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Constructed by: Mark McClain
Edited by: Rich Norris
Today’s Reveal Answer: On End
Themed answers each comprise two words ENDING with the letters -ON:
- 53A Without a break … or what each word in 18-, 28-, 46- and 62-Across has : ON END
- 18A __ line: 18th-century dispute-resolving state border : MASON-DIXON
- 28A Fluffy, citrusy pie : LEMON CHIFFON
- 46A Family car largely replaced by the minivan and SUV : STATION WAGON
- 62A Ordinary-sounding state bird of Minnesota : COMMON LOON
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… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 6m 08s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
9 House level accessed with pull-down stairs : ATTIC
An attic or loft is a room or space located below the roof of a building. The term “attic” is a shortened form of “attic story”, the uppermost story or level of a house. This term “attic story” originally applied to a low, decorative level built on top of the uppermost story behind a building’s decorative facade. This use of decoration at the top of buildings was common in ancient Greece, and was particularly important in the Attica style. That Attica style was so called because it originated in the historical region of Attica that encompassed the city of Athens. And that’s how our attics are linked to ancient Greece.
14 Folk singer Seeger : PETE
The American folk singer Pete Seeger wrote and co-wrote a lot of classic songs. The list includes “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”, “If I had a Hammer”, and “Turn, Turn, Turn!”
15 Assist with a heist : ABET
The word “abet” comes into English from the Old French “abeter” meaning “to bait” or “to harass with dogs” (it literally means “to make bite”). This sense of encouraging something bad to happen morphed into our modern usage of “abet” meaning to aid or encourage someone in a crime.
16 Harry Potter nemesis __ Malfoy : DRACO
Draco Malfoy is one of the regular “bad guys” in the “Harry Potter” stories. Malfoy is one of Potter’s fellow students, the one who sneers a lot. Draco’s father is Lucius Malfoy, a character who becomes more and more relevant as the storyline in the series of books progresses.
17 “Around the Horn” channel : ESPN
“Around the Horn” is a 30-minute sports roundup aired every day on ESPN. I’m told that the show takes the format of a debating panel game.
18 __ line: dispute-resolving 18th-century state border : MASON-DIXON
The original Mason-Dixon line was surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the 1760s. The line was used to resolve a border dispute between some of the original British colonies. The Mason-Dixon now forms part of the state lines of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia. The line has come to symbolize the cultural boundary between the Northern and Southern United States.
22 NFL analyst Tony : ROMO
Tony Romo is a former quarterback who spent his entire NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. Romo is also an avid amateur golfer and has even tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to qualify for the US Open golf championship.
28 Fluffy, citrusy pie : LEMON CHIFFON
A chiffon cake is relatively light, because the traditional butter or shortening is replaced by vegetable oil. Supposedly, the recipe was a creation of a California caterer named Harry Baker, who sold the formulation to General Mills in the 1940s.
36 USN noncom : CPO
A Chief Petty Officer (CPO) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) in the Navy (USN) and Coast Guard (USCG). The “Petty” is derived from the French word “petit” meaning “small”.
37 Devon delivery vehicle : LORRY
On the other side of the Atlantic, a truck is called a “lorry”, a term that probably comes from the English dialectal verb “to lurry” meaning “to drag, tug”.
Devon (formerly “Devonshire”) is a county in the southwest of England. The county town of Devon is Exeter, and the largest city in the county is Plymouth, the port from which the Mayflower Pilgrims departed.
41 ’90s prime-time soap “__ Place” : MELROSE
“Melrose Place” is a soap opera that originally aired from 1992 to 1999. “Melrose” was a spin-off of the hit show “Beverly Hills, 90210”. The show’s name comes from where the story is set, in an apartment complex with the address of 4616 Melrose Place in West Hollywood, California. “Melrose Place” was rebooted in 2009 (and some called “Melrose Place 2.0”, but was canceled after just one season.
