Tag: Colorful pattern crossword clue

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Constructed by: Rebecca Goldstein

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Sultans of Swing

Themed answers are common phrases that might be reinterpreted as MLB All-Stars:

• 122A Athlete in the Midsummer Classic, or what can be found six times in this puzzle? : MLB ALL-STAR

• 22A Massive, luminous body larger than the sun : SUPER GIANT (San Francisco)
• 28A Mighty Morphin figure of 1990s television : POWER RANGER (Texas)
• 42A Senior position at a taproom : MASTER BREWER (Milwaukee)
• 68A Pickpocket in “Oliver Twist” : THE ARTFUL DODGER (Los Angeles)
• 96A Easy charge for a babysitter : PERFECT ANGEL (Los Angeles)
• 112A High-voltage fish : ELECTRIC RAY (Tampa Bay)

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

Bill’s time: 17:47

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Call back? : ECHO

In Greek mythology, Echo was an Oread, a mountain nymph, who was often consorting with Zeus. Because of this, Zeus’ wife Hera cursed Echo, making her only able to repeat the last words spoken to her (hence our use of the term “echo”). Subsequently, Echo became infatuated with the young Narcissus. Sadly, Echo could only “echo” the words spoken to her, and so she was unable to convey her love to Narcissus. Echo eventually died, and all that remains of her is the sound of her voice.

5A Fake gems : PASTE

The term “paste” has been used to describe artificial gems, particularly those made of a brilliant glass that can be cut and faceted, since the 18th century. This “paste” glass is typically a high-lead content glass, giving it a high refractive index and dispersion, mimicking the sparkle of genuine gemstones like diamonds.

14A __ white: espresso bar order : FLAT

The “flat white” coffee drink originated in Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s. It is typically prepared with a double shot of espresso and steamed milk, but with a thinner layer of microfoam compared to a latte, resulting in a “flat” appearance.

19A Ramadan faith : ISLAM

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is traditionally a period of fasting. The faithful who observe Ramadan refrain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn to dusk everyday, a lesson in patience, humility and spirituality.

20A Hi-fi sound : MONO

Hi-fi systems were introduced in the late 1940s. They are pieces of audio equipment designed to give a much higher quality reproduction of sound than cheaper systems available up to that point. “Hi-fi” stands for “high fidelity”.

22A Massive, luminous body larger than the sun : SUPERGIANT

Supergiant stars are among the most massive and luminous stars in the universe, significantly larger than our Sun. They are typically short-lived on a cosmic scale, burning through their fuel rapidly, and often end their lives in spectacular supernova explosions, leaving behind neutron stars or black holes.

25A Salary bump : RAISE

It has been suggested that our term “salary” comes from the Latin “sal” meaning “salt”. The idea is that a Roman soldier’s “salarium” might have been an allowance to purchase salt.

27A Show that celebrated 50 seasons in 2025, for short : SNL

NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.

28A Mighty Morphin figure of 1990s television : POWER RANGER

The American “Power Rangers” franchise originated from the Japanese “Super Sentai” series, adapting the original, Japanese-made action footage with American actors for dialogue and character development.

30A __ Geo Wild : NAT

The National Geographic Channel (Nat Geo) was launched in 2001. Nat Geo has a sister channel known as National Geographic Wild (Nat Geo Wild) that focuses on programming about wildlife.

32A Nepal neighbor : TIBET

Tibet is a plateau region that is part of China, and is located northeast of the Himalayas. Tibet declared its independence from China in 1913, but fell back under Chinese control after the Invasion of Tibet in 1951. The Tibetan leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, fled the country during the 1959 Tibetan Rebellion. Since then, he has led the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India.

Nepal lies to the northeast of India. Today, the state is known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. In 2008, the Communist Party of Nepal won the country’s general election. Soon after, the Assembly voted to change the form of government, moving away from a monarchy and creating a secular republic.

