Category: Victoria Fernandez Grande

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Constructed by: Victoria Fernandez Grande

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Parting Words

Themed answers each include the word “WORDS”, PARTED (split) between the start and end of the answer:

• 57A Goodbyes, or what 20-, 33-, and 41-Across are doing? : PARTING WORDS

• 20A Jocular term for some close colleagues : WORK HUSBANDS
• 33A Achievements tracked by Guinness : WORLD RECORDS
• 41A Practice weapons that may be made of hickory : WOODEN SWORDS

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

Bill’s time: 6m 34s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

15A Nashville’s Grand Ole __ : OPRY

The Grand Ole Opry started out as a radio show in 1925 originally called the WSM “Barn Dance”. In 1927, the “Barn Dance” radio show was broadcast in a slot after an NBC production called “Musical Appreciation Hour”, a collection of classical works including Grand Opera. In a December show, the host of “Barn Dance” announced, “For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the ‘Grand Ole Opry'”. That name was used for the radio show from then on.

18A Prickly __ cactus : PEAR

A prickly pear is the edible fruit of the Opuntia cactus, named for its pear-shape and spiny skin. The juicy flesh has a flavor often compared to that of a watermelon-bubblegum cross. Before eating, the fruit’s tiny spines (called glochids) must be removed carefully to allow the thick skin to be peeled away.

23A Cosmetics company that owns CeraVe : L’OREAL

CeraVe is a skin care brand owned by L’Oréal. The name “CeraVe” is a direct nod to the brand’s formula and science. “Cera” stands for “ceramides”, lipids that help the skin retain moisture. “Ve” refers to their “MVE” (Multivesicular Emulsion) delivery technology. Apparently, this system acts like a time-release capsule, slowly dispensing the ceramides throughout the day to keep the skin barrier protected long after application. Means nothing to me …

24A Logan Roy’s daughter on “Succession,” familiarly : SHIV

In the comedy-drama show “Succession”, patriarch Logan Roy has one daughter. Her name is Siobhan (my favorite Irish name!), and she goes by the nickname “Shiv”. Shiv is played by Australian actress Sarah Snook.

29A Chocolate or yellow pooch : LAB

The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814. The breed comes in three registered colors: black, yellow and chocolate.

33A Achievements tracked by Guinness : WORLD RECORDS

The Guinness Book of World Records is the best-selling copyrighted book series of all time, and is one of the most frequently stolen books from public libraries. It was first published in 1954, compiled by twins Norris and Ross McWhirter, who later became famous in Britain for hosting a TV show about world records. The book was conceived by Sir Hugh Beaver, the managing director of Guinness Brewery, as a way to settle pub arguments and promote the Guinness brand.

40A In a frenzy : AMOK

The phrase “to run amok” (sometimes “to run amuck”) has been around since the 1670s and is derived from the Malay word for “attacking furiously”, “amuk”. The word “amok” was also used as a noun to describe Malay natives who were “frenzied”. Given Malaya’s troubled history, the natives probably had a good reason for that frenzy …

55A Interstellar cloud : NEBULA

In astronomical terms, a nebula is a cloud of dust and ionized gases (“nebula” is the Latin for “cloud”). Many nebulae form as gases collapse in on themselves under the influence of enormous gravitational forces. Ultimately these collapses can result in the creation of new stars.

59A Apple beverage : CIDER

The term “cider” is used in most English-speaking countries to describe the alcoholic drink made from fermented apple juice. Here in the US, we often use the term to describe sweetened, unfiltered apple juice, and use “hard cider” to describe the alcoholic beverage. So in Britain and Ireland, beware of what you order …

62A Sandwich cookie with many limited-edition flavors : OREO

Starting in the early 2010s, Oreo cookies were produced in limited edition runs, many of which were very, very popular. Some examples are:

• Birthday Cake: to celebrate Oreo’s 100th birthday
• Fruity Crisp: to emulate Fruity Pebbles breakfast cereal
• Firework: with Pop Rocks candy in the crème, to celebrate Fourth of July
• Lady Gaga: to promote Lady Gaga’s 2020 album “Chromatica”
• Team USA: to promote the 2020 US Olympic Team

65A Nevada gambling destination : RENO

The city of Reno’s economy took off when open gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931. Within a short time, a syndicate had built the Bank Club in Reno, which was the largest casino in the world at the time.

67A Japanese lunchbox : BENTO

A bento is a single-person meal that is eaten quite commonly in Japan. A bento can be purchased as a take-out meal, or it may be packed at home. A bento is usually sold as a “bento box”.

69A New Mexico skiing destination : TAOS

Taos Ski Valley is a resort village in New Mexico, founded in 1955. About twelve families live there, making up thirty or so households and a population of about 60 people. It is said to very much resemble a Swiss village, and even includes an elected village council.

