Tag: Durable fabric crossword clue

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Constructed by: Adrian Johnson

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 12m 48s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

13A Island country that changed the shape of the International Date Line by skipping December 30, 2011 : SAMOA

At midnight on December 29, 2011, the island nation of Samoa fast-forwarded straight to December 31, completely erasing December 30 from its history. By making this shift, Samoa effectively moved westward across the International Date Line, hence aligning its financial workweek with regional trading partners Australia and New Zealand. The move reversed a decision made in 1892, when Samoa shifted its time zone eastward to align with California-based merchants.

16A Outermost meningeal membrane : DURA MATER

The three membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord are referred to as the meninges. From the inside to the outside, these membranes are known as:

• the pia mater (“tender mother” in Latin)
• the arachnoid mater (“spider-like mother”)
• the dura mater (“tough mother”)

21A 41-Across teacher : SENSEI
41A Dojo discipline : KARATE

“Sensei” is a Japanese form of address used for figures of authority, from lawyers to martial arts instructors.

23A Army __ : ANTS

Army ants are a collection of over two hundred different species of ants. Each species is known for aggressively raiding a certain area en masse, foraging for food. Army ants also stay on the move, never building permanent nests.

24A Double-reed woodwind related to the shawm : OBOE

The shawm is a double-reed woodwind instrument that was at its height of popularity from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance. The name “shawm” came into English via a tortuous route, from the Latin “calamus” meaning “reed”. The shawm lost its popularity with the arrival of the oboe family of instruments.

33A Angiogram image, perhaps : AORTA

An angiogram is (usually) an x-ray image taken of the circulatory system. The image is often enhanced by the introduction of a radio-opaque “dye” into the bloodstream.

34A “__ bien” : MUY

“Muy buen” is Spanish for “very well”.

35A Durable fabric : CHINO

Chino is a twill cloth that is most often used to make hard-wearing pants. The pants themselves have come to be referred to as chinos. Chino cloth was originally developed for use by the military, but quickly became popular with civilians.

37A Drug featured in the Dock Ellis biopic “No No: A Dockumentary” : LSD

Dock Ellis was a pitcher who played in the Majors from 1968 to 1979. Famously, Ellis pitched a no-hitter in 1970 and later claimed to have done so under the influence of the drug LSD. Ellis’ life story is told in the 2014 documentary film “No No: A Dockumentary”.

41A Dojo discipline : KARATE

Karate is a martial art that originated in the Ryukyu Kingdom, which is now part of Japan. A practitioner of karate is known as a karateka. The sport of karate was included as an Olympic sport starting with the 2020 Games.

The Japanese word “dojo” translates literally as “place of the way”. Originally the term applied to training halls that were found in or beside temples. The teaching in a dojo was not limited to the martial arts, but in the Western world we use the dojo as the name for a training facility for judo, karate and the like.

42A Bernie Sanders’ mittens, for one : MEME

When Senator Bernie Sanders attended the inauguration of Joe Biden in January of 2021, he was faced with an outdoor event on a cold winter’s day. Sanders sat himself on a folding chair, a well-insulated winter jacket, and patterned mittens. The image of him went viral, with folks editing it and incorporating the senator into famous movie scenes.

43A Singer known as the “Goddess of Pop” : CHER

“Cher” is the stage name used by singer and actress Cherilyn Sarkisian. Formerly one half of husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher, she is often referred to as the Goddess of Pop. In her acting career, Cher was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar of 1984 for her performance in “Silkwood”. She went further in 1988 and won the season’s Best Actress Oscar for playing Loretta Castorini in “Moonstruck”.

49A PC IDs : IPS

An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label assigned to every device on a computer network. The device that you’re using to read this blog post on has been assigned a unique IP address, as has the computer that I’m using to make this post …

50A Martinican poet Césaire who helped found the Négritude movement : AIME

Aimé Césaire was an influential poet and playwright from Martinique. He was also a politician with influence, serving as the mayor of the island’s capital, Fort-de-France, for an astounding 56 years!

51A Dessert often made with espresso : TIRAMISU

Tiramisu is an Italian cake. The name “tiramisu” translates from Italian as “pull me up”, and is often translated into our English phrase “pick-me-up”.

53A “Chocolate in every bite” cookie maker : CHIPS AHOY!

Chips Ahoy! is a Nabisco brand of chocolate chip cookies.

56A Sonicare rival : ORAL-B

The Oral-B toothbrush was introduced to the world in 1950, designed by a California periodontist. The first “model” was the Oral-B 60, a name given to reflect the 60 tufts in the brush. In 1969, the Oral-B was the first toothbrush to get to the moon as it was the toothbrush of choice for the crew of the Apollo 11 spacecraft.

Sonicare is a brand of electric toothbrush made by Dutch electronics giant Philips. I’ve been using my Sonicare for years now, which earns me a pat on the back from my dentist every time I visit her …

58A Herb in fines herbes and herbes de Provence : TARRAGON

Tarragon is a herb in the sunflower family that is also known by the name estragon. There are several subspecies, with French tarragon being the variety most commonly used for cooking. Other subspecies are known as Russian tarragon, Spanish tarragon and wild tarragon.