34A Chemical in pretzel-making : LYE

What we call “lye” is usually sodium hydroxide (NaOH), although historically the term “lye” was used for potassium hydroxide. Lye has many uses, including to cure several foodstuffs. Lye can make olives less bitter, for example. The chemical is also found in canned mandarin oranges, pretzels and Japanese ramen noodles. More concentrated grades of lye are used to clear drains and clean ovens. Scary …

48A Reddit Q&A : AMA

Ask me anything (AMA)

49A __ Dhabi : ABU

Abu Dhabi is one of the seven Emirates that make up the federation known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two largest members of the UAE (geographically) are Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the only two of the seven members that have veto power over UAE policy. Before 1971, the UAE was a British Protectorate, a collection of sheikdoms. The sheikdoms entered into a maritime truce with Britain in 1835, after which they became known as the Trucial States, derived from the word “truce”.

52A Makeup mogul Lauder : ESTEE

Estée Lauder was a very successful businesswoman, and someone with a great reputation as a salesperson. Lauder introduced her own line of fragrances in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bathwater. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales “volume” …

56A Urban haze : SMOG

The word “smog” is a portmanteau coined in 1905 by Dr. Henry Antoine Des Voeux to describe a mixture of smoke and fog, initially referring to the thick, polluted air in London. The infamous “Great Smog of London” in December 1952 caused thousands of deaths and led to significant environmental legislation.

60A Maui’s __ Highway : HANA

If you visit the island of Maui, a trip to the Haleakala National Park is a must. One section of the park features the spectacular Haleakala Crater, where you would swear you are on the moon. The second part of the park is the Kipahulu section, which features the very picturesque pools accessed along the Hana Highway. When we visited (quite a few years ago), “The Road to Hana” was a tad undeveloped and rental car companies would not allow you to drive their cars there. Funnily enough, the only cars you’d meet on the Road to Hana were rental cars …

63A Cincinnati’s state : OHIO

Cincinnati, Ohio was the first major city to be founded after the American Revolution, and indeed was the first major inland city to be founded in the whole country. Cincinnati was a boomtown in the 1800s, but its growth slowed as the railroads displaced the steamboats as the major form of transportation. The city was founded in 1788, and was named “Cincinnati” two years later. It was named for the Society of Cincinnati, an organization with a mission to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the officers of the Revolutionary War. The society was in turn named for Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. Cincinnatus was a farmer in ancient Rome who left his land to serve as Consul and then lawful dictator of Rome during a war emergency, before happily handing back power to the Senate after the war was won.

68A Pickpocket in “Oliver Twist” : THE ARTFUL DODGER

The Artful Dodger is a marvelous character in “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens. The Dodger’s real name is Jack Dawkins, and he is a talented pickpocket and a favorite of the devious Fagin.

75A Sneaker brand named for a big cat : PUMA

The German sportswear company Puma was founded in 1948 by Rudolf Dassler, the elder brother of Adidas founder Adolf Dassler.

84A Double Stuf cookie : OREO

Double Stuf Oreos were introduced in 1975, and have twice the normal amount of white cream filling as the original cookie. Nabisco really went big in 2013, introducing the Mega Stuf Oreo that has even more white cream filling.

86A Actor Davis : OSSIE

Ossie Davis was a prominent actor and civil rights activist. He married his wife, fellow actor Ruby Dee, in 1948. They remained together until his death in 2005, making their marriage one of the longest-lasting in Hollywood history. Davis was a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, and a close friend of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Davis delivered a powerful eulogy at Malcolm X’s funeral in 1965.

89A Homeric epic : ILIAD

“Iliad” is an epic poem by the Greek poet Homer that tells the story of the ten-year siege of “Ilium” (i.e. “Troy”) during the Trojan war. “The Odyssey”, also attributed to Homer, is sometimes described as a sequel to “Iliad”.

102A Airline whose name comes from the Book of Hosea : EL AL

El Al, Israel’s national airline, takes its name from a Hebrew phrase that translates to “To the Skies” or “Heavenwards.” This phrase appears in the biblical Book of Hosea, specifically Hosea 11:7 — “And My people are in suspense about returning to Me; and though they call them upwards, none at all will lift himself up”.

103A New York PWHL team : SIRENS

The New York Sirens are one of the six inaugural franchises of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), which began play in January 2024. Despite being a New York team, they play their home games in New Jersey at the Prudential Center in Newark.