44 License plate : TAG
The first city to introduce license plates for cars was Paris, 1893. The first national plates were introduced by the Netherlands, in 1898. The first US plates were issued by Massachusetts in 1903, although New York State had required an owner’s initials be displayed on the back of the vehicle since 1901.
46 Family car largely replaced by the minivan and SUV : STATION WAGON
The style of automobile that we call “station wagon” here in North America, is known as “estate car” in Britain and Ireland. Both names are really references to the vehicle’s utility in hauling baggage in the extra space provided in the rear. A station wagon could haul bags to the station, and an estate car could haul bags to one’s country estate!
51 Brief movie role : CAMEO
Even in my day, a cameo role was more than just a short appearance in a movie (or other artistic piece). For the appearance to be a cameo, the actor had to playing himself or herself, and was instantly recognizable. With this meaning it’s easy to see the etymology of the term, as a cameo brooch is one with the recognizable carving of the silhouette of a person. Nowadays, a cameo is any minor role played by a celebrity or famous actor, regardless of the character played.
52 Sure winner : SHOO-IN
A shoo-in is a surefire winner, especially in politics. Back in the 1920s, a shoo-in was a horse that was prearranged to win a race, a race that was fixed.
59 Voices below soprani : ALTI
In choral music, an alto (plural “alti”) is the second-highest voice in a four-part chorus made up of soprano, contr(alto), tenor and bass. The word “alto” describes the vocal range, that of the deepest female singing-voice, whereas the term “contralto” describes more than just the alto range, but also its quality and timbre. An adult male’s voice (not a boy’s) with the same range as an alto is called a “countertenor”.
The soprano is the highest singing voice. The term comes from the Italian “sopra” meaning “above”. A male countertenor who is able to sing in the soprano voice range is known as a sopranist. A castrated male who can sing in the same range is known as a “castrato”, and a boy soprano is referred to as a treble.
61 __ Carlo : MONTE
Monte Carlo is an administrative area in the Principality of Monaco that covers just under a quarter of a square mile. The area is known in particular as the location of the famous Monte Carlo Casino. “Monte Carlo” translates as “Mount Charles”, and was named in 1866 for Charles III of Monaco who was ruling the principality at the time.
62 Ordinary-sounding state bird of Minnesota : COMMON LOON
The common loon (also “great northern diver”) is the provincial bird of Ontario, and the state bird of Minnesota. The loon once appeared on Canadian $20 bills and also appears on the Canadian one-dollar coin, giving the coin the nickname “the loonie”.
65 Pols from blue states, usually : DEMS
On political maps, red states are usually Republican and blue states usually Democrat. The designation of red and blue states is a very recent concept, only introduced in the 2000 presidential election by TV journalist, the late Tim Russert. In retrospect, the choice of colors is surprising, as in other democracies around the world red is usually used to describe left-leaning socialist parties (the reds under the bed!), and blue is used for conservative right-wing parties. In election cycles, swing/battleground states are often depicted in purple.
66 Pecans and pistachios : TREES
The pecan is the state nut of Alabama, Arkansas and California. Also, the pecan is the state tree of Texas.
The pistachio is a small tree that produces some very tasty seeds. We see the seeds in grocery stores labelled as “nuts”, but botanically they are termed “drupes”. Drupe or nut, they’re delicious.
68 Insect in a cloud : GNAT
Gnats are attracted to the smell of rotting food, and vinegar. Simple homemade traps that use vinegar are often constructed to attract and kill gnats.
69 Latin “that is” : ID EST
“Id est” is Latin for “that is”, and is often abbreviated to “i.e.” when used in English.
70 Fair-hiring agcy. : EEOC
“Equal Employment Opportunity” (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was set up by the Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion.
71 Slow Churned ice cream brand : EDY’S
Dreyers’ ice cream sells its products under the name Dreyers in the Western United States, and Edy’s in the Eastern states. The company’s founders were William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.
