83A Attendee at an orca training center? : POD CANDIDATE (from “PhD candidate”)
• 97A Cold comfort for a YouTuber? : VIDEO COAT (from “video chat”)
• 118A Relishing every bite of a fluffy French dessert? : LOST IN THE SOUFFLE (from “lost in the shuffle”)
• 41D Grain for one who eats like a horse? : COWBOY OATS (from “cowboy hats”)
• 46D Dirty film at a movie theater? : SCREEN SOOT (from “screenshot”)

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

Bill’s time: 12m 57s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Taj Mahal locale : AGRA

Agra is a medieval city on the banks of the river Yamuna in India that was the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1658. The city is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

• The Taj Mahal: the famous mausoleum built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal.
• Agra Fort: the site where the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond was seized.
• Fatehpur Sikri: a historic city that’s home to well-preserved Mughal architecture.

5 The Bee Gees brothers : GIBBS

The Brothers Gibb (hence, the name “Bee Gees”) were born in England but grew up and started their musical careers in Australia. They moved back to Manchester in the north of England as youths, and there hit the big time.

10 10% church offering : TITHE

Traditionally, a tithe is a payment of one tenth of a person’s annual income and is usually given to a church. Tithing is a practice taught in many traditions, and according to a 2002 survey, about 3% of American adults donate 10% or more of their income to a church.

20 Zhou of China : ENLAI

Zhou Enlai (also “Chou En-lai”) was the first government leader of the People’s Republic of China and held the office of Premier from 1949 until he died in 1976. Zhou Enlai ran the government for Communist Party Leader Mao Zedong, often striking a more conciliatory tone with the West than that of his boss. He was instrumental, for example, in setting up President Nixon’s famous visit to China in 1972. Zhou Enlai died just a few months before Mao Zedong, with both deaths leading to unrest and a dramatic change in political direction for the country.

21 Ventricles’ counterparts : ATRIA

The heart has four chambers. The two upper chambers (the atria) accept deoxygenated blood from the body and oxygenated blood from the lungs. The atria squeeze those blood supplies into the two lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles), “priming” the pump, as it were. One ventricle pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs, and the other pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

22 40th anniversary gem : RUBY

Some traditional gifts for wedding anniversaries are:

• 5th: wooden
• 10th: tin
• 15th: crystal
• 20th: china
• 25th: silver
• 30th: pearl
• 40th: ruby
• 50th: gold
• 60th: diamond

27 Classical theater : ODEON

In ancient Greece, an odeon (also “odeum”) was like a small theater, with “odeon” literally meaning “building for musical competition”. Odea were used in both Greece and Rome for entertainments such as musical shows and poetry readings.

30 Get-together, casually : SESH

Session (abbreviated to “sess.” formally, and “sesh” informally)

31 Import tax : TARIFF

Tariffs are taxes imposed by a government on imported goods or services. They serve several purposes, including protecting domestic industries by making imported goods more expensive, generating revenue for the government, and influencing international trade policy. While tariffs can protect domestic producers from foreign competition, they can also lead to higher prices for consumers and potentially trigger retaliatory tariffs from other countries, leading to trade wars.

33 Reduced to mush : PUREED

A purée is a food that has been made smooth by straining or blending. “Purée” is a French term, which I believe is now used to mean “pea soup” (more completely written as “purée de pois”). The French verb “purer” means “to strain, clean”, from the Latin “purare” meaning “to purify, clean”.

41 Raven’s cry : CAW!

Ravens and crows are very similar species, and it can be difficult to tell them apart. Ravens are a little larger and often travel in pairs, whereas crows are a little smaller and are usually seen in larger groups. Crows make a cawing sound, while the raven’s call is more like a croak.

50 Island farewell : ALOHA

The Hawaiian word “aloha” has many meanings in English: affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. More recently, “aloha” has come to mean “hello” and “goodbye”, but only since the mid-1800s.

52 “Mayfair Witches” network : AMC

“Mayfair Witches” is a supernatural drama TV show based on the Anne Rice novel “Lives of the Mayfair Witches”. Not really my cup of tea …

53 Like a pug’s tail : CURLED

The pug is a dog breed of Chinese origin. Our last family pet was a boxer/pug cross, and was a good-looking mutt!