104A __-glace: rich sauce : DEMI

Demi-glace is a sauce that’s rich and brown, and is used in French cuisine. The name translates as “half glaze” and comprises veal stock mixed with espagnole sauce. It’s a little more work to make demi-glace, as one has to also make an espagnole sauce as one of the main ingredients. As a result, some chefs just use a veal stock instead, which Julia Child used to call a “semi-demi-glace”.

112A High-voltage fish : ELECTRIC RAY

Electric rays, also known as torpedo rays, are a group of cartilaginous fish capable of generating an electric discharge to stun prey or deter predators. Their electric organs can produce shocks ranging from a few volts to over 200 volts, depending on the species. The torpedo undersea weapon takes its name from the fish.

115A Sir McKellen : IAN

Sir Ian McKellen is a marvelous English actor, one who is comfortable playing anything from Macbeth on stage to Magneto in an “X-Men” movie. On the big screen, McKellen is very famous for playing Gandalf in “The Lord of Rings”. In the UK, Sir Ian is noted for being at the forefront of the campaign for equal rights for gay people, a role he has enthusiastically embraced since the eighties.

120A Common sound at Oktoberfest : POLKA

The polka is a dance from central Europe, one that originated in Bohemia in the mid-1800s. It’s thought that “polka” comes from a Czech word meaning “little half”, reflecting the little half-steps included in the basic dance.

122A Athlete in the Midsummer Classic, or what can be found six times in this puzzle? : MLB ALL-STAR

Major League Baseball’s first All-Star Game was held as part of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The longest All-Star games since then went to 15 innings, in 1967 and 2008, with the 2008 game lasting 4 hours and 50 minutes. The event also goes by the name “Midsummer Classic”.

127A “__ beaucoup” : MERCI

“Merci beaucoup” is French for “thank you very much”.

128A Sports commentator Andrews : ERIN

Erin Andrews is a sports reporter. I don’t watch many sports events, but I do know Ms. Andrews for her appearances on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2010. She did quite well and made it to the final of the show. And then she was hired as the show’s co-host alongside Tom Bergeron. And then they were both let go …

131A “25” and “30” singer : ADELE

“Adele” is the stage name of English singer Adele Adkins. Adele’s debut album is “19”, named after the age she was during the album’s production. Her second album was even more successful than the first. Called “21”, the second album was released three years after the first, when Adele was three years older. Her third studio album “25”, released in 2015, broke the first-week sales records in both the UK and the US. “30” followed in 2021.

Down

1D MS reviewers : EDS

An editor (ed.) might read or edit a manuscript (ms).

2D Gunk : CRUD

The word “crud”, meaning “something disgusting”, is American slang dating back to the 1920s. Originating in the US Army, the term was used in place of “venereal disease”.

3D Arizona Natives : HOPI

The Hopi people are a Native American tribe primarily residing on three mesas in northeastern Arizona. They are renowned for their cultural traditions, which predate European contact by centuries, including intricate kachina dolls, ceremonial dances, and a history of peaceful agriculture in an arid environment.

5D “Some __”: message in “Charlotte’s Web” : PIG

In E. B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web”, The spider Charlotte weaves the words “SOME PIG” into her web, praising her friend Wilbur the pig.

9D AED user : EMT

An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically analyzes the heart rhythm of a person who is experiencing sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and, if necessary, delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restore a normal heart rhythm. AEDs are becoming more common sights, especially as most can now be used to help a patient, even if the operator has no training. On a recent trip to Britain and Ireland, I noticed that the iconic telephone boxes are being used to house AEDs rather than remove them as public phones become unnecessary.

10D Words said with a yawn : I’M SO TIRED

Yawning is often associated with tiredness, but its exact physiological purpose is still debated. Theories include regulating brain temperature, increasing alertness, or even communicating empathy.

11D Cinematic surname : LOEW

Marcus Loew was a New Yorker born into a poor Jewish family. He started out in a penny arcade business and used its profits to buy into a nickelodeon. He built a whole chain of movie theaters, and then moved into the production of films so that he could guarantee supply of features that he could show in his theaters. Eventually he pulled together the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film production company, and sadly passed away just three years after he inked the deal.

