Constructed by: Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke
Edited by: Rich Norris
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Theme: In the Middle With
Today’s themed answers are common items, but the word WITH has been inserted in the middle of the two-word name to give a completely new meaning:
- 17A…Tweak some violin holders?..FIDDLE WITH CASES (from “fiddle cases”)
- 27A…Tweak some church chimers?..TINKER WITH BELLS (from “Tinker Bell’s”)
- 49A…Tweak some ski parkas?..MESS WITH JACKETS (from “mess jackets”)
- 63A…Tweak some business outfits?..MONKEY WITH SUITS (from “monkey suits”)
Bill’s time: 6m 22s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1…Just open..AJAR
Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.
15…West Indies volcano..PELEE
Mount Pelee on the Caribbean island of Martinique is still active and is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet. When it erupted in 1902, it killed over 30,000 people. Most of those fatalities occurred when a cloud of hot gases settled over the town of St. Pierre, instantly igniting everything that was flammable.
16…Site of Napoleon’s first exile..ELBA
I had a lovely two-week vacation in Tuscany once, including what was supposed to be a two-night stay on the island of Elba. I had envisioned Elba as a place full of history, and maybe it is, but it is also overrun with tourists who use it as a beach getaway. We left after one day and we won’t be going back again …
20…Maker of many kitchen rolls..ALCOA
The Aluminum Corporation of America (ALCOA) is the largest producer of aluminum in the United States. The company was founded in 1888 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where its headquarters are to this day.
21…Wall St. deal..LBO
A leveraged buyout (LBO) is a transaction in which an investor acquires a controlling volume of stock in a company, but buys that stock with borrowed funds (hence “leveraged”). Often the assets of the acquired company are used as collateral for the borrowed money. There is a special form of LBO known as a management buyout (MBO) in which the company’s own management team purchases the controlling interest.
25…Tach nos…RPMS
The tachometer takes its name from the Greek word “tachos” meaning “speed”. A tachometer measures engine revolutions per minute (rpm).
27…Tweak some church chimers?..TINKER WITH BELLS (from “Tinker Bell’s”)
Tinker Bell is a fairy in the “Peter Pan” story by J. M. Barrie. “Tink” is a minor character in the original play and novel, but evolved into a major character in the many, many film and television adaptation of the tale.
34…Brit. record label..EMI
EMI was a British music company, with the abbreviation standing for Electric and Musical Industries.
35…A few bucks?..DEER
A male deer is usually called a “buck”, and a female a “doe”.
37…Part of a sitcom farewell..NANU
Mork & Mindy was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …
41…Spot for a 48-Across..SOFA
(48A…Short snooze..NAP )
“Sofa” is a Turkish word meaning “bench”.
45…Nintendo rival..SEGA
Sega is a Japanese videogame company headquartered in Tokyo. Sega actually started out 1940 in the US as Standard Games and was located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The owners moved the operation to Tokyo in 1951 and renamed the company to Service Games. The name “Sega” is a combination of the first two letters of the words “Se-rvice” and “Ga-mes”.
49…Tweak some ski parkas?..MESS WITH JACKETS (from “mess jackets”)
A parka is a hooded, often fur jacket that is worn in cold weather. The original parka was a pullover design, but nowadays it is usually zipped at the front. “Parka” is the Russian name for the garment , absorbed into English in the late 1700s via the Aleut language.
52…__ helmet..PITH
Pith helmets were worn by mainly Europeans in the tropics, often on safari or as part of a military uniform. The helmet was light in weight, covered with cloth and made from cork or pith. Pith helmets were also called safari helmets, topees and topis.
53…Pre-coll. catchall..ELHI
“Elhi” is an informal word used to describe anything related to schooling from grades 1 through 12, i.e. elementary through high school.
66…Arctic formation..FLOE
An ice floe is a sheet of ice that has separated from an ice field and is floating freely on the ocean.
68…Scientology guru Hubbard..L RON
L. Ron Hubbard wrote a self-improvement book in 1950 called “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health”. A few years later, he use the concepts in the book as he founded his Church of Scientology.
69…Like most fairways, daily..MOWN
That would be in golf.
70…Some Parliament members..LORDS
The UK Parliament is divided into two houses, with the upper house known as the House of Lords and the lower house as the House of Commons. The members of the House of Commons are elected, but most new members of the House of Lords are appointed. Historically, a large proportion of the membership of the upper house were hereditary peers, but recent legislative changes are reducing the numbers who can sit in the House of Lords by virtue of birthright.