57 Hawkish : PRO-WAR

The dove is a symbol of peace, and the hawk is a symbol of war.

58 Exuberant support for Polo? : MARCO MADNESS (from “March Madness”)

Marco Polo was a merchant from Venice and a famous traveler throughout Asia. Polo journeyed with his father and uncle on an epic tour of Central Asia and China that lasted 24 years. Marco tends to be the member of the party we remember today though, because it was he who documented their travels in a book called “Il Milione” (usually “The Travels of Marco Polo” in English).

“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”.

61 Copa del Rey cheer : OLE!

The Copa del Rey, meaning “The King’s Cup”, is an annual knockout soccer competition in Spain. Organized by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, it is one of the oldest national football cups in the world, dating back to 1903.

63 Soccer icon Wambach : ABBY

Abby Wambach is a retired professional soccer player who was named FIFA World Player of the Year for 2012. She played for the US national team in all four World tournaments from 2003 to 2015.

65 Internet rabble-rouser : TROLL

In Internet terms, a troll is someone who attempts to disrupt online group activities. The fishing term “troll” is used to describe such a person as he or she throws out off-topic remarks in an attempt to “lure” others into some emotional response. I must admit to feeling sorry for people who have such sad lives …

70 Nabe where one might find tteokbokki : K-TOWN

Koreatown (K-Town)

Tteokbokki is a Korean street food and a staple dish in Korean cuisine. It is a savory and slightly sweet dish featuring chewy cylindrical rice cakes, stir-fried in a spicy sauce made with gochujang (Korean chili paste), gochugaru (chili powder), and other seasonings.

72 Alcohol in windshield wiper fluid : METHYL

Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, is a chemical compound with the formula CH₃OH. It has many uses, including as an antifreeze, solvent, and fuel.

74 Kenyan capital : NAIROBI

Nairobi is the capital and largest city in the African nation of Kenya. The city is named for the Nairobi River, which in turn takes its name from the Maasai “Enkare Nairobi” meaning “Cool Water”. Nairobi was founded in 1899 as a stop on the Kenya-Uganda railroad, at a time when the country was a British colony.

80 The Beatles’ “Back in the __” : USSR

By the time the Beatles recorded “Back in the U.S.S.R”, they were having a lot of problems working with each other. The song was recorded in 1968, with the band formally dissolving in 1970. Tensions were so great during the recording of “Back in the U.S.S.R” that Ringo Starr actually stormed out saying that he had quit, and the remaining three Beatles made the record without Ringo. Drums were played mainly by Paul McCartney, but there are also drum tracks on the final cut by both George Harrison and John Lennon. Interesting, huh?

82 “Discreet Music” artist Brian : ENO

“Discreet Music” is a 1975 studio album released by British musician Brian Eno. The album features music that approaches the “ambient” style for which he later became famous. Eno was inspired to make the album while bedridden in hospital after an automobile accident. He found himself listening to 18th-century harp music repeatedly on a turntable, but could not reach the volume control so that he was forced to listen to it playing very quietly. From this experience, Eno started writing music that was meant to blend in with the background, become part of the ambience.

85 __ skirt : POODLE

Poodle skirts have a solid color with a prominent design on the front. Back in the fifties, a poodle was a popular design to adorn the skirt, hence the name “poodle skirt”.

87 High-tech FX : CGI

Computer-generated imagery (CGI)

“FX” (sometimes “f/x”) is an abbreviation for “effects”, as in “special effects”.

89 Baggage handler : SKYCAP

A skycap is an airport porter, with the name coming from the term “redcap” that is used for a railroad porter.

91 Large deer : MOOSE

The moose is the largest species in the deer family, and can stand almost at 7 feet at the shoulder. Moose are a little unusual in that they are solitary animals, unlike other deers who tend to move in herds. We use the term “moose” here in North America, but confusingly, the same animal is referred to as “elk” in British English.

94 Sashimi fish : AHI

Sashimi is thinly sliced raw fish, although it can also be raw meat. The word “sashimi” translates literally as “pierced body”, which may be a reference to the practice of sticking the tail and fin to sliced fish to identify it.

