Tag: B.O. buys crossword clue

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Constructed by: Janice Luttrell
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): First Contact

Themed answers all start with a word that can mean “contact by telephone”:

• 18A Trendy bits of jargon : BUZZWORDS
• 24A Choice spots at a prizefight : RINGSIDE SEATS
• 38A Carol lyric before “Oh! What fun it is to ride / In a one-horse open sleigh” : JINGLE ALL THE WAY
• 48A First line of “Moby-Dick” : CALL ME ISHMAEL
• 58A Do a job half-heartedly : PHONE IT IN

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

Bill’s time: 4m 40s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6A Halogen bulb unit : WATT

James Watt was a Scottish inventor. He figured prominently in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, largely due to the improvements he made to the fledgling steam engine. The SI unit of power is called the watt, and was named in his honor.

A halogen lamp is a specific type of incandescent light that has a small amount of halogen in the atmosphere surrounding the tungsten filament. In regular incandescent lamps, tungsten evaporates from the filament and deposits on the inner surface of the glass bulb causing it to blacken and dim over time. The halogen, such as iodine or bromine, reacts with the evaporating tungsten keeping the bulb of the glass clean hence maintaining the light output level.

10A Sneaker, e.g. : SHOE

The term “sneaker” for a type of athletic shoe emerged in the late 19th century. It referred to the fact that the rubber soles made the shoes quiet, allowing the wearer to “sneak up” on someone without being heard, unlike the louder hard-soled leather shoes of the time.

14A Social no-no : TABOO

The word “taboo” comes to English from the Tongan language, specifically from the word “tapu”, meaning “sacred, forbidden”. Captain James Cook was one of the first to introduce the word to Europe after his voyages to Polynesia in the late 18th century.

15A Jane Austen matchmaker : EMMA

Jane Austen’s novel “Emma” (1815) is her last novel published during her lifetime. Unlike many of her other heroines, Emma Woodhouse is a wealthy, privileged young woman who is not concerned with finding a husband but rather delights in matchmaking for others, often with disastrous and comedic results. A favorite of mine …

17A Photographer Adams : ANSEL

As an avid amateur photographer, I have been a big fan of the work of Ansel Adams for many years and must have read all of his books. Adams was famous for clarity and depth in his black and white images. Central to his technique was the use of the zone system, his own invention. The zone system is a way of controlling exposure in an image, particularly when there is a high contrast in the subject. Although the technique was developed primarily for black & white film, it can even apply to digital color images. In the digital world, the main technique is to expose an image for the highlights, and one or more images for the shadows. These images can then be combined digitally giving a final photograph with a full and satisfying range of exposures.

20A Writer/actress Issa : RAE

20A Writer/actress Issa : RAE

Issa Rae rose to prominence with her highly popular web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl”, which premiered in 2011. This led to her co-creating and starring in the acclaimed HBO comedy series “Insecure”, which garnered her multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. She’s also expanded into film roles and has her own media company, Hoorae.

21A Beaver creations : DAMS

Beavers build dams so that they can live in and around the slower and deeper water that builds up above the dam. This deeper water provides more protection for the beavers from predators such as bears. Beavers are nocturnal animals and do all their construction work at night.

28A Etymologist’s ref. : OED

The Oxford University Press, publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), announces a Word of the Year annually, for both the UK and the US. Here are some examples:

• 2005: sudoku (UK) & podcast (US)
• 2007: carbon footprint (UK) & locavore (US)
2013: selfie (UK & US)
• 2014: vape (UK & US)
• 2016: post truth (UK & US)
• 2021: vax (UK & US)

35A King Kong, e.g. : APE

1933’s “King Kong” really is a classic. It stars Fay Wray as the young woman (Ann Darrow) with whom Kong falls in love. Wray was very interested in the role as she was told that she would be playing opposite the “tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood”. She thought it might be Clark Gable. At least, that’s how the story goes …

38A Carol lyric before “Oh! What fun it is to ride / In a one-horse open sleigh” : JINGLE ALL THE WAY

The Christmas song “Jingle Bells” was originally published in 1857 under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh”. It was written by James Lord Pierpont for a Thanksgiving program at his Sunday school in Savannah, Georgia. It’s one of the most widely recognized and frequently performed Christmas songs in the world, even though it wasn’t originally intended for Christmas.

44A One-named “I Drink Wine” singer : ADELE

“I Drink Wine” is a 2022 song co-written and recorded by Adele. The accompanying music video bears out the song’s title, as it features Adele floating down a river while drinking a glass of white wine.

48A First line of “Moby-Dick” : CALL ME ISHMAEL

“Call me Ishmael” is arguably one of the most famous opening lines in literature, from Herman Melville’s 1851 novel “Moby-Dick; or, The Whale”. The novel itself, while initially a commercial failure, is now considered a masterpiece of American literature.

