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Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Reveal Answer: Cabinet Position
Themed answers each end with an item that might have a POSITION in a kitchen CABINET:
- 56A High-level government post, and what the ends of 17-, 25-, and 42-Across may have? : CABINET POSITION
- 17A Chocolate treat from Reese’s : PEANUT BUTTER CUP
- 25A Replacement on the mound : RELIEF PITCHER
- 42A Venue for summer concerts in Los Angeles : HOLLYWOOD BOWL
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Bill’s time: 5m 20s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 “Speak of the __!” : DEVIL
“Speak/talk of the devil” is used when someone being discussed turns up unexpectedly. The phrase is a short form of the idiom “speak of the devil and he doth appear” that dates back to the 16th century.
14 Singer Menzel of “Frozen” : IDINA
Actress and singer Idina Menzel came to public attention when she was a member of the original Broadway cast of “Rent”. She is known on the small screen for playing Shelby Corcoran on the musical TV show “Glee”. On the big screen, her most noted performance was as the voice actor behind Queen Elsa in the Disney hit “Frozen”. It is Menzel who sings the Oscar-winning song “Let It Go” in “Frozen”.
17 Chocolate treat from Reese’s : PEANUT BUTTER CUP
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were invented by Harry Burnett “HB” Reese. Peanut Butter Cups were originally called penny cups, reflecting the price at which they were sold. Then inflation took over, and maybe that’s why they were broken into smaller “Pieces” …
20 NBC sketch show since 1975, familiarly : SNL
NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.
22 Lady Gaga’s instrument : PIANO
“Lady Gaga” is the stage name of Stefani Germanotta. Germanotta is a big fan of the band Queen, and she took her stage name from the marvelous Queen song titled “Radio Ga Ga”.
24 One-named “Chandelier” singer : SIA
“Chandelier” is a 2014 song by Australian singer Sia. I don’t know the song myself, but it sounds like it’s a bit of a downer, dealing with alcoholism, addiction and excessive hedonism.
32 Tomato sauce brand named for a New York restaurant : RAO’S
Rao’s Italian restaurant opened in East Harlem in New York City in 1896. Rao’s also sells a small line of Italian foodstuffs in supermarkets, such as pasta, sauces and olive oil.
38 “Dancing Queen” pop group : ABBA
“Dancing Queen” is a great, great song from 1976 that was released by the Swedish group ABBA. ABBA’s music has never been as popular in the US as it is in other countries, but “Dancing Queen” did make it to the number-one spot in the charts here. It was in fact, ABBA’s only #1 hit in the US.
39 Spring mo. : APR
The exact etymology of “April”, the name of the fourth month of our year, seems to be uncertain. The ancient Romans called it “mensis Aprilis”, which roughly translated as “opening month”. The suggestion is that April is the month in which fruits, flowers and animals “open” their life cycles.
42 Venue for summer concerts in Los Angeles : HOLLYWOOD BOWL
The amphitheatre known as the Hollywood Bowl has a very distinctive white, arched cover over the stage, which sort of looks like an upturned bowl. That said, the Hollywood Bowl actually takes its name from the concave depression in which it sits, surrounded by the Hollywood Hills.
46 Ginger __ : ALE
The brand most closely associated with ginger ale is Canada Dry. “Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale” was first formulated in 1904 by a Canadian chemist called John McLoughlin from Ontario. Prohibition in the United States helped sales of the drink as it was particularly effective in masking the taste of illegally-produced, homemade liquor.
47 Partnership for Peace gp. : NATO
The Partnership for Peace (PfP) program is a NATO initiative that dates back to 1994. The intent of the PfP is to foster trust between NATO and non-NATO European, including the nations from the former Soviet Union. Members of the PIP include non-NATO countries such as Austria, Ireland, Malta, Switzerland and Ukraine. The memberships of Belarus and Russia were suspended in 2021.
51 Actress Hayek Pinault : SALMA
Salma Hayek is a Mexican actress. Hayek was the first Mexican national to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, earning that nomination with her portrayal of artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 movie “Frida”.
53 Civil rights monogram : MLK
Martin Luther King, Jr’s father was born Michael King. On a trip to Germany in 1934, Michael came to admire Protestant leader Martin Luther and changed his name to Martin Luther King on his return to the United States. Famously, he passed on his new name to his son, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr (MLK).