101 Salt Lake County ski resort : ALTA

Alta ski resort actually lies within the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. The first ski lift in the resort was opened way back in 1939. Today, Alta is one of only three ski resorts in the country that prohibits snowboarding (along with Deer Valley, Utah and Mad River Glen, Vermont). The ski resort of Snowbird, located next to Alta, has been in operation since 1971.

104 Pickleball point starters : SERVES

Pickleball is a sport invented in the 1960s that combines elements of tennis, table tennis and badminton. Originally marketed as a game for children to play in backyards, pickleball is now played on purpose-built courts by many, many adults, but mainly in North and South America.

113 Common blood type, briefly : A-POS

Here is an approximate distribution of blood types across the US population:

• O-positive: 38 percent
• O-negative: 7 percent
• A-positive: 34 percent
• A-negative: 6 percent
• B-positive: 9 percent
• B-negative: 2 percent
• AB-positive: 3 percent
• AB-negative: 1 percent

116 Yoda’s power, with “the” : … FORCE

The Force is a metaphysical power much cited in all of the “Star Wars” movies. We may even hear someone in real life say “May the Force be with you”. Fans of the movie franchise even celebrate May 4th every year as Star Wars Day, using the pun “May the 4th be with you”!

118 Relishing every bite of a fluffy French dessert? : LOST IN THE SOUFFLE (from “lost in the shuffle”)

A soufflé is a French dish that is usually served as a dessert. The verb “souffler” means “to blow, blow up”.

124 Turner of “Rivals” : AIDAN

Irish actor Aidan Turner is best known for playing Kíli in “The Hobbit” series of films, and the title character in the recent BBC adaptation of the “Poldark” series of novels by Winston Graham. Turner grew up in the same suburb of Dublin where I was raised. There’s quite an age gap between me and Turner, and I don’t think I’m “Poldark” material …

“Rivals” is a TV series adapted from the 1988 Jilly Cooper novel of the same name. The story revolves around the rivalry between Rupert Campbell-Black (played by Alex Hassell), a former showjumping champion turned politician, and Tony Baddingham (played by David Tennant), a charismatic television executive. The ensemble cast also includes Aidan Turner (from “Poldark”) and Katherine Parkinson (from “The IT Crowd” and “Doc Martin”). I haven’t seen this one yet, but it’s definitely on my list …

127 Seated twist, e.g. : ASANA

“Asana” is a Sanskrit word that translates literally as “sitting down”. The asanas are the poses that a practitioner of yoga assumes. The most famous is the lotus position, the cross-legged pose called “padmasana”.

Down

2 Mild yellow cheese : GOUDA

Gouda is a cheese that originated in the Dutch city of the same name, although today Gouda is produced all over the world and very little of it comes from the Netherlands. Gouda is often smoke-cured, which gives it a yellowish-brown outer skin and that characteristic smoky taste.

4 Tin mints : ALTOIDS

Altoids breath mints have been around since 1780, when they were introduced in Britain. The famous tin in which Altoids are sold is often reused for other purposes. The most famous use is as a container for a mini-survival kit.

6 Gerund suffix : -ING

A gerund is a form of a verb that can be used as a noun. For example, the gerund of the verb “to solve” is “solving”, as in the phrase “we really enjoyed the solving of the crossword”.

7 __ single : BLOOP

In baseball, a bloop single is more usually called a blooper. It’s a fly ball that drops for a single between an infielder and an outfielder.

9 Romeo follower : SIERRA

In the NATO phonetic alphabet, the letter R is represented by the word “Romeo”, and the letter S by the word “Sierra”.

12 Slacks, slangily : TROU

Trousers are pants, the garment covering the lower body and each leg separately. Ultimately, the word “trousers” evolved from the Erse word “triubhas” that described close-fitting shorts. Back in the 1600s there was a colorful saying:

A jellous wife was like an Irish trouze, alwayes close to a mans tayle

The term “slacks” was introduced in the early 1800s with the meaning “loose trousers”. Those early slacks were part of a military uniform.

17 Bird with a curved bill : IBIS

The ibis is a wading bird that was revered in ancient Egypt. “Ibis” is an interesting word grammatically speaking. You can have one “ibis” or two “ibises”, and then again one has a flock of “ibis”. And if you want to go with the classical plural, instead of two “ibises” you would have two “ibides”!