Down
1…NATO alphabet starter..ALFA
The NATO phonetic alphabet is also called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet. It goes Alfa, Bravo, Charlie … Zulu.
2…Monopoly corner..JAIL
The commercial game of Monopoly is supposedly a remake of “The Landlord’s Game” created in 1903 by a Quaker woman called Lizzie Phillips. Phillips used her game as a tool to explain the single tax theory of American economist Henry George. The Landlord’s Game was first produced commercially in 1924. The incredibly successful derivative game called Monopoly was introduced in 1933 by Charles Darrow, who became a very rich man when Parker Brothers bought the rights to the game just two years later in 1935.
3…Adapter letters..AC/DC
Anyone with a laptop with an external power supply has an AC/DC converter, that big “block” in the power cord. It converts the AC current from a wall socket into the DC current that is used by the laptop.
4…New Jersey’s state tree..RED OAK
The northern red oak is a tree that is native to North America. The northern red oak is sometimes referred to as the champion oak, and is the state tree of New Jersey. There is also a southern red oak, which is sometimes called the Spanish oak. If you see the unqualified “red oak” term, then it’s probably a northern red oak.
12…Lyft rival..UBER
Uber is a ridesharing service that was founded in 2009 and is based in San Francisco. The service is somewhat controversial and has been described as an illegal taxicab operation. Central to Uber’s service is the company’s mobile app, which can use the client’s GPS location to help find the nearest available ride. Uber’s main competitor is Lyft. Personally, I love the service and have only had good experiences …
18…Performed light surgery on?..LASED
The term “laser” comes is an acronym, “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation” (LASER). It has been pointed out that a more precise name for laser technology is “Light Oscillation by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”, but the resulting acronym isn’t quite so appealing, namely LOSER …
24…Eur. power until 1806..HRE
The Holy Roman Empire (HRE) existed from 962 to 1806 AD and was a territory of varying size over the centuries that centered on the Kingdom of Germany. The HRE was a successor to the western half of the Ancient Roman Empire.
26…Third deg.?..PHD
PhD is an abbreviation for “philosophiae doctor”, Latin for “teacher of philosophy”. Often, candidates for an earned PhD already hold a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, so a PhD might be considered a “third degree”.
30…Like Oscar Wilde..IRISH
If you didn’t know Oscar Wilde was Irish, you will when you see the name he was given at birth: Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde!
31…Big name in spaghetti westerns..LEONE
Sergio Leone was an Italian film director, and someone very much associated with the genre known as “Spaghetti Westerns”. Perhaps most famous of Leone’s westerns were the so-called “Man with No Name” trilogy that starred Clint Eastwood. The three films are:
- “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964)
- “For a Few Dollars More” (1965)
- “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966)
43…Shipping department supply..TWINE
Our word “twine”, meaning a light string, has the same root as our word “twin”. The original Old English “twin” was a double thread.
44…Lab order?..SIT!
The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814. The breed comes in three registered colors: black, yellow and chocolate.
46…Milk purch…GAL
The name of our fluid measure called a “gallon” ultimately comes from the Medieval Latin term “galleta” meaning “bucket, pail”.
50…”My Generation” band..THE WHO
The English rock band called the Who was formed in 1964, bringing together famed musicians Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. According to “Rolling Stone” magazine, the Who were the third arm of the holy trinity of British rock, alongside the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
51…Portmanteau for a grownup who hasn’t yet grown-up..KIDULT
An adult who exhibits traits more akin to that of an adolescent is sometimes referred to as a “kidult” or an “adultescent”.
55…Caramel-filled candy..ROLO
Rolo was a hugely popular chocolate candy in Ireland when I was growing up. Rolo was introduced in the thirties in the UK, and is produced under license in the US by Hershey. I was a little disappointed when I had my first taste of the American version as the center is very hard and chewy. The recipe used on the other side of the Atlantic calls for a soft gooey center.
60…Copter’s forerunner..GIRO
“Giro” is a reference to the autogyro, an aircraft that uses an unpowered rotor to create lift, and a powered propeller to provide thrust. The first autogyro was flown in 1923 in Spain, where it was invented.