56 High-level government post, and what the ends of 17-, 25-, and 42-Across may have? : CABINET POSITION
In the Westminster system, the Cabinet is a group of sitting politicians chosen by the Prime Minister to head up government departments and also to participate collectively in major governmental decisions in all areas. In the US system, the Cabinet is made up not of sitting politicians, but rather of non-legislative individuals who are considered to have expertise in a particular area. The Cabinet members in the US system tend to have more of an advisory role outside of their own departments.
59 Buffalo’s lake : ERIE
Buffalo is the second-most populous city in the state of New York. The city takes its name from Buffalo Creek that runs through the metropolis (although the waterway is called Buffalo River within the city). The source of the name Buffalo Creek is the subject of much speculation, but one thing is clear, there were never any bison in the area.
60 City near Phoenix : MESA
The city of Mesa, Arizona is in effect a suburb of Phoenix. The original settlement of non-Native Americans was founded by Daniel Webster Jones who led a Mormon group from St. George, Utah. The settlement was first called Jonesville, then Fort Utah and eventually Lehi. A second group of Mormons arrived and formed a settlement on top of a nearby mesa. It was this use of a mesa that eventually gave the city its current name.
61 Viking language : NORSE
The Vikings were a Germanic people from northern Europe who were noted as great seafarers. Key to the success of the Vikings was the design of their famous “longships”. Made from wood, the longship was long and narrow with a shallow hull, It was also light, so that the crew would actually carry it small distances over land and around obstacles. Longships were designed to be propelled by both sail and oars.
64 California, for one : STATE
Prior to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), California was a Mexican state. California came under American control in 1847. It was officially annexed by the US in 1848, as part of the treaty that ended the war. Full statehood followed remarkably quickly, in 1850, largely due to the discovery of gold in California in 1848.
Down
4 B and B : INN
In the US, an intimate inn is a bed & breakfast (B&B). Traditionally, a bed & breakfast back in Ireland was more basic accommodation, and used to be much cheaper than a comparable hotel room.
5 Classic TV show hosted by Rowan & Martin : LAUGH-IN
“Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” was originally recorded as a one-off special for NBC in 1967, but it was so successful that it was brought back as a series to replace the waning spy show “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Personally, I loved both shows!
7 Tall birds in some insurance ads : EMUS
Liberty Mutual is an insurance company based in Boston. The business was founded in 1912 as the Massachusetts Employees Insurance Association (MEIA). Liberty Mutual has a famous advertising icon named LiMu Emu.
8 Aardvark snacks : ANTS
The aardvark is the oddest looking of creatures, a nocturnal burrowing animal that is native to Africa. Even though it is sometimes called the African ant bear, the name “aardvark” is Afrikaans for “earth pig”. Aardvarks are noted, among other things, for their unique teeth. Their teeth have no enamel and wear away quite readily, but continuously regrow. The aardvark feeds mainly on ants and termites.
9 Ellipsis element : DOT
An ellipsis (plural “ellipses”) is a series of dots (usually three) used to indicate an omission in some text. The term comes from the Greek word “élleipsis”, which means “omission”.
10 Grammy winner Carey : MARIAH
Mariah Carey produced her first album in 1990 under the guidance of Tommy Mottola, an executive at Columbia Records. Mottola and Carey must have hit it off, because they were married three years later (although Mottola is now married to a different singer …).
25 Designer Lauren : RALPH
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer, born Ralph Liftshitz in the Bronx, New York. Lauren started off working as a salesman for Brooks Brothers after spending two years in the US Army. He then opened a necktie store, featuring his own tie designs. The ties were sold under the name “Polo”, which became Lauren’s most famous brand. Other Lauren brands are Purple Label and Black Label.
26 Spanish Olympian’s goal : EL ORO
In Spanish, an athlete in the Olympics goes for “el oro” (the gold).
28 First words of “Green Eggs and Ham” : I AM
Dr. Seuss’s famous children’s book “Green Eggs and Ham” was first published in 1960. “Green Eggs and Ham” now ranks twelfth in the list of top selling children’s books. By the way, “Harry Potter” books hold the top four slots in that list. The text of “Green Eggs and Ham” has a lot of “I am” going on. It starts with:
I am Sam
I am Sam
Sam I am
and ends with:
I do so like
green eggs and ham!
Thank you!