Down
3 For the stock issue price : AT PAR
In days gone by, when companies first issued a stock, each share would be given a face value (called “par value”). In effect, the company was making a commitment not to issue any more stock under that par value, giving investors confidence that there was no better deal to be had. Nowadays, most stock is issued without such a “guarantee” and is called “no-par stock”.
4 Soup legume : LENTIL
The Latin name for the lentil plant is “lens”. Because the first lenses were double-convex shaped like a lentil, the glass structures were given the name “lens”.
5 Radio hobbyist : HAM
Amateur radio enthusiasts were first called “ham operators” by professional telegraph operators, and the term was intended to be insulting. It came from the similar term “ham actor”, describing a person who is less than effective on the stage. But amateur operators eventually embraced the moniker, and so it stuck.
19 On-the-run snack : NOSH
Our word “nosh” has been around since the late fifties, when it was imported from the Yiddish word “nashn” meaning “to nibble”. We use “nosh” as a noun that means “snack”, or as a verb meaning “to eat between meals”.
25 Acadia and Yukon : GMCS
GMC is a division of General Motors (GM) that was established in 1901 and started out as “GMC Truck”.
30 Kermit, for one : FROG
Kermit has to be the most readily recognized puppet character created by the late great Jim Henson. Henson came up with Kermit way back in 1955 when he appeared on a puppet show called “Sam and Friends” that aired in Washington, D.C. Kermit is loved so much that he even has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
32 Dimitri’s denial : NYET
The English word “no” translates into Russian as “nyet” and into German as “nein”.
33 Switches to low beams : DIMS
The high-beam setting on a car’s headlights directs a bright light to the front of the vehicle. The low-beam setting causes the light to “dip” towards the side of the road to avoid blinding oncoming traffic. This causes a few problems for some vacationing drivers in Europe. Many moons ago, I remember taking my car from Ireland (where we drive on the left), over to France (where cars drive on the right) . By law, I had to place adhesive blackout strips over the headlamps so that the lights did not dazzle oncoming traffic.
35 Sicilian volcano : ETNA
Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy, and indeed the largest of all active volcano in Europe. Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-gauge railway, and two ski resorts. It is sometimes referred to as “Mongibello” in Italian, and as “Mungibeddu” in Sicilian. The English name “Etna” comes from the Greek “aitho” meaning “I eat”.
40 Himalayan continent : ASIA
The magnificent Himalaya range of mountains in Asia takes its name from the Sanskrit for “abode of snow”. Geographically, the Himalaya separates the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau to the north.
41 Nanny’s bleat : MAA
Male goats are called “bucks” or “billies”, although castrated males are known as “wethers”. Female goats are called “does” or “nannies”, and young goats are referred to as “kids”.
47 Mideast sultanate : OMAN
Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Oman is a monarchy, and the official name of the state is the Sultanate of Oman. All of the country’s legislative, executive and judiciary power resides with the hereditary sultan.
48 Journalist Bly : NELLIE
“Nellie Bly” was a pen name used by American journalist Elizabeth Cochran. In 1888, Bly took a trip around the world, emulating the fictional trip of Phileas Fogg in “Around the World in Eighty Days”. She departed from New York and arrived back in San Francisco two days behind schedule, jeopardizing her goal of beating the “eighty days”. The owner of her newspaper chartered a private train for her and she made it back to New York in just over 72 days. Quite a woman …
49 Resistance unit : OHM
The unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (with the symbol omega) named after German physicist Georg Simon Ohm. Ohm was the guy who established experimentally that the amount of current flowing through a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage applied, (V=IR) a relationship that every school kid knows as Ohm’s Law.
50 Annoying person : NOODGE
“Noodge” is a slang term meaning “to nag”, or as a noun meaning “nag”. It comes into English from the Yiddish word “nudyen” meaning “to bore, be tedious”.