57A Army ration, briefly : MRE

The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) comes in a lightweight package that’s easy to tote around. The MRE replaced the more cumbersome Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) in 1981, a meal-in-a-can. In turn, the MCI had replaced the C-ration in 1958, a less sophisticated meal-in-a-can with a more limited choice.

58A Do a job half-heartedly : PHONE IT IN

The idiom “phone it in” originated in the entertainment industry, specifically referring to actors in radio shows who would literally phone in their lines or performances without being physically present. Over time, it evolved to describe anyone doing something with minimal effort or enthusiasm, just enough to get by.

61A “Rashomon” director Kurosawa : AKIRA

“Rashomon” is a period drama film directed by Akira Kurosawa that was released in 1950. “Rashomon” was the movie that first introduced Kurosawa to western audiences. The film’s title refers to the huge gate to the city of Kyoto.

64A __ Field: Queens stadium : CITI

Citi Field is a relatively new baseball stadium used by the New York Mets (NYM) that sits right next door to the site of Shea stadium, where the Mets had played for decades. The new facility’s name comes from corporate sponsor Citigroup.

65A “We Got the Beat” band : GO-GO’S

The Go-Go’s were an all-female rock band that was formed in Los Angeles back in 1978. The band’s biggest hit is “We Got the Beat”, which was released in 1982. The best-known member of the Go-Go’s is probably Belinda Carlisle.

Down

1D Ringo of the Beatles : STARR

Richard Starkey, better known as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Known for his unique drumming style and genial personality, he also had a successful solo career after the band’s breakup, with hits like “It Don’t Come Easy” and “Photograph”. I was lucky enough to see Ringo live, with his All-Starr Band, and what a great concert that was …

2D Roofed patio : LANAI

A lanai is a type of veranda, and a design that originated in Hawaii. A kind blog reader tells me that the etymology of “lanai” seems unclear, but that the island name of “Lana’i” is not related.

3D “A Doll’s House” playwright Henrik : IBSEN

“A Doll’s House” is probably the most famous play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play deals with the feminist awakening of the lead character, Nora Helmer. “A Doll’s House” is sometimes referred to as the “first true feminist play”.

4D __ Valley, San Francisco : NOE

Noe Valley is a neighborhood in San Francisco. The area is named after José de Jesús Noé who was the last Mexican mayor of Yerba Buena, which is what San Francisco was called when it was part of Mexico.

5D Shiny embossment on a certificate of approval : GOLD SEAL

A gold seal on a document or certificate traditionally signifies authenticity, official approval, or high quality. Historically, seals were made by impressing a design into wax, often tinted gold, to authenticate official documents. Today, while not actually made of gold, the term “gold seal” still carries the weight of authoritative endorsement.

6D Online health info source : WEBMD

WebMD is a website containing health information. Online since 1996, WebMD is read by over 80 million readers each month. One example of the useful features on the site is the Pill Identification Tool.

8D Tabloid news org. : TMZ

TMZ.com is a celebrity gossip website launched in 2005 by producer Harvey Levin. “TMZ” stands for “thirty-mile zone”, a reference to the “studio zone” in Los Angeles. The studio zone is circular in shape with a 30-mile radius centered on the intersection of West Beverly Boulevard and North La Cienega Boulevard.

9D Looney Tunes character who spins wildly, informally : TAZ

The “Looney Tunes” character known as the Tasmanian Devil, or “Taz”, first appeared in a cartoon short with Bugs Bunny called “Devil May Care” in 1954.

10D Like satin : SMOOTH

The material known as “satin” takes its name from “Zayton”, the medieval Arabic name for the Chinese port city of Quanzhou. Quanzhou was used for the export of large amounts of silk to Europe.

12D Ye __ Tavern : OLDE

The word “olde” wasn’t actually used much earlier than the 1920s. “Olde” was introduced to give a quaint antique feel to brand names, shop names etc. as in “Ye Olde Shoppe”.

13D Online seller of many bespoke gifts : ETSY

The adjective “bespoke”, meaning “custom-made”, has for centuries been mainly used with reference to tailoring, as in a “bespoke” suit.

25D “The __ Show”: talent competition : GONG

NBC’s “The Gong Show” was originally broadcast in the seventies and eighties, but it always seems to be showing somewhere on cable TV. I suppose the show was a forerunner of today’s “America’s Got Talent”, in that it was a talent show in which the acts can be cut off in mid-performance by the sounding of a gong (just like the 3 buzzers on “Talent”). Despite all the terrible acts that appeared, some famous names made it after the show e.g. Boxcar Willie, Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman) and Andrea McArdle (played “Annie” on Broadway).

26D Refine using heat, as metal ore : SMELT

Metals are found in ore in the form of oxides. In order to get pure metal from the ore, the ore is heated and the metal oxides within are reduced (i.e. the oxygen is removed) in the chemical process known as smelting. The oxygen is extracted by adding a source of carbon or carbon monoxide which uses up the excess oxygen atoms to make carbon dioxide, a waste product of smelting (and, a greenhouse gas).