Fines herbes is a traditional ingredient in French haute cuisine consisting of a finely chopped, equal-parts blend of fresh parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil. It is considered a delicate mixture of herbs, and is always stirred into a dish at the very last moment to preserve its fragile oils.

The term “herbes de Provence” is used to describe various mixtures of herbs traditionally associated with Provençal cuisine. In the 1970s, spice suppliers started using the term to describe particular mixtures of specific dried herbs that were sold in outlets. Such mixtures usually include savory, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, oregano and possibly lavender.

Down

2D Platform game that debuted in 1983 : MARIO BROS

Mario Bros. started out as an arcade game back in 1983, developed by Nintendo. The more famous of the two brothers, Mario, had already appeared in an earlier arcade game “Donkey Kong”. Mario was given a brother called Luigi, and the pair have been around ever since. In the game, Mario and Luigi are Italian American plumbers from New York City.

4D Bufotoxin source : TOAD

Bufotoxin is a highly potent family of toxins secreted primarily from the skin glands of toads in the genus Bufo. The chemical acts as a severe cardiotoxin that attacks the heart, a defense mechanism that frequently proves lethal to predatory animals attempting to eat the toad.

5D Array at an izakaya : SAKES

An izakaya is a casual Japanese bar designed for after-work drinking and eating appetizer-sized plates of food. It serves a function somewhat like a Spanish tapas bar or a British gastropub.

10D Guest room fixture : FUTON

Anyone lucky enough to have visited Japan might be familiar with the traditional Japanese futon. Unlike what we tend to call futon in this country, the Japanese original is a padded mattress and quilt. Japanese futons are usually rolled up in the morning so that the space used for sleeping can be repurposed during the day.

12D “Aw, phooey” : NERTS

“Nerts” is a slang term, a corruption of “nuts!”

14D Vinyasa sequence also called Surya Namaskar : SUN SALUTATION

In yoga, a sun salutation is a sequence of linked poses (asanas). A typical sequence involves twelve distinct asanas, starting and ending from a standing position, and including downward and upward dog poses.

16D Event one must prepare for exhaustively? : DANCE MARATHON

Dance marathons became popular in the US during the Great Depression. They are endurance events, at which spectators often pay to watch the competitors on the dance floor. By all accounts, dance marathons were pretty abusive affairs, effectively “reality TV” for the 1920s. Famously, a dance marathon provides the setting for the 1969 film “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”

22D Halo-halo base : ICE

Halo-halo is a Filipino cold dessert whose name literally translates to “mix-mix” in Tagalog. A contemporary recipe calls for the diner to stir an assortment of crushed ice, evaporated milk, sweetened kidney beans, agar jellies, and fruit preserves before eating. It is often topped with a scoop of purple ube ice cream and a slice of creamy leche flan. I used to live in the Philippines, and downed many a delicious glass of halo-halo.

25D Part of i.e. : EST

“Id est” is Latin for “that is”, and is often abbreviated to “i.e.” when used in English.

29D Skateboarding star Tony : HAWK

Tony Hawk is a former professional skateboarder from Carlsbad, California. He is probably the most famous skateboarder in the world. I think I am too old to name another one …

36D Muffuletta ingredient : HAM

The muffuletta is a sandwich associated with New Orleans that was created in 1906 by Sicilian immigrant Salvatore Lupo. The dish takes its name from the round, sesame-seeded Sicilian loaf used as its base. The sandwich’s filling comprises thick layers of mortadella, salami, ham, mozzarella, and provolone cheese. A key ingredient is finely chopped olive salad mixed with pickled celery, cauliflower, and carrots steeped in olive oil, which is allowed to soak into the spongy bread.

40D “Buona __” : SERA

“Buona sera” is Italian for “good evening”.

43D Tacos de nopales need : CACTI

Nopales are the edible pads of the prickly pear cactus. They are a common ingredient in Mexican cuisine and are used in a variety of dishes, including salads, tacos, and soups. They have a slightly tart flavor, and a crunchy texture.

44D Percussion set : HI-HAT

In a drum kit, a hi-hat is a pairing of cymbals that sits on a stand and is played by using a foot pedal. The top cymbal is raised and lowered by the foot, hence creating a crashing sound.

46D High-quality proof, for short : REPRO

“Repro” is short for “reproduction proof”, which is one of the final stages in the non-digital printing process. A repro is a fine quality proof of text and images, of high enough quality to be photographed for the making of a printing plate.

48D Camping treat : S’MORE

S’mores are treats peculiar to North America that are usually eaten around a campfire. A s’more consists of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. The earliest written reference to the recipe is in a 1927 publication called “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts”. Girl Scouts always did corner the market on cookies and the like!

52D Home country of filmmaker Asghar Farhadi : IRAN

Asghar Farhadi is an Iranian movie director and screenwriter. Farhadi won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film on two occasions: for his movies “A Separation” (2012), and “The Salesman” (2017).