Tag: Act the class clown crossword clue

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Constructed by: Rebecca Goldstein

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: It’s Not That Hard

Themed answers are all things that are relatively “soft”, NOT THAT HARD:

• 37A “Why must you overcomplicate everything?,” or what can be said about 16-, 24-, 49-, and 58-Across : IT’S NOT THAT HARD

• 16A Christ the Redeemer veneer material : SOAPSTONE
• 24A Hoppy brew with a low ABV : SESSION IPA
• 49A Contents of a cheese pull, often : MOZZARELLA
• 58A Genre originally known as the West Coast sound : YACHT ROCK

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

Bill’s time: 7m 56s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Hydrocortisone target : ITCH

“Cortisone is a type of steroid that is used to reduce inflammation, which can reduce pain caused by some medical conditions. It is usually administered using a syringe, as a shot. For cortisone to exert its effect, the body converts it into hydrocortisone (also known as cortisol), the active form of the hormone. We are probably more familiar with hydrocortisone itself, as it’s commonly found in many over-the-counter topical creams and ointments used to soothe skin irritations like rashes and insect bites.

5A Glissade garb : TUTU

The word “tutu”, used for a ballet dancer’s skirt, is actually a somewhat “naughty” term. It came into English from French in the early 20th century. The French “tutu” is an alteration of the word “cucu”, a childish word meaning “bottom, backside”.

In ballet, a glissade is a gliding step. “Glissade” comes from the French “glisser” meaning “to slip, slide”.

13A Animated blue tang of film : DORY

Pixar’s 2016 animated feature “Finding Dory” is a sequel to the megahit film “Finding Nemo”. “Finding Dory” seems to have built on the success of its predecessor and had the highest-grossing opening weekend ever in North America for an animated movie. The title character is a surgeonfish (blue tang) named Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres.

16A Christ the Redeemer veneer material : SOAPSTONE

The metamorphic rock known as soapstone or steatite has a myriad of uses, largely because it is relatively soft. It feels quite soapy to the touch, hence the name “soapstone”. It can be used for making countertops, or as a medium for artistic and decorative carving. It’s also used by tailors as a marking tool on cloth.

The iconic statue of Jesus overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is known as “Cristo Redentor” (Christ the Redeemer). The statue was constructed between 1922 and 1931. It is the largest Art Deco statue in the world, as it stands over 30 meters tall.

24A Hoppy brew with a low ABV : SESSION IPA

The term “session” in beer culture has its roots in World War I Britain. Back then, munitions workers were given two-hour rest (drinking) periods and they drank a lower-alcohol ale to remain functional on the factory floor. Modern session beers adopt this historical concept by keeping the alcohol by volume strictly below 5 percent.

28A Tree in the name of a Bay Area city : OAK

The city of Oakland, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, was explored by the Spanish starting in 1772 and eventually settled in 1820. The area now known as Oakland was called “Encinal” by those early settlers, which translates as “oak grove”, giving the city its name.

42A Instrument in a “Baker Street” riff : SAX

“Baker Street” is a marvelous 1978 song written and released by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. It is known for one of the most famous saxophone riffs in the history of rock music. The riff was played by Raphael Ravenscroft, a session musician who was paid a flat fee of 27 UK pounds for his contribution to the hit. Supposedly, Rafferty makes about 80,000 UK pounds annually in royalties.

43A Body image? : X-RAY

X-rays were first studied comprehensively by the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (also “Roentgen”), and it was he who gave the name “X-rays” to this particular type of radiation. Paradoxically, in Röntgen’s native language of German, X-rays are routinely referred to as “Röntgen rays”. In 1901, Röntgen’s work on X-rays won him the first Nobel Prize in Physics that was ever awarded.

44A Brain scan letters : EEG

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of electrical activity caused by the firing of neurons within the brain. The EEG might be used to diagnose epilepsy, or perhaps to determine if a patient is “brain dead”.

46A Spider’s spinning : WEB

The silk that makes up a web is a protein fiber that is “spun” by a spider. Spider silk is about one sixth of the density of steel, yet has a comparable tensile strength.

48A 5G predecessor : LTE

In the world of telecommunications, the initialism LTE stands for Long-Term Evolution, and is a wireless broadband communication standard. In general terms, LTE improves broadband speeds. As I understand it, LTE technology allows a 3G network to perform almost as well as a true 4G network, and so LTE is sometimes marketed as 4G LTE, even though it’s really “3G plus”.

Telecommunication companies started deploying 5G broadband cellular networks in 2019. The name “5G” stands for “fifth generation”. 5G network speeds are about 100 times faster than 4G speeds. However, 5G uses a higher frequency signal than 4G. Higher-frequency signals are more easily blocked by walls and other structures, and so wireless carriers are forced to install many, many small cell sites around the network’s backbone sites in order to provide “seamless” coverage.

49A Contents of a cheese pull, often : MOZZARELLA

Mozzarella is an Italian cheese that is prepared using a spinning and cutting technique. It is the cutting that gives the cheese its name, as “mozzare” means “to cut” in Italian.

57A __ Whip: frozen pineapple treat : DOLE

The Dole Food Company introduced the Dole Whip in 1984 as a custom product for Walt Disney World’s Aloha Isle. It is pineapple-flavored soft serve that was specifically formulated to be dairy-free, allowing it to withstand the Florida heat without melting as rapidly as traditional ice cream. Dole Whip became so successful, we can now buy it in retail stores.