18 Prometheus, for one : MYTH

In Greek mythology, Prometheus was one of the Titans. He was said to have created man from clay as well as giving fire to humanity, and hence allowing the human race to prosper.

36 Pre-1917 autocrat : TSAR

The year 1917 saw two revolutions in Russia, with the pair collectively called “the Russian Revolution”. As a result of the February Revolution that centered on Petrograd, the last Emperor of Russia (Tsar Nicholas II) abdicated and members of the Imperial parliament took control of the country, forming the Russian Provisional Government. The Provisional Government was itself overthrown in the October Revolution, which was led by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik party.

38 Race named for a Greek battle : MARATHON

The marathon commemorates the legendary messenger-run by Pheidippides from the site of the Battle of Marathon back to Athens, and is run over 26 miles and 385 yards. The first modern Olympic marathon races were run over a distance that approximated the length of the modern-day Marathon-Athens highway, although the actual length of the race varied from games to games. For the 1908 Olympics in London, a course starting at Windsor Castle and ending in front of the Royal Box at White City Stadium was defined. That course was 26 miles and 385 yards, the standard length now used at all Olympic Games. Organizers of subsequent games continued to vary the length of the race, until a decision was made in 1921 to adopt the distance used in London in 1908.

40 Constellation containing Betelgeuse and Rigel : ORION

The very recognizable constellation of Orion is named for the Greek god Orion, the Hunter. If you take a look at the star in Orion’s “right shoulder”, the second brightest star in the constellation, you might notice that it is quite red in color. This is the famous star called Betelgeuse, a red supergiant, a huge star that is on its way out. Betelgeuse is expected to explode into a supernova within the next 100,000 years or so. You don’t want to miss that …

Rigel is the sixth brightest star in the night sky, and the brightest star in the constellation of Orion. If you can imagine the stars in Orion laid out, Rigel is at his left foot. The name “Rigel” is an abbreviated version of the Arabic term for “Left Foot of the Central One”.

42 Starbuck’s boss : AHAB

The most famous whale-hunting ship in fiction has to be Herman Melville’s Pequod, which is featured in his novel “Moby-Dick”. It is skippered by the maniacal Captain Ahab, and the young chief mate is the thoughtful and intellectual Starbuck. Starbuck’s name was lifted and used by the Seattle-based coffee company.

44 __ Club : SAM’S

Sam’s Club is a warehouse club that is owned and operated by Walmart. It is named after the company’s founder Sam Walton. Walton opened the first Sam’s Club in 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma.

45 Menotti’s shepherd boy : AMAHL

Composer Gian Carlo Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors” has a special place in the repertoire, in that it is the first opera specifically composed for American television. It was commissioned by NBC and had its debut at the NBC studios in Rockefeller Center on Christmas Eve, 1951. In today’s world of commercially-driven television, I can’t imagine a network commissioning a classical work …

48 Letters before a recap : TL;DR

Too long, didn’t read (TL;DR)

53 Welsh herding dog : CORGI

The Welsh corgi is a herding dog that originated in Britain, with two recognized breeds: the Pembroke and Cardigan. Corgis aren’t fast enough to do their job by running around livestock like collies, and instead nip at the heels. “Corgi” is Welsh for “dwarf dog”.

54 Mushroom in bulgogi hot pot : ENOKI

Bulgogi, meaning “fire meat”, is a popular dish of marinated and grilled thinly sliced beef or pork in Korean cuisine. While bulgogi has ancient Korean roots, its modern popularity in South Korea is largely attributed to North Korean refugees after the Korean War. These refugees, particularly those from the Pyongan Province, brought their bulgogi recipes and techniques south.

55 Muscle used in lateral raises : DELT

The deltoid “muscle” is actually a group of muscles, the ones that cover the shoulder and create the roundness under the skin. The deltoids (delts) are triangular in shape resembling the Greek letter delta, hence the name.

57 Cacio e __: pasta dish : PEPE

Cacio e pepe is a pasta dish that originated in Rome. The dish’s name can be translated from Italian dialects as “cheese and pepper”. The recipe is quite simple, comprising grated Pecorino Romano cheese, black pepper and spaghetti.