Down

3D Industrial site that may become a swimming spot : QUARRY

A quarry is an excavation site used to collect materials like limestone, granite and marble. The word “quarry” traces its roots to the Latin “quadrare”, meaning “to square,” reflecting the ancient practice of hewing large, irregular stones into symmetrical blocks for construction.

6D Gorillas, e.g. : APES

The gorilla is the largest primate still in existence, and is one of the nearest living species to humans. Molecular biology studies have shown that our nearest relatives are in fact the species in the genus Pan (the chimpanzee and the bonobo), which split from the human branch of the family 4-6 million years ago. Gorillas and humans diverged at a point about 7 million years ago. The term “gorilla” derives from the Greek “gorillai” meaning “tribe of hairy women”. Wow …!

7D Dribs and __ : DRABS

A drib is a negligible amount, as in “dribs and drabs”. The term “drib” arose in Scotland in the 18th century, and might possibly come from the verb “to dribble”.

8D Red wine grape : SYRAH

The Iranian city of Shiraz has long been associated with wine, but there is no proven link between the city and the wine/grape we know today as “Shiraz” (also called “Syrah”). Having said that, some clay jars were found just outside of the city of Shiraz that contained wine; wine that was 7,000 years old!

9D Portable cleaner, for short : HAND VAC

The first practical portable vacuum cleaner was invented by James Spangler in 1907. Spangler sold the patent for the design to his cousin’s husband, William Henry Hoover. Hoover then made his fortune from manufacturing and selling vacuum cleaners. Hoover was so successful in my part of the world that back in Ireland we don’t use the verb “to vacuum” and instead say “to hoover”. Also, “hoover” is what we call a vacuum cleaner, regardless of who makes it.

34D __ Jones : DOW

Dow Jones & Company was founded as a publishing house in 1882 by three newspaper reporters, Charles Dow, Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser. Today, the company’s most famous publication has to be “The Wall Street Journal”. In 1884, Charles Dow started reporting the average dollar value of the stock of eleven companies, an index which spawned a whole host of metrics that carry the Dow Jones name to this day. The most famous of these metrics is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), also known as “the Dow 30” or simply “the Dow”.

36D Birds whose young sometimes face-plant to sleep : OWLS

Young owls, owlets, often sleep face-down and completely flat because their disproportionately large heads are too heavy for their developing neck muscles to support in an upright position. How strange must that look …

38D __ Scotia, Canada : NOVA

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia (NS) lies on the east coast of the country and is a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The area was settled by Scots starting in 1621, and Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland”.

42D Trade restriction : EMBARGO

“Embargo” and “blockade” are two similar yet different terms. An embargo is a legal prohibition of trade with a particular country, whilst a blockade is an act of war, a militarily enforced prevention of the movement of goods and services. The term “embargo” came into English from Spanish, in the late 16th century.

44D Crab __: fried appetizer filled with cream cheese : RANGOON

Crab Rangoon is a deep-fried dumpling dish served in Chinese and Thai restaurants in North America. The dumplings are made by stuffing wonton wrappers with cream cheese, crab meat, scallions and garlic. The dish was invented in the US, although it is often claimed to be an authentic Burmese recipe, hence the “Rangoon” name.

48D “Your Pet, Our Passion” food brand : PURINA

Purina began business in 1894 as an operation for producing feed for farm animals. A few years later, in 1902, the Ralston name was introduced when Webster Edgerly joined the business. Edgerly was the founder of a controversial social movement called Ralstonism. Central to the movement was personal health, with RALSTON standing for Regime, Activity, Light, Strength, Temperance, Oxygen and Nature. Ralston Purina was acquired by Nestlé in 2001.

56D Hasbro toy that requires quick reflexes : BOP IT!

Bop It! is a line of toys with a speaker that issues commands to activate input devices on the toy, devices such as handles, cranks, wheels and switches. The commands come in a series of increasing length, and at increasing speed. So, I guess Bop It! is a test of memory and dexterity.

58D State bird of Hawaii : NENE

The nene is a bird that is native to Hawaii, and is also known as the Hawaiian goose. The name “nene” is an imitation of its call. When Captain Cook landed on the islands in 1778, there were 25,000 nene living there. By 1950, the number was reduced by hunting to just 30 birds. Conservation efforts in recent years have been somewhat successful.

59D Taxi : CAB

A hansom cab is a very specific design of horse and buggy that was patented by Joseph Hansom in 1834 in England. The “cab” in the name is short for “cabriolet”, an earlier design of carriage on which the hansom was based. It’s from “hansom cab” that we get our modern term “cab”.