Tag: French café partner? crossword clue

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Constructed by: Alan Massengill
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Wheeling and Dealing

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted with reference to car models:

• 23A Shopping for a Kia subcompact SUV? : SOUL SEARCHING
• 33A No longer keen on that Ford crossover SUV? : OVER THE EDGE
• 56A Choosing the Nissan with the all-wheel drive? : GOING ROGUE
• 60A “Love the new Ford crossover”? : GREAT ESCAPE?
• 89A Expert in hard-to-find Rolls-Royces? : GHOST HUNTER
• 92A Deep dive into the three-row Honda? : PILOT STUDY
• 112A Leaning toward the Honda sedan? : CIVIC MINDED
• 128A Last Nissan truck off the assembly line? : FINAL FRONTIER

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

Bill’s time: 17m 39s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Pilates roll up targets : ABS

Pilates is a physical exercise system developed by, and named for, Joseph Pilates. Pilates introduced his system of exercises in 1883 in Germany.

7 Emmy winner Uzo : ADUBA

Uzo Aduba is an actress best known for playing prison inmate Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on the Netflix TV show “Orange Is the New Black”.

23 Shopping for a Kia subcompact SUV? : SOUL SEARCHING

The Kia Soul is a compact car produced in South Korea, although it was designed by Kia here in the US, in Irvine, California. Yep, the Kia Soul is made in Seoul …

27 Clay mineral : TALC

Clay is a naturally-occurring soil material that becomes moldable when wet, and hardens when fired in a kiln. That makes it a ceramic material, the oldest known ceramic used by humans.

28 French café partner? : LAIT

In French, you might pour “lait” (milk) “dans votre café” (in your coffee).

30 Ryan Gosling and Kingsley Ben-Adir in “Barbie” : KENS

The 2023 fantasy comedy movie “Barbie” stars Margo Robbie in the title role and Ryan Gosling as Ken. It was directed by Greta Gerwig, who also co-wrote the script with her partner Noah Baumbach. I highly recommend this one …

Ryan Gosling is a Canadian actor who is one of a string of entertainers to graduate from the Mickey Mouse Club on the Disney Channel. His career really took off when he played the male lead in the 2004 movie “The Notebook” (the best ever “weepie”, according to my wife). Gosling is quite the musician, and is one half of a rock duo called Dead Man’s Bones.

Kingsley Ben-Adir is a British actor who gained recognition for his roles in television series like “Peaky Blinders” and “The OA”, before his breakout role as Malcolm X in the critically acclaimed film “One Night in Miami” (2020).

33 No longer keen on that Ford crossover SUV? : OVER THE EDGE

The Edge is a midsize crossover SUV that Ford has been manufacturing in the company’s plant in Oakville, Ontario since 2006.

43 Figure on the shelf at Christmas : ELF

“The Elf on the Shelf” is an illustrated children’s book penned in 2005 by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell. The title character is dispatched by Santa every Thanksgiving to keep an eye on children during the holiday season, and to determine who is naughty and who is nice.

45 Genesis figure : ENOS

Enos was the son of Seth, and therefore the grandson of Adam and Eve, and nephew of Cain and Abel. According to the ancient Jewish work called the Book of Jubilees, Enos married his own sister Noam.

51 Flamenco star José : GRECO

José Greco was an American flamenco dancer and choreographer who played a pivotal role in popularizing Spanish dance in America throughout the mid-20th century. Despite his influence on Spanish dance, Greco was Italian-born, and immigrated to the US with his family when he was 10 years old.

54 “The Witch Elm” novelist French : TANA

Tana French is an American-born Irish author who has earned the moniker “First Lady of Irish Crime”. Her first novels fall into a series known as the “Dublin Murder Squad”. The BBC and RTE (the Irish national station) commissioned a TV series based on the novels called “Dublin Murders”, which began broadcasting on both sides of the Atlantic in 2019.

56 Choosing the Nissan with the all-wheel drive? : GOING ROGUE

The Rogue is a compact SUV that Nissan introduced in the 2008 model year. Outside of North America, the same vehicle is sold as the X-Trail.

60 “Love the new Ford crossover”? : GREAT ESCAPE?

The Ford Escape is an SUV that was developed jointly with Mazda and introduced in the 2001 model year. The Mazda version of the same vehicle is known as the Tribute.

63 __ Rabbit : BR’ER

Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox are characters in the Uncle Remus stories, written by Joel Chandler Harris. The “Uncle Remus” stories are adaptations of African American folktales that Harris collected across the Southern States. “Br’er” is an abbreviated form of “brother”.