59 Baseless rumors : CANARDS

“Canard” is the French word for “duck”. We use the term to describe a hoax or a misleading rumor. This usage comes from a phrase used in French that translates as “to half-sell a duck”, meaning “to cheat”.

62 Don Quixote’s home : LA MANCHA

La Mancha is a region in Spain, a plateau lying south of Madrid. The area became especially famous after the publication of the novel “Don Quixote de La Mancha” by Miguel de Cervantes.

75 Lawn bowling game : BOCCE

The Italian bowling game of bocce (often anglicized as “bocci” or “boccie”) is based on a game played in ancient Rome. “Bocce” is the plural of the Italian word “boccia” meaning “bowl”.

77 Dasani competitor : NAYA

The Naya brand of bottled water uses a spring in the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec as its source. Bottled water; don’t get me going …

79 Time to give up? : LENT

In Latin, the Christian season that is now called “Lent” was termed “quadragesima” (meaning “fortieth”), a reference to the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his public ministry. When the church began its move in the Middle Ages towards using the vernacular, the term “Lent” was introduced. “Lent” comes from “lenz”, the German word for “spring”.

80 South Indian semolina porridge : UPMA

Upma (sometimes “uppittu”) is a South Indian breakfast dish made from semolina. The semolina is typically roasted and then cooked with vegetables like onions, carrots, and peas, along with spices such as mustard seeds, cumin, and curry leaves.

86 Jeans pioneer Strauss : LEVI

Levi Strauss was granted a patent in the 1870s for the use of copper rivets to reinforce points of strain on clothes made from denim. Patent protection expired in 1890, and at that point the company designated its rivet-reinforced overalls as “lot no. 501”. That number is still being used over a century later.

88 2,240 pounds : GROSS TON

Here in the US, a ton is equivalent to 2,000 pounds. In the UK, a ton is 2,240 pounds. The UK unit is sometimes referred to as an Imperial ton, long ton or gross ton. Folks over there refer to the US ton then as a short ton. To further complicate matters, there is also a metric ton or tonne, which is equivalent to 2,204 pounds. Personally, I wish we’d just stick to kilograms …

92 Super Bowl commercials, e.g. : AD SPOTS

The Super Bowl is used for high-profile advertising because of the high viewership numbers. For example, Super Bowl XLIX (2015) had an average audience of 114 million viewers, making it the most-watched American TV program in history.

93 Existentialist Kierkegaard : SOREN

Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher and theologian, and I’ve never really understood anything that he wrote!

98 Torino locale : ITALIA

Turin (“Torino” in Italian) is a major city in the north of Italy that sits on the Po River. Back in 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was formed, Turin was chosen as the first capital of the country.

99 Incarnation of Shiva : 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.

Shiva (also “Siva”) is one of the major deities of the Hindu tradition, and is known as the destroyer of evil and the transformer. Shiva is also part of the Hindu trinity known as the Trimurti, along with Brahma and Vishnu.

103 Bizarro : WEIRD

“Bizarre” is a French word, one with the same meaning in English. However, back in the 16th century, “bizarre” used to mean “handsome, brave” in French. I guess that’s what my wife means when she refers to me as “bizarre” or “bizarro” …

108 Brilliant display : ECLAT

“Éclat” can describe a brilliant show of success, as well as the applause or accolade that one receives for that success. The word “éclat” derives from the French “éclater” meaning “to splinter, burst out”.

114 Peak in Thessaly : OSSA

Mount Ossa in Greece is located between Mount Pelion in the south, and the famed Mount Olympus in the north. Mount Ossa is also known as Kissavos.

The region of Greece known as Thessaly used to be called Aeolia, and appears in Homer’s “Odyssey” under the latter name.

119 Cookbook writer Garten : INA

Ina Garten is an author as well as the host of a cooking show on the Food Network called “Barefoot Contessa”. She is a mentee of Martha Stewart, and indeed was touted as a potential “successor” to the TV celebrity when Stewart was incarcerated in 2004 after an insider trading scandal. Garten has no formal training as a chef, and indeed used to work as a nuclear policy analyst at the White House!