Tag: ACLU concerns crossword clue

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Constructed by: Doug Peterson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Fishtail

Themed answers are common terms, with the TAIL of each being a FISH:

• 63A Swerve back and forth, as a car’s rear end, or a feature of the answer to each starred clue : FISHTAIL or FISH-TAIL

• 16A *Glide around a rink : ICE-SKATE
• 24A *Angel who’s a three-time AL MVP : MIKE TROUT
• 30A *Toll road : TURNPIKE
• 44A *Radioactive decay emission : GAMMA RAY
• 50A *Ace at a poker table : CARD SHARK

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

Bill’s time: 4m 49s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

8 Regimen for injured athletes : REHAB

Quite often, the terms “regime” and “regimen” seem to be used interchangeably. In contemporary usage, “regime” is applied more generally, and “regimen” more specifically. A “regimen” is a systematic approach that one might apply to something, to exercise or diet for example. The term “regime” can also be used in such contexts, but can have additional definitions, such as “government in power”. A form of government cannot be described as a “regimen”.

19 Manicurist’s application : POLISH

Back in the 1870s, a manicure was a person who cared for the hands and fingernails. Before the end of the 1800s, the term “manicure” was applied to the treatment itself. “Manicure” comes from the Latin “manus” meaning “hand” and “cura” meaning “care”.

20 Delivery vehicle : VAN

The vehicle we call a “van” takes its name from “caravan”, and so “van” is a shortened version of the older term. Back in the 1600s, a caravan was a covered cart. We still use the word “caravan” in Ireland to describe what we call a “mobile home” or “recreational vehicle” here in the US.

22 Eucalyptus, for one : TREE

Eucalyptus (plural “eucalypti”) is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs that is particularly widespread in Australia. The species known as mountain ash or swamp gum is the tallest flowering plant in the world, with the tallest example located in Tasmania and standing at over 325 feet tall.

23 Fries topping : SALT

French fries are called “chips” back in Ireland where I grew up. And what we call “chips” in the US are known as “crisps” in Britain and Ireland. In France, French fries are known as “pommes frites” (fried potatoes).

24 *Angel who’s a three-time AL MVP : MIKE TROUT

Mike Trout debuted as a professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels in 2011. Trout’s nickname is “the Millville Meteor”, as he grew up in Millville, New Jersey.

26 “Now You See Me” actress Fisher : ISLA

Isla Fisher is an Oman-born, Australian actress who really launched her career with a recurring role on the Australian soap “Home and Away”. She started a career in Hollywood portraying Mary Jane in the 2002 film “Scooby-Doo”. Fisher married English actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen in 2010.

“Now You See Me” is a very entertaining 2013 heist film about a team of illusionists who pull off bank robberies during their stage performances. The impressive cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine and MOrgan Freeman.

29 Set of beliefs : CREED

A creed or credo is a profession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

30 *Toll road : TURNPIKE

Back in the 15th century, a turnpike (tpk., trke.) was a defensive barrier across a road. By the 17th century the term was used for a barrier that stopped travelers until a toll was paid. By the 18th century a turnpike was the name given to a road with a toll.

34 Filled with cargo : LADED

Cargo is freight carried by some vehicle. The term “cargo” comes into English via Spanish, ultimately deriving from the Latin “carricare” meaning “to load on a cart”.

37 Boxer Muhammad : ALI

After Muhammad Ali passed away in June 2016, there was a large prayer service and funeral procession in his hometown of Louisville. The pallbearers included actor Will Smith and boxer Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson. Eulogies were delivered by Ali’s wife Lonnie, Billy Crystal, Bryant Gumbel and former President Bill Clinton.

44 *Radioactive decay emission : GAMMA RAY

Gamma radiation was discovered by the French chemist Paul Villard, as he studied radiation coming from the chemical element radium. This radiation was called “gamma”, the third letter in the Greek alphabet, as alpha and beta particles had already been identified.

46 Honking flock : GEESE

A collection of geese is referred to as a “gaggle” when on the ground. When geese are in V-formation in flight, they are referred to collectively as a “skein”.

50 *Ace at a poker table : CARD SHARK

A “card sharp” is someone who is skilled and deceptive with playing cards, particularly when playing gambling games like poker. It seems that the term “card sharp” predates the related “card shark”, both of which have the same meaning.

53 Idris of “The Suicide Squad” : ELBA

Idris Elba is a British actor and DJ. He was born in London to a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother. Elba’s breakthrough role came in 2002, when he was cast as Stringer Bell in the HBO series “The Wire”.

“The Suicide Squad” is a 2021 superhero movie in the DC Comics universe, and a sequel to the 2016 film “Suicide Squad”. It has quite the cast, including Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis and Peter Capaldi.

61 “The World Is Not Enough” actress Richards : DENISE

Denise Richards is an actress from Downers Grove, Illinois. She was a Bond girl opposite Pierce Brosnan in “The World Is Not Enough”. Famously, Richards was married to actor Charlie Sheen, a fact that was very much on display in her reality TV show “Denise Richards: It’s Complicated”.

“Orbis non sufficit” (Latin for “the world is not enough”) was the motto of English Baronet Sir Thomas Bond. Ian Fleming decided to name real-life Sir Thomas as an ancestor of his fictional spy James Bond. That’s the backstory to the book and movie title “The World Is Not Enough”.

66 Pennsylvania’s Gem City : ERIE

Erie is a port city in the very north of Pennsylvania, sitting on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The city takes its name from the Erie Native American tribe that resided in the area. Erie is nicknamed the Gem City, a reference to the “sparkling” water of Lake Erie.