30D Jammies : PJS

Our word “pajamas” (sometimes “PJs” or “jammies”) comes to us from the Indian subcontinent, where “pai jamahs” were loose fitting pants tied at the waist and worn at night by locals and ultimately by the Europeans living there. And “pajamas” is another of those words that I had to learn to spell differently when I came to America. On the other side of the Atlantic, the spelling is “pyjamas”.

31D Chapstick target : LIP

ChapStick is a brand of lip balm produced by Pfizer, although the brand is so popular that the term “chapstick” tends to be used generically. ChapStick was invented way back in the 1880s by a Dr. Charles Browne Fleet in Lynchburg, Virginia.

32D Marilyn Monroe portrayer de Armas : ANA

Ana de Armas is an actress from Cuba. Having attended the National Theater School of Cuba, she moved to Spain at the age of 18. There, she made a name for herself in a Spanish TV series called “El Internado”. De Armas moved to Los Angeles in 2014, after which her performance opposite Ryan Gosling in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” earned her critical acclaim.

“Blonde” is a 2022 biographical film about Marilyn Monroe. It is a fictionalized account of the actress’ life, and is based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 novel of the same name. Monroe is played by Ana de Armas.

33D Oregon’s capital : SALEM

Salem is the state capital of Oregon. It is thought that the city takes its name from the older city of Salem, Massachusetts.

34D Former quarterback Manning : ELI

Eli Manning is a retired footballer who played quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning retired from football as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 2015. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback. Eli, Peyton and Archie co-authored a book for children titled “Family Huddle” in 2009. It describes the Mannings playing football together as young boys.

39D __ Grey tea : EARL

Earl Grey tea is a black tea flavored with oil of bergamot, a citrus fruit. The tea is named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, who was British Prime Minister in the 1830s. The popular story is that he received a gift of tea flavored with bergamot from a Chinese mandarin, which he liked and asked for it to be blended specifically for him, though the exact origins are a bit murky.

40D Symbols on social media : HASHTAGS

Two important symbols used in social media are the hashtag (#) and the social tag (@). The former is used to categorize content by topic. The latter alerts a fellow user that you are talking with or about them.I am far from a social media guy, but that is my understanding …

47D Handspeak.com subj. : ASL

American Sign Language (AL) is the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Canada. It’s a complete, natural language with its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, distinct from spoken English. Unfortunately, perhaps, sign languages are not universal; each country (and sometimes regions within countries) has its own unique sign language.

48D Serenade, perhaps : CROON

A serenade is a musical performance in the open air, specifically at night. We tend to think of the term applying to a young man serenading his lover from below her window. We imported the word via French from the Italian “serenata” meaning “evening song”, influenced by the Italian “sera” meaning “evening”.

50D Greek column style : IONIC

The Ionic was one of the three classical orders of architecture, the others being the Doric and Corinthian. An Ionic column is relatively ornate. It usually has grooves running up and down its length and at the top there is a “scroll” design called a “volute”. The scroll motif makes Ionic columns popular for the design of academic buildings. The term “Ionic” means “pertaining to Ionia”, with Ionia being an ancient territory that is located in modern-day Turkey.

54D Lhasa __: Tibetan dog breed : APSO

The Lhasa apso breed of dog originated in Tibet and is named after “Lhasa” (the capital city) and “apso” (a Tibetan word meaning “bearded”). The Lhasa apso has been around since 800 BC and is one of the oldest breeds in the world, one very closely related to the ancestral wolf.

55D DIY tutorial site : EHOW

eHow is a how-to website that was founded in 1999. eHow has an awful lot of content but doesn’t do a great job of assessing the value of that content. I wouldn’t recommend it …

59D Zamboni surface : ICE

The first ice resurfacing machine was developed in 1949 by one Frank Zamboni. The eponymous Zamboni machine works by simultaneously executing a number of tasks. First, the surface of the ice is scraped off by a sharp blade. Next the ice is “washed” with water sprayed from the front of the Zamboni, and that wash water is vacuumed back up and filtered to remove impurities. Water is then reapplied to the scraped ice by a wet towel dragging behind the machine, forming a new skating surface.

60D B.O. buys : TIX

One can purchase tickets (tix) at the box office (BO).

The term “box office” may date back to Shakespearean times. In those days long past, patrons would deposit fees for seeing theater performances in boxes. The full boxes would be collected and placed in an office called, imaginatively enough, the “box office”.

62D Keystone bumbler : KOP

The Keystone Cops (sometimes “Keystone Kops”) were a band of madcap policemen who appeared in silent movies. A 1914 short film called “A Thief Catcher” that was believed lost was rediscovered in 2010. “A Thief Catcher” featured the magnificent Charlie Chaplin in an early role as a Keystone Cop.