61…David Cameron’s alma mater..ETON
David Cameron was Prime Minister of the UK from 2010 until 2016. Conservative Cameron came to power as the head of a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. The Conservative Party emerged victorious in a 2015 general election, after which Cameron led a majority government. Cameron’s administration will surely be remembered in part for two major referenda. In one, Scotland voted by a narrow majority to remain in the UK. In the second, the UK voted to exit the European Union, a vote that led to Cameron’s resignation the next day.
62…Three-part figs…SSNS
A Social Security number (SSN) is divided into three parts i.e AAA-GG-SSSS, Originally, the Area Number (AAA) was the code for the office that issued the card. Since 1973, the Area Number reflects the ZIP code from which the application was made. The GG in the SSN is the Group Number, and the SSSS in the number is the Serial Number. However, this is all moot, as since 2011 SSN’s are assigned randomly.
64…Monogram on some pricey handbags..YSL
Yves Saint-Laurent (YSL) was a French fashion designer, actually born in Algeria. Saint-Laurent started off working as an assistant to Christian Dior at the age of 17. Dior died just four years later, and as a very young man Saint-Laurent was named head of the House of Dior. However, in 1950 Saint-Laurent was conscripted into the French Army and ended up in a military hospital after suffering a mental breakdown from the hazing inflicted on him by his fellow soldiers. His treatment included electroshock therapy and administration of sedatives and psychoactive drugs. He was released from hospital, managed to pull his life back together and started his own fashion house. A remarkable story …
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1…Just open..AJAR
5…Hot under the collar..ANGRY
10…Loot from a heist..HAUL
14…Dainty trim..LACE
15…West Indies volcano..PELEE
16…Site of Napoleon’s first exile..ELBA
17…Tweak some violin holders?..FIDDLE WITH CASES (from “fiddle cases”)
20…Maker of many kitchen rolls..ALCOA
21…Wall St. deal..LBO
22…Baking soda targets..ODORS
23…Like used fireplaces..ASHY
25…Tach nos…RPMS
27…Tweak some church chimers?..TINKER WITH BELLS (from “Tinker Bell’s”)
34…Brit. record label..EMI
35…A few bucks?..DEER
36…Fuss over..DOTE ON
37…Part of a sitcom farewell..NANU
39…Pulled off..DID
41…Spot for a 48-Across..SOFA
42…Representatives..AGENTS
45…Nintendo rival..SEGA
48…Short snooze..NAP
49…Tweak some ski parkas?..MESS WITH JACKETS (from “mess jackets”)
52…__ helmet..PITH
53…Pre-coll. catchall..ELHI
54…Torch job..ARSON
57…And such: Abbr…ETC
59…Trims, as a lawn..EDGES
63…Tweak some business outfits?..MONKEY WITH SUITS (from “monkey suits”)
66…Arctic formation..FLOE
67…Transparent..SHEER
68…Scientology guru Hubbard..L RON
69…Like most fairways, daily..MOWN
70…Some Parliament members..LORDS
71…A whole bunch..TONS
Down
1…NATO alphabet starter..ALFA
2…Monopoly corner..JAIL
3…Adapter letters..AC/DC
4…New Jersey’s state tree..RED OAK
5…Chest thumper..APE
6…One recently hitched..NEWLYWED
7…Smooth-talking..GLIB
8…Parting shot..RETORT
9…Slangy “Sure”..YEH
10…Hands-free devices..HEADSETS
11…To boot..ALSO
12…Lyft rival..UBER
13…Scottish miss..LASS
18…Performed light surgery on?..LASED
19…Jazz club performers..COMBO
24…Eur. power until 1806..HRE
26…Third deg.?..PHD
27…Midmorning hour..TEN AM
28…Reflection..IMAGE
29…Little League teams..NINES
30…Like Oscar Wilde..IRISH
31…Big name in spaghetti westerns..LEONE
32…OK for dieters..LO-FAT
33…Breaks like a branch..SNAPS
38…Implied..UNSPOKEN
40…Down in the dumps..DEJECTED
43…Shipping department supply..TWINE
44…Lab order?..SIT!
46…Milk purch…GAL
47…Feels the pain..ACHES
50…”My Generation” band..THE WHO
51…Portmanteau for a grownup who hasn’t yet grown-up..KIDULT
54…Switch on a boom box..AM/FM
55…Caramel-filled candy..ROLO
56…Put one over on..SNOW
58…Stadium ticket specification..TIER
60…Copter’s forerunner..GIRO
61…David Cameron’s alma mater..ETON
62…Three-part figs…SSNS
64…Monogram on some pricey handbags..YSL
65…Store door nos…HRS