67 Pharmaceutical watchdog gp. : FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has its roots in the Division of Chemistry (later “Bureau of Chemistry”) that was part of the US Department of Agriculture. President Theodore Roosevelt gave responsibility for examination of food and drugs to the Bureau of Chemistry with the signing of the Pure Food and Drug Act. The Bureau’s name was changed to the Food, Drug and Insecticide Organization in 1927, and to the Food and Drug Administration in 1930.

69 Copier paper pack : REAM

A ream is 500 sheets of paper. As there were 24 sheets in a quire, and 20 quires made up a ream, there used to be 480 sheets in a ream. Ever since the standard was changed to 500, a 480-sheet packet of paper has been called a “short ream”. We also use the term “reams” to mean a great amount, evolving from the idea of a lot of printed material.

Down

2 Chocolate drink : COCOA

The beverages hot cocoa and hot chocolate differ from each other in that the latter contains cocoa butter, whereas the former does not.

5 “Nancy Drew” actress Lewis : LEAH

Actress Leah Lewis plays George Li-Yun Fan, the title character’s nemesis from high school, in the mystery drama show “Nancy Drew”. Lewis also played the lead in the Netflix movie “The Half of It” and voiced the lead character in the animated film “Elemental”.

6 Cheerios grain : OAT

Cheerios breakfast cereal has the distinction of being the first oat-based cereal introduced into the market, hitting the grocery store shelves in 1941. Back then, Cheerios were known as CheeriOats.

7 Rome’s __ Fountain : TREVI

The Trevi Fountain (“Fontana di Trevi”) is a huge fountain in Rome, one that is the largest constructed in the Baroque style. The tradition is that if one throws a coin in the fountain then one is guaranteed a return visit to the city. Tourists throw in an amazing 3,000 euros (over $4,000) every day. The money is collected and is used to stock a supermarket for the needy of the city.

8 ACLU concerns : RTS

Rights (rts.)

9 Country north of Ethiopia : ERITREA

Eritrea is a country located in the Horn of Africa, and surrounded by Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Red Sea. Some scientists believe that the area now known as Eritrea was the departure point for anatomically modern humans who first left Africa to populate the rest of the world.

10 One with a souped-up ride : HOT-RODDER

A hot rod is an American car that has been modified for speed by installing a larger than normal engine. A street rod is generally a more comfortable type of hot rod, with the emphasis less on the engine and more on custom paint jobs and interiors. By definition, a street rod must be based on an automobile design that originated prior to 1949.

To soup up an engine is to increase its horsepower. The verb probably derives from the older slang term “soup”, which was a narcotic illegally injected into racehorses to make them run faster.

21 Dog breeders’ org. : AKC

The American Kennel Club (AKC) is the organization that handles registration of purebred dogs The AKC also promotes dog shows around the country, including the famous Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

24 “Let’s __ a Deal” : MAKE

The game show “Let’s Make a Deal” first aired way back in 1963. For many years the show was hosted by Monty Hall, from 1963 until 1986, and again briefly in 1991. In more recent years, Wayne Brady took over as host in 2009.

30 Univ. aides : TAS

Teaching assistant (TA)

32 Waterway that translates to “big river” : RIO GRANDE

The Rio Grande (Spanish for “big river”) is a waterway that forms part of the border between Mexico and the United States. Although we call the river the Rio Grande on this side of the border, in Mexico it is called the Río Bravo or Río Bravo del Norte (Spanish for “furious river of the north”).

39 Pocketed, as a billiard ball : SANK

The name of the game billiards comes from the French word “billiard” that originally described the wooden cue stick. The Old French “bille” translates as “stick of wood”.

40 Brief “As I see it” : IMO

In my opinion (IMO)

43 Tachometer marking : REDLINE

The tachometer takes its name from the Greek word “tachos” meaning “speed”. A tachometer in a car measures engine revolutions per minute (rpm).

47 Molelike mammal : SHREW

Shrews are mammals that look like small moles or long-nosed mice. They are the only terrestrial mammals that are known to echolocate, using a series of ultrasonic squeaks to examine their nearby surroundings.

48 __ de cologne : EAU

Back in 1709, an Italian perfume-maker moved to Cologne in Germany. There he invented a new fragrance that he named Eau de Cologne after his newly adopted town. The fragrance is still produced in Cologne, using a secret formulation. However, the terms “Eau de Cologne” and “cologne”, are now used generically.

50 Musical conclusions : CODAS

In music, a coda is primarily a passage that brings a movement to a conclusion. “Coda” is Italian for “tail”.

55 Back of a 45 : B-SIDE

The first vinyl records designed to play at 33⅓ rpm were introduced by RCA Victor in 1931, but were discontinued due to quality problems. The first long play (LP) 33⅓ rpm disc was introduced by Columbia Records many years later in 1948, with RCA Victor following up with a 45 rpm “single” the following year, in 1949.

59 Home to seven countries whose names end in “-stan” : ASIA

The suffix “-stan” in many place names is Persian for “place of”. One example is “Pakistan”, the Place of the Pure. “Pakistan” is a relatively recent name, coined in 1933. It comes from the abbreviation PAKSTAN, standing for Punjab – Afghan Province – Kashmir – Sindh – BaluchisTAN, all regions in the north of India. The “I” was added to Pakistan to make it easier to pronounce, and to fit the translation “Land of the Pure”.