64 Pans with patinas : WOKS

Patina is the oxide film that develops on brass and similar metals over time. For example, it’s patina that makes Lady Liberty the lovely green color that she is.

65 Munich Olympics star Mark : SPITZ

Mark Spitz is a retired competitive swimmer, and famously the winner of seven gold medals for the US at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. That was a record number of gold medals won for a single Olympic Games, which stood until the 2008 games when Michael Phelps won a total of 8 golds. Spitz was only 22 years of age right after the 1972 Games, at which point he retired from competition. Having said that, Spitz briefly came out of retirement in 1992 and tried for a place in the US team for the Barcelona Olympics at the age of 41. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make the grade.

66 Asian mushroom : ENOKI

Enokitake (also known as “enoki”) are long and thin white mushrooms often added to soups or salads.

68 “Get Smart” crime org. : KAOS

The satirical comedy series called “Get Smart” was the creation of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, and starred Don Adams as Agent 86, Maxwell Smart. Agent 86 worked for the spy agency CONTROL, alongside the lovely Agent 99 (played by Barbara Feldon). CONTROL’s sworn enemy was the criminal organization called KAOS. Smart’s shoe phone was a hilarious prop used in almost every episode. When Smart dialed the number 117, the shoe converted into a gun. Cool stuff …

71 NBA great Curry : STEPH

Basketball great Wardell Stephen “Steph” Curry II was born in Akron, Ohio, the son of former NBA player Dell Curry and former volleyball player Sonya Curry. Off the court, Curry is an avid golfer, playing off a low handicap. He regularly participates in celebrity golf tournaments, and has played alongside President Barack Obama.

73 “Goosebumps” series writer : STINE

“Goosebumps” is a series of children’s horror novels written by author R. L. Stine. The novels have been adapted into a television series shown on Canadian TV.

75 “Julie & Julia” actor Stanley : TUCCI

Stanley Tucci is a UK-based American actor. Of his many fine performances, my favorite is in 2009’s “Julie & Julia”, a film in which he plays the husband of celebrity chef Julia Child. Tucci is quite the cook himself in real life and released “The Tucci Cookbook” in 2012. He was also a co-owner of the Finch Tavern restaurant in Croton Falls, New York.

“Julie & Julia” is a wonderful 2009 Nora Ephron film that juxtaposes the lives of celebrity chef Julia Childs and home cook/blogger Julie Powell. Childs is played by Meryl Streep, and Powell by Amy Adams. Ephron’s screenplay is based on two nonfiction books: Child’s autobiography “My Life in France”, and Powell’s memoir “Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously”. Highly recommended …

77 President’s advisory gp. : NSC

The National Security Council (NSC) was created by President Harry S. Truman in 1947. It is chaired by the sitting president and meets in the White House Situation Room.

81 Drum kit piece : SNARE

Snare drums are so called because they have a set of wire strands (snares) stretching across the bottom surface of the drum. When the drum is struck, the snares vibrate against the bottom drumhead producing a unique sound.

87 Commit a faux pas : SLIP

The term “faux pas” is French in origin, and translates literally as “false step” (or “false steps”, as the plural has the same spelling in French).

89 Expert in hard-to-find Rolls-Royces? : GHOST HUNTER

The Rolls-Royce Ghost is a luxury saloon car manufactured by Rolls-Royce. First produced in 2009, it is powered by a very impressive V12 engine. If you’re thinking of picking up a rolls-Royce Ghost, the MSRP starts at around $350,000 …

92 Deep dive into the three-row Honda? : PILOT STUDY

The Honda Pilot is a mid-size crossover SUV that was introduced in 2002. The luxury version of the vehicle is sold as the Acura MDX.

95 Bone, in Bologna : OSSO

Bologna is a city in northern Italy. It is home to the University of Bologna that was founded way back in 1088, making it the oldest existing university in the world.

103 Third-largest city in Israel : HAIFA

Haifa is the third-largest city in Israel and the largest city in the north of the country. It is built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, and is a Mediterranean seaport.

107 Lego competitor : K’NEX

The name of the construction toy called “K’Nex” is the phonetic spelling of the word “connects”. It was invented by Joel Glickman, who came up with the idea while playing with straws as he sat at a table after a wedding. He launched K’Nex in 1993, and it is still sold in stores.