12D Use a prayer mat, e.g. : KNEEL

The tradition of using prayer rugs, “sajjada” in Arabic, dates back to early Islamic history. While not explicitly commanded in the Quran, the practice developed from the need for a clean and defined space for prayer, especially when praying outdoors. The rug designs frequently feature a mihrab motif, an arch-shaped pattern symbolizing the mihrab in a mosque, which indicates the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca.

14D Warm button-ups with checkered patterns : FLANNEL SHIRTS

Flannel is a fabric originally woven using worsted wool, and nowadays mainly using regular wool, cotton or a synthetic fiber. The softness of flannel makes it ideal for blankets, bed sheets and sleepwear.

15D Mario’s brother : LUIGI

Luigi is the younger and taller fraternal twin brother of Nintendo’s Mario. He first appeared in the 1983 arcade game “Mario Bros.”, and is often portrayed as a more timid character than his famous sibling.

21D Wireless support, maybe : BRA

The first modern bra was invented by a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob in 1913. Jacob was looking for a more comfortable and fashionable alternative to the corsets that were then commonly worn, and she fashioned a bra using two handkerchiefs and some ribbon. She later patented her invention, which she called the “Backless Brassiere.”

23D Apt surname for a librarian : READE

Our word “library” ultimately derives from the Latin “liber” meaning “book”.

28D Rosie of “The Flight Attendant” : PEREZ

Rosie Perez is an American actress of Puerto Rican descent born in New York City. As well as pursuing her acting career, Perez is an activist promoting Puerto Rican rights, and was arrested in 2000 at a rally to protest US Navy weapons-training off the coast of Puerto Rico.

“The Flight Attendant” is a comedy-drama TV show that is based on a 2018 novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. It stars Kaley Cuoco in the title role. Cuoco’s own production company (Yes, Norman Productions) had optioned the rights to the novel in 2017. The show is described as a mystery-thriller as well as a comedy-drama. It’s on my list to watch …

31D Supermodel Banks : TYRA

Tyra Banks rose to fame as one of the most recognizable supermodels of the 1990s, becoming the first African American woman to appear on the covers of both “GQ” and the “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue”. She later transitioned into television, creating and hosting the popular reality competition show “America’s Next Top Model”.

37D Designer Mizrahi : ISAAC

Isaac Mizrahi is a fashion designer from Brooklyn, New York. Mizrahi pops up on television quite a lot. He took on the post of head judge on the reality show “Project Runway: All Stars” in 2012.

41D Wireless std. : LTE

In the world of telecommunications, the initialism LTE stands for Long-Term Evolution, and is 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”.

42D Rooney of “Carol” : MARA

Actress Rooney Mara is noted for her role in the 2010 film “The Social Network” and for playing the title character in the 2011 hit movie “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. Mara has American football in her blood. Her mother’s family founded the Pittsburgh Steelers, and her father’s family founded the New York Giants.

The 2015 film “Carol” is about a forbidden affair between a female photographer and an older woman in the middle of a tough divorce in 1950s America. Rooney Mara plays the photographer Therese Belivet, and Cate Blanchett plays the title character Carol Aird. I haven’t seen this one yet, but I hear good things …

44D Big wheel on the Thames : LONDON EYE

The London Eye is a very large Ferris wheel that sits right beside the River Thames in London. It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and was the tallest in the world when it was constructed in 1999. The London Eye is the most-visited paid tourist attraction in the whole country.

45D Coup d’ __ : ETAT

A coup d’état (often just “coup”) is the sudden overthrow of a government, and comes from the French for “stroke of state”. The Swiss-German word “putsch” is sometimes used instead of “coup”, with “Putsch” translating literally as “sudden blow”. We also use the abbreviated “coup” to mean “sudden, brilliant and successful act”.

46D Chromosome unit : GENE

A gene is a section of a chromosome that is responsible for a particular characteristic in an organism. For example, one gene may determine eye color and another balding pattern. We have two copies of each gene, one from each of our parents, with each copy known as an allele.

51D Las Vegas athlete : RAIDER

The Las Vegas Raiders football team was founded in 1960, and was originally intended to play in Minnesota. Instead, the team played in Oakland from 1960 to 1981 and then spent 12 years in Los Angeles before returning to Oakland in 1995. In 2017, the Raiders announced their plan to relocate to Las Vegas starting in 2020.