58A Genre originally known as the West Coast sound : YACHT ROCK

Yacht rock is a genre of soft rock music that originally went by the name “West Coast sound”. The genre covers music created from the mid-seventies to mid-eighties, but the moniker “yacht rock” was only coined in 2005. The term “yacht rock” is a reference to the sport of sailing, which is a popular pastime in Southern California.

63A College town in Iowa : AMES

The Iowa city of Ames was founded as a stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad in 1864. It was named for US Congressman Oakes Ames from the state of Massachusetts in honor of the role that Ames played in the building of the transcontinental railroad.

65A Territory “where America’s day begins” : GUAM

Guam is a US territory in the western Pacific Ocean, and is the largest of the Mariana Islands. Guam is also the first territory in the United States to see the sun rise on any particular day. As such, the territory has adopted the motto, “Where America’s day begins”. During WWII, the US territory of Guam was occupied by the Japanese for 31 months until it was liberated in the Battle of Guam in July 1944. Of the 18,000 Japanese men holding the island, only 485 surrendered, so almost all perished in the invasion. One Japanese sergeant hid out on the island for an incredible 28 years, finally surrendering in 1972!

Down

4D Prefix with -dermic or -thermic : HYPO-

Anything described as hypodermic (such as “hypodermic needle”) is related to parts under the skin. The term “hypodermic” comes from the Greek “hypo-” meaning “under” and “derma” meaning “skin”.

A person becomes hypothermic when their body’s core temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. In the final stages of freezing, victims often experience a bizarre physiological phenomenon known as “paradoxical undressing”. A deceptive sensation of burning heat causes the disoriented individual to completely strip off their clothes just before losing consciousness.

7D Bluefin, yellowfin, and blackfin : TUNAS

Bluefin tuna is one of those species (actually there are three species of bluefin) that has been overfished, and is no longer found in some parts of the world.

Yellowfin tuna have a mysterious biological tendency to swim directly beneath pods of dolphins. Historically, tuna fishermen would drop large nets around pods in order to maximize their catch. Even though there has been some progress towards “dolphin-safe tuna” fishing, over 90,000 dolphins are thought to be killed annually in tuna fisheries, as they are caught unintentionally.

The blackfin tuna is the smallest species of true tuna, rarely exceeding three feet in length or weighing more than forty pounds. It is often used as live bait by offshore sport anglers hoping to hook massive blue marlin or sailfish.

10D Riyadh resident : SAUDI

Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia, and is located near the center of the country. The name “Riyadh” translates from Arabic as “the gardens”.

12D Thompson of “Hedda” : TESSA

Tessa Thompson is an actress from Los Angeles who is known for playing the supporting role of Jackie Cook on the TV show “Veronica Mars”, and for playing student leader Diane Nash in the 2014 film “Selma”. She also portrays superheroine Valkyrie in movies based on Marvel Comics characters.

The 2025 film “Hedda” is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s iconic 1891 play “Hedda Gabler”. Actress Tessa Thompson plays the title role, and is one of the movie’s producers.

21D Take the path of least resistance, say : COAST

Back in the day, mariners sailing parallel to the shore were said to be “coasting”, which is relatively smooth and less demanding compared to open-ocean voyages. By the 1830s, the nautical concept of effortless movement had transferred to dry land to describe anyone letting momentum and gravity do all the work, like “coasting” down a hill.

22D Pad see ew cuisine : THAI

Pad see ew is also known as phat si io, and is a stir-fried noodle dish in Thai cuisine. “Phat si io” means “fried with soy sauce”. I love Thai food …

23D Suggestive messages : SEXTS

Sexting (a portmanteau of “sex” and “texting”) is the sending of explicit dialog and images between cell phones. The term “sexting” was coined by the UK’s “Sunday Telegraph Magazine” in a 2005 article.

38D Lakers legend Shaquille : O’NEAL

Shaquille O’Neal joined the NBA after he was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in 1992. He made his presence known with physical dominance, twice shattering backboard supports in his rookie year. After that, the league was compelled to upgrade to steel-brace reinforced backboards and introduce a rule banning players from hanging on the rim.

39D Rink leap : AXEL

An axel is a forward take-off jump in figure skating. The maneuver was first performed by Norwegian Axel Paulsen at the 1882 Vienna International Skating Tournament.

47D 22-Down currency : BAHT
22D Pad see ew cuisine : THAI

The baht is the currency of Thailand. One baht is subdivided into 100 satang.

50D Some indigenous Mexicans : OTOMI

The Otomi are an indigenous people from Mexico’s central plateau region.

51D Diamond chain : ZALES

The first Zales jewelry store was opened by Morris and William Zale and Ben Lipshy in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1924. Zales became successful largely by offering credit to their customers, a revolutionary concept at the time.

52D Muse of poetry : ERATO

In Greek mythology, Erato was the Muse of lyric poetry. She is often depicted with a wreath of myrtle and roses, and playing a lyre.

59D Murder-ous cry : CAW!

There doesn’t seem to be a definitive etymology for “murder” as the collective noun for crows. One suggestion is that it comes from the scavenging behavior of crows, sometimes feeding on rotting bodies of dead animals.

60D Sales channel : HSN

The Home Shopping Network (HSN) was the first national shopping network, and was launched locally as the Home Shopping Club in Florida in 1982. Its first product was a can opener.

62D Tour de France distances, informally : KMS

Back in the late 1800s, long-distance cycle races were used as promotional events, traditionally to help boost sales of newspapers. These races usually took place around tracks, but in 1902 the backers of the struggling sports publication “L’Auto” decided to stage a race that would take the competitors all around France. That first Tour de France took place in 1903, starting in Paris and passing through Lyon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Nantes and then back to Paris.