112 Leaning toward the Honda sedan? : CIVIC MINDED

Introduced in 1972, the Honda Civic is the second-oldest brand of Japanese car made for the US today (only the Toyota Corolla has been around longer). Today’s Civic is a compact car, but the original was smaller, and classed as a sub-compact. The first design had a transverse-mounted engine and front-wheel drive to save on space, copying the configuration introduced with the British Mini.

120 Guinness of “Smiley’s People” : ALEC

Sir Alec Guinness played many great roles over a long and distinguished career, but nowadays is best remembered (sadly, I think) for playing the original Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars”. He won his only Best Actor Oscar for playing Colonel Nicholson in the marvelous 1957 WWII movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai”. Guinness did himself serve during the Second World War, in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. He commanded a landing craft during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943.

“Smiley’s People” is a 1979 spy novel by John le Carré, and the final installment in the “Karla Trilogy”. The trilogy centers on British intelligence office George Smiley and his KGB counterpart Karla. The first two novels in the series are “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (1974) and “The Honourable Schoolboy” (1977).

121 Useful houseplant : ALOE

Aloe vera is considered a useful houseplant largely due to its ability to remove toxins from the air. It is especially useful in absorbing formaldehyde and benzene, chemicals found in some cleaning products. Also, aloe vera converts carbon dioxide to oxygen at night, which can help with sleep.

122 Mindy, to Emily in “Emily in Paris” : AMIE

“Emily in Paris” is a romantic comedy TV series starring Lily Collins as Emily Cooper, an ambitious American marketing executive from Chicago. When she unexpectedly lands a job in Paris, Emily embraces the challenge, and propels herself into the French lifestyle. Believe it or not, there is a video game adaption of “Emily in Paris” that was released in 2024.

128 Last Nissan truck off the assembly line? : FINAL FRONTIER

The Nissan Frontier is a mid-size pickup truck that used to be sold as the Navara and NP300 in markets outside of the US. Starting in 2021, the Frontier nameplate has been applied to a design of truck exclusive to North America.

132 Guitar-playing “Glee” kid : ARTIE

Artie Abrams is a character in the Fox television show “Glee”. He is played by the young actor Kevin McHale, and is the character who gets around in a wheelchair.

133 Disney film whose opening song is “The Family Madrigal” : ENCANTO

“The Family Madrigal” is the opening number from Disney’s animated musical film “Encanto” (2021). Sung by the protagonist Mirabel, it introduces the Madrigal family and their magical gifts. The song was composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is known for his work on Broadway musicals like “Hamilton” and “In the Heights”.

137 Retired jet, briefly : SST

The most famous supersonic transport (SST) was the Concorde, a plane that’s no longer flying. Concorde had that famous “droop nose”. The nose was moved to the horizontal position during flight to create the optimum aerodynamic shape thereby reducing drag. It was lowered during taxi, takeoff and landing, so that the pilot had better visibility. The need for the droop nose was driven largely by the delta-shaped wings. The delta wing necessitates a higher angle of attack at takeoff and landing than conventional wing designs, so the pilot needed the nose lowered so that he or she could see the ground.

Down

3 Béarnaise, e.g. : SAUCE

Béarnaise sauce is a classic French sauce made with clarified butter emulsified into egg yolks and white wine vinegar, and flavored with shallots, tarragon, and chervil. It is considered a “child” of Hollandaise sauce, with a more herbaceous and savory taste. The sauce is named after Béarn, a historical region in southwestern France, though the exact connection remains unclear.

4 Windsor __ : CASTLE

Windsor Castle is located on the River Thames in Berkshire, just 20 miles outside London. It was built in the early 11th century by William the Conqueror after the Norman invasion of England. Queen Elizabeth II used to spend many of her weekends at Windsor. She had lots of room to move around there, as it’s the largest inhabited castle in the world.

6 “__ Twist, Scientist”: kid-lit bestseller : ADA

“Ada Twist, Scientist’ is a children’s picture book by Andrea Beaty (illustrated by David Roberts) that was first published in 2016. An animated preschool TV series with the same name premiered in 2021.

7 Class for a mathlete, informally : AP CALC

A mathlete is someone who competes in mathematics competitions.

8 Arlene of the silver screen : DAHL

Arlene Dahl is an American movie actress who was quite famous during the 1950s. Among her screen credits was playing the female lead in 1959’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, alongside James Mason and Pat Boone.

9 Billion-dollar start-up : UNICORN

In the world of finance, a unicorn is a privately-held startup company that has a value of over $1 billion. The derivative terms “decacorn” and “hectacorn” refer to companies with valuation of over $10 billion and $100 billion respectively. The use of the term “unicorn” reflects how unlikely such valuations are.