57D Two-way player nicknamed “Shotime” : OHTANI

Shohei Ohtani is a baseball pitcher from Japan who started his professional career in 2013 playing for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He was signed by the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, and in 2018 was named the American League’s Rookie of the Year.

58D Many a moving meme : GIF

The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) was introduced by CompuServe in 1987. Its pronunciation is often debated, with some saying “jif” like the peanut butter, and others “gif” with a hard G. The ability of GIF to display short, looping animations made it popular for memes.

72D “Property Brothers” network : HGTV

“Property Brothers” is a reality show in which twin brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott try to help home buyers purchase and renovate fixer-uppers.

73D Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

Elie Wiesel was a holocaust survivor, and is best known for his book “Night” that tells of his experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. He was also the first recipient of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Award, which was later renamed the Elie Wiesel Award in his honor.

83D Some tapas spreads : TAPENADES

The dish known as tapenade is traditionally made from olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil. The name comes from the Provençal word for capers, i.e. “tapenas”.

85D Middle-earth monsters : ORCS

According to Tolkien, Orcs are small humanoids that live in his fantasy world of Middle-earth (also called “Mordor”). They are very ugly and dirty, and are fond of eating human flesh.

95D Actor Epps : OMAR

Actor Omar Epps was originally a rapper and was a member of a group called “Wolfpack” before he pursued acting full-time. His really big break came in the form of a recurring role on the popular medical drama series “ER”, followed by a recurring role in the TV series “House” as Dr. Eric Foreman.

98D Moved like an inflatable air dancer : FLAILED

The inflatable air dancers, often seen at car dealerships and events, were originally designed by artist Peter Minshall for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. They were used during the opening ceremonies to represent various athletes, earning them the nickname “Tube Men”. Since then, air dancers have become a ubiquitous marketing tool.

100D Sworn rivals : NEMESES

Nemesis was a Greek goddess, the goddess of retribution. Her role was to make those individuals who were either haughty or arrogant pay a price for their attitudes. In modern parlance, one’s nemesis (plural “nemeses”) is one’s sworn enemy, often someone who is the exact opposite in character but someone who still shares some important characteristics. A nemesis is often someone one cannot seem to beat in competition.

104D Bus base : DEPOT

Our term “depot”, meaning “station, warehouse”, comes from the French word “dépôt”. The French term translates into English as “deposit” or “place of deposit”.

108D Amtrak option : ACELA

The Acela Express is the fastest train running routinely in the US, as it gets up to 150 mph at times. The service runs between Boston and Washington D.C. via Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. Introduced in 2000, the brand name “Acela” was created to evoke “acceleration” and “excellence”.

110D Buffalo skater : SABRE

The Buffalo Sabres joined the National Hockey League in the 1970-71 season. The team took the name “Sabres” as the result of a fan contest.

113D Skosh : TAD

“Skosh” is a slang term meaning “a little bit”. It was originally military slang that came out of the Korean War. “Skosh” derives from the Japanese word “sukoshi” which translates as “few, little, some”.

116D Chemist’s salt : NACL

Sodium chloride (NaCl, common salt) is an ionic compound. It comprises a crystal lattice made up of large chloride (Cl^–) ions in a cubic structure, with smaller sodium (Na⁺) ions in between the chlorides.

119D Inexperienced sort : NAIF

A naïf is someone who is naive, as “naïf” is the French word for “naive”.

122D UFC sport : MMA

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport in which competitors use a variety of techniques from a variety of traditional combat sports and martial arts.

124D Molecule in some vaccines : RNA

Traditional vaccines typically use weakened or inactivated viruses, or pieces of the virus, to stimulate an immune response. mRNA vaccines use a small piece of genetic material from the virus, called messenger RNA (mRNA), to instruct cells in the body to produce a harmless piece of the virus to trigger the immune response. mRNA vaccines are developed more quickly than traditional vaccines. This was demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, where mRNA vaccines were developed and authorized for emergency use within months of the emergence of the novel coronavirus.