Thank you,
Sam-I-am
29 Macaroni shape : ELBOW
In many cases, the name given to a type of pasta comes from its shape. However, the name macaroni comes from the type of dough used to make the noodles. Here in the US, macaroni is usually elbow-shaped, but it doesn’t have to be.
36 Eyelid problem : STYE
A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.
40 __ wrench: tool that comes with flatpack furniture : ALLEN
The Allen wrench (or “Allen key”, as we call it back in Ireland) is a successful brand of hex wrench that was trademarked in 1943 by the Allen Manufacturing Company of Hartford , Connecticut. However, the hex wrench had in fact been around since the mid-to-late 1800s.
50 Solemn bio : OBIT
Our word “obituary” comes from the Latin “obituaris”. The Latin term was used for “record of the death of a person”, although the literal meaning is “pertaining to death”.
53 Actress Sorvino : MIRA
Mira Sorvino is an American actress, and a winner of an Oscar for her supporting role in the 1995 Woody Allen movie “Mighty Aphrodite”. Sorvino also played a title role opposite Lisa Kudrow in the very forgettable “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion”.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 “Speak of the __!” : DEVIL
6 Pick up a newspaper : READ
10 __ Valuable Player : MOST
14 Singer Menzel of “Frozen” : IDINA
15 “Uh, that’s wrong” : UM, NO
16 Culturally pretentious : ARTY
17 Chocolate treat from Reese’s : PEANUT BUTTER CUP
20 NBC sketch show since 1975, familiarly : SNL
21 “Disgusting!” : GROSS!
22 Lady Gaga’s instrument : PIANO
23 Many a restaurant owner : CHEF
24 One-named “Chandelier” singer : SIA
25 Replacement on the mound : RELIEF PITCHER
31 Pampering place : SALON
32 Tomato sauce brand named for a New York restaurant : RAO’S
33 Chicken serving : LEG
35 Storyline : PLOT
36 Put one’s foot down : STOMP
38 “Dancing Queen” pop group : ABBA
39 Spring mo. : APR
40 Molecule part : ATOM
41 Slender woodwinds : OBOES
42 Venue for summer concerts in Los Angeles : HOLLYWOOD BOWL
46 Ginger __ : ALE
47 Partnership for Peace gp. : NATO
48 Dwelling : ABODE
51 Actress Hayek Pinault : SALMA
53 Civil rights monogram : MLK
56 High-level government post, and what the ends of 17-, 25-, and 42-Across may have? : CABINET POSITION
59 Buffalo’s lake : ERIE
60 City near Phoenix : MESA
61 Viking language : NORSE
62 Sinks out of sight, as the sun : SETS
63 Ready for customers : OPEN
64 California, for one : STATE
Down
1 Salsa, and some salsa moves : DIPS
2 Biblical garden : EDEN
3 Lab container : VIAL
4 B and B : INN
5 Classic TV show hosted by Rowan & Martin : LAUGH-IN
6 Wear away : RUB OFF
7 Tall birds in some insurance ads : EMUS
8 Aardvark snacks : ANTS
9 Ellipsis element : DOT
10 Grammy winner Carey : MARIAH
11 Killer whale : ORCA
12 Shock : STUN
13 Keyboard blunder : TYPO
18 Genealogy chart : TREE
19 Long stories : EPICS
23 Form a clump : CLOT
24 Hit the brakes : STOP
25 Designer Lauren : RALPH
26 Spanish Olympian’s goal : EL ORO
27 “Coming soon” ad : PROMO
28 First words of “Green Eggs and Ham” : I AM
29 Macaroni shape : ELBOW
30 Defy authority : REBEL
31 Pampering place : SPA
34 Highway sign : GAS
36 Eyelid problem : STYE
37 AAA service : TOW
38 Suffix with bug or peek : -ABOO
40 __ wrench: tool that comes with flatpack furniture : ALLEN
41 Gets : OBTAINS
43 Women : LADIES
44 Checked out, as a library book : ON LOAN
45 River barriers : DAMS
48 The tops : ACES
49 Plain : BARE
50 Solemn bio : OBIT
51 Ladder rung : STEP
52 Church recess : APSE
53 Actress Sorvino : MIRA
54 Baffled : LOST
55 Leg joint : KNEE
57 Angsty music genre : EMO
58 Tyke : TOT
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