12 7UP competitor : SPRITE

Sprite is Coca-Cola’s answer to the very successful soft drink 7UP. Sprite was introduced in 1961, and Coca-Cola used its muscle to topple 7UP from its dominant position in the market. Sprite has been the number-one selling lemon soda since 1978.

13 “Think” singer Franklin : ARETHA

“Think” is a song co-written and recorded by Aretha Franklin in 1968. Along with Franklin’s hit “Respect”, “Think” became an anthem for the civil rights and women’s rights movements.

15 “Eat Mor Chikin” sloganeer, e.g. : SPOKESCOW

“Eat Mor Chikin” is an advertising slogan for the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A. First appearing in 1995, the campaign features cows holding signs with deliberately misspelled messages encouraging people to eat chicken instead of beef.

17 Red-haired primate : ORANG

Orangutans (also “orangs”) are arboreal creatures, the largest arboreal animals known to man. They are native to Indonesia and Malaysia, and live in rainforests. Like most species in rainforests these days, orangutans are endangered, with only two species surviving. The word “orangutan” is Malay, meaning “man of the forest”.

32 Electric fence measures : VOLTS

The volt is a unit of electric potential, or voltage. I always think of electrical voltage as something like water pressure. The higher the pressure of water (voltage), the faster the water flows (the higher the electric current that flows).

34 Daily Insta post : VLOG

A video blog is perhaps what one might expect, i.e. a blog that is essentially a series of video posts. The phrase “video logging” is often shortened to “vlogging”.

40 Half a zygote : EGG

“Zygote” is the name given to the cell formed when (in the case of humans) a sperm fertilizes an egg. It is the earliest stage in the development of an embryo. The term “zygote” comes from the Greek for “joined, yoked”.

48 Argumentative : AGONISTIC

The word “agonistic” has its roots in ancient Greek. It derives from the Greek word “agonistes” meaning “competitor” or “rival.” Over time, the meaning of “agonistic” broadened to encompass any kind of struggle or conflict, including those that are more symbolic or intellectual.

49 Zap in the microwave : NUKE

The microwave oven was invented in 1946 by Percy Spencer, an engineer at Raytheon. While he was standing beside an active radar unit, which used microwaves, he noticed that the candy bar in his pocket had melted. Spencer proceeded to expose various foods to microwaves in tests that would lead to the development of the first commercial microwave oven.

52 “I Am __”: Jenner reality show : CAIT

“I Am Cait” is a documentary series that follows Caitlyn Jenner after she changed her gender and identification from Bruce Jenner.

53 Kelp forest dweller : OTTER

Kelps are large seaweeds that grow in kelp forests underwater. Kelps can grow to over 250 feet in length, and do so very quickly. Some kelps can grow at the rate of 1-2 feet per day.

59 Curmudgeon : GROUCH

“Curmudgeon” is a favorite word used by my wife to describe me. A curmudgeon is a bad-tempered person full of resentment and stubborn notions. I am sure she uses the term very affectionately …

61 Convenience that may take a toll? : E-ZPASS

E-ZPass was a technology development driven (pun!) by the tolling agencies of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The first E-ZPass toll booth was built on the New York Thruway, and opened at the Spring Valley toll plaza in 1993.

69 Benchwarmer : SCRUB

The term “scrub” denotes a second-string or inferior player on a sports team. Back in the 1500s, “scrub” referred to something small or stunted, like a shrub or an animal of inferior breed. This meaning gradually extended to people, describing someone of low social standing or insignificant importance. By the late 19th century, “scrub” was adopted in the sports world to denote players who weren’t good enough to make the first team.

74 God with magical arrows : EROS

As always seems to be the case with Greek gods, Eros and Aphrodite have overlapping spheres of influence. Aphrodite was the goddess of love between a man and a woman, and Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male. The Roman equivalent of Aphrodite was Venus, and the equivalent of Eros was Cupid.

76 Pet protector : CONE

A vet may fit a cone-like device around an animal’s head to prevent it from biting or licking a wound. That device is known as an Elizabethan collar or pet cone, although it has more frivolously been referred to as a cone of shame, pet lampshade or pet radar dish.

77 Good place to pick up a cab? : NAPA

The cabernet sauvignon (often just “cab”) grape has been around since the 17th century, and is the result of a chance crossing in southwestern France of the cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc grapes.