58 Hook’s cohort : SMEE
In J. M. Barrie’s play and novel about Peter Pan, Smee is one of Captain Hook’s pirates and is Hook’s right-hand man. Smee is described by Barrie as being “Irish” and “a man who stabbed without offence”. Nice guy! Captain Hook and Smee sail on the pirate ship called the Jolly Roger.
60 Prefix with sphere : IONO-
The ionosphere is the layer of the atmosphere that is ionized by solar radiation. One of the most important characteristics of the ionosphere is that it reflects radio waves, and so is an important factor in the propagation of radio signals over long distances.
63 East, in Essen : OST
“Ost” is German for “east”.
64 White House advisory gp. : NSC
The National Security Council (NSC) was created by President Harry S. Truman in 1947. The NSC is chaired by the sitting president and meets in the White House Situation Room.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Like some hygiene : ORAL
5 Casual greeting : HIYA!
9 House level accessed with pull-down stairs : ATTIC
14 Folk singer Seeger : PETE
15 Assist with a heist : ABET
16 Harry Potter nemesis __ Malfoy : DRACO
17 “Around the Horn” channel : ESPN
18 __ line: 18th-century dispute-resolving state border : MASON-DIXON
20 “Awesome!” : NEATO!
22 NFL analyst Tony : ROMO
23 German “a” : EINE
24 Kite-flying need : STRING
26 Puts on the line, as money : RISKS
28 Fluffy, citrusy pie : LEMON CHIFFON
33 Lousy grade : DEE
36 USN noncom : CPO
37 Devon delivery vehicle : LORRY
38 “My mom and dad will kill me!” : I’M TOAST!
41 ’90s prime-time soap “__ Place” : MELROSE
43 Less : MINUS
44 License plate : TAG
45 Acquired : GOT
46 Family car largely replaced by the minivan and SUV : STATION WAGON
51 Brief movie role : CAMEO
52 Sure winner : SHOO-IN
56 Too : ALSO
59 Voices below soprani : ALTI
61 __ Carlo : MONTE
62 Ordinary-sounding state bird of Minnesota : COMMON LOON
65 Pols from blue states, usually : DEMS
66 Pecans and pistachios : TREES
67 Overnight lodgings : INNS
68 Insect in a cloud : GNAT
69 Latin “that is” : ID EST
70 Fair-hiring agcy. : EEOC
71 Slow Churned ice cream brand : EDY’S
Down
1 Bids first : OPENS
2 Go back to zero : RESET
3 For the stock issue price : AT PAR
4 Soup legume : LENTIL
5 Radio hobbyist : HAM
6 Letter-shaped beam : I-BAR
7 “Decide now!” : YES OR NO!
8 Word with power or energy : ATOMIC …
9 Toss in : ADD
10 Attempts to get : TRIES FOR
11 Roll to a terminal : TAXI
12 Clickable image : ICON
13 Ice cream holder : CONE
19 On-the-run snack : NOSH
21 Number that’s a square of itself : ONE
25 Acadia and Yukon : GMCS
27 Pass idly, as time : KILL
29 Decide (to) : OPT
30 Kermit, for one : FROG
31 Estimate words : OR SO
32 Dimitri’s denial : NYET
33 Switches to low beams : DIMS
34 Send forth : EMIT
35 Sicilian volcano : ETNA
39 Results : OUTCOMES
40 Himalayan continent : ASIA
41 Nanny’s bleat : MAA
42 They’re laid in 55-Down : EGGS
44 Black-and-white, say : TWO-TONE
47 Mideast sultanate : OMAN
48 Journalist Bly : NELLIE
49 Resistance unit : OHM
50 Annoying person : NOODGE
53 Without a break … or what each word in 18-, 28-, 46- and 62-Across has : ON END
54 “__ come as no surprise … ” : IT MAY
55 42-Down holders : NESTS
56 Drama opening : ACT I
57 Title for an earl : LORD
58 Hook’s cohort : SMEE
60 Prefix with sphere : IONO-
63 East, in Essen : OST
64 White House advisory gp. : NSC
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