80 Lucy who played Watson : LIU

Lucy Liu is an actress from Queens, New York. Liu’s big break came when she was chosen to play the Ling Woo character in “Ally McBeal”. I liked her in the 2000 film “Charlie’s Angels” but as I am no fan of Quentin Tarantino, I did not enjoy the movie “Kill Bill”. I do enjoy one of Liu’s more recent projects in which she plays Joan Watson, one of the two lead characters in the TV crime drama “Elementary”.

84 Angry Birds owner : SEGA

Angry Birds is a video game developed for smartphones. Angry Birds is the third most downloaded game, after Tetris and Pac-Man. There is a whole series of Angry Birds games now, including Angry Birds Rio, Angry Birds Star Wars and Angry Birds Transformers.

88 “See attached” attachment : PDF

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format introduced by Adobe Systems in 1993. PDF documents can be shared between users and read using many different applications and platforms, making them more universally accessible than documents saved by one particular program.

90 Singer Mel : TORME

Mel Tormé was a jazz singer with a quality of voice that earned him the nickname “The Velvet Fog”. Tormé also wrote a few books, and did a lot of acting. He was the co-author of the Christmas classic known as “The Christmas Song”, which starts out with the line “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire …”

93 Gillette brand : TRAC

The Gillette brand of shaving products owes its name to King Camp Gillette, an inventor who came up with the idea of a safety razor that used disposable blades. Gillette worked with partners to bring his idea to market, resulting in the founding of the American Safety Razor company in 1901. The company changed its name to the Gillette Safety Razor Company in 1904. Gillette merged with Procter & Gamble in 2005.

104 Radiologist : IMAGER

A radiologist is a medical doctor who specializes in using imaging as a means to diagnose disease and monitor treatment. A radiographer, also “radiologic technician”, is a trained professional who uses the imaging hardware to produce the images for a radiologist to interpret.

105 Options at Ruth’s Chris : FILETS

Ruth’s Chris Steak House is a huge chain of fine-dining restaurants, with well over 100 establishments. The company was started by a single mother of two called Ruth Fertel. In 1965 Fertel bought the Chris Steak House in New Orleans, and under the agreement governing the purchase, she had to retain the name “Chris”. So Fertel added her own name in front of the existing name, and Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses were born.

108 Cases for Mulder and Scully : X-FILES

“The X-Files” is a very successful science fiction show that originally aired on the Fox network from 1993 to 2002. The stars of the show are David Duchovny (playing Fox Mulder) and the very talented Gillian Anderson (playing Dana Scully). By the time the series ended, “The X-Files” was the longest running sci-fi show in US broadcast history. An “X-Files” reboot started airing in 2016 with Duchovny and Anderson reprising their starring roles.

113 “The Song of Achilles” inspiration : ILIAD

Madeline Miller’s 2011 novel “The Song of Achilles” is a reimagining of Homer’s “Iliad”, told from the perspective of Patroclus, lifelong friend of Achilles.

114 Starbucks order : VENTI

Starbucks introduced us to coffee drinks in a whole range of volumes:

• Demi … 3 fl oz
• Short … 8 fl oz
• Tall … 12 fl oz
• Grande … 16 fl oz (Italian for “large”)
• Venti … 20 fl oz (Italian for “twenty”)
• Trenta … 30 fl oz (Italian for “thirty”)

117 Zebra on a field : REF

A football referee is sometimes called a “zebra”, a reference to the striped shirt that is part of the official uniform.

118 Claude of “B.J. and the Bear” : AKINS

Claude Akins was an actor from Nelson, Georgia. Although Akins acted in many Hollywood films, he is best remembered for playing Sheriff Lobo in the seventies TV show “B. J. and the Bear”.

“B.J. and the Bear” is an action-comedy series from the 1970s centered on Billie Joe McKay, a truck driver who travels the highways with his pet chimpanzee, Bear. The show capitalized on the CB radio craze and trucking culture popular at the time.

127 Actor Vigoda : ABE

Abe Vigoda played Detective Sergeant Phil Fish in television’s “Barney Miller” in the seventies, and even got his own spin-off show called “Fish”. On the big screen, Vigoda played Sal Tessio in “The Godfather” and Grandpa Ubriacco in “Look Who’s Talking”. When Vigoda was 60 years old, he was mistakenly reported as dead by “People” magazine. In response, Vigoda had a photo published in “Variety” showing him sitting up in a coffin, holding a copy of the offending issue of “People”.

130 __ velvet : RED

Today, red velvet cake is often colored using food dye. Traditional recipes call for brown sugar or non-Dutched cocoa to impart color. Basically, red velvet cake and devil’s food cake are the same thing, with the former using cocoa and the latter using chocolate.