Tag: Initiates legal action crossword clue

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Constructed by: Ashleigh Silveira
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer(s): Golf Score

Themed answers come in threes. One element is the GOLF SCORE obtained by noting the literal placing of the other two elements in the grid, i.e. OVER or UNDER each other:

• 11D With 16-Across, 9-, 37-, or 71-Across, for any given hole : GOLF …
• 16A See 11-Down : … SCORE

• 17A __ paper: baking layer : PARCHMENT
• 20A Diamond gems : ONE-HITTERS
• 37A Term illustrated by the starts of 17- and 20-Across : BIRDIE (ONE under PAR)

• 39A Outwit : ONE-UP
• 44 Package : PARCEL
• 9A Term illustrated by the starts of 39- and 44-Across : BOGEY (ONE over PAR)

• 61A Complex units : APARTMENTS
• 67A Cheaters : TWO-TIMERS
• 71A Term illustrated by parts of 61- and 67-Across : EAGLE (TWO under PAR)

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

Bill’s time: 6m 46s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Ewes’ guys : RAMS

An adult male sheep is a ram, although a castrated ram is known as a wether. An adult female is a ewe, and a young sheep is a lamb.

5 Jazz great James : ETTA

“Etta James” was the stage name of celebrated blues and soul singer Jamesetta Hawkins. James’ most famous recording was her 1960 hit “At Last”, which made it into the pop charts. James performed “At Last” at the age of 71 in 2009 on the reality show “Dancing with the Stars”, which was to be her final television appearance. She passed away in 2012.

14 Director Kazan : ELIA

Elia Kazan won Oscars for best director in 1948 for “Gentleman’s Agreement” and in 1955 for “On The Waterfront”. He was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences when he was given the 1998 Academy Honorary Award citing his lifetime achievement in the industry. Kazan also directed “East of Eden”, which introduced James Dean to movie audiences, and “Splendor in the Grass” that included Warren Beatty in his debut role.

15 Some skinny jeans : LEES

The Lee company that is famous for making jeans was formed in 1889 by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.

17 __ paper: baking layer : PARCHMENT

Parchment paper is a particularly non-sticky material that resists grease and humidity. As such, it is often used in cooking to eliminate the need for greasing pans when baking. Food cooked with pouches made from parchment paper is said to be cooked “en papillote” (French for “enveloped in paper”). Parchment paper is cellulose-based, and so is sometimes called “vegetable parchment”. “Parchment” used as a writing material is made from animal skin, and so is very different from “parchment paper”.

19 DuVernay film set in Alabama : SELMA

“Selma” is a 2014 film about the Selma-to-Montgomery marches of 1965. Directed by Ava DuVernay, the movie stars David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson.

20 Diamond gems : ONE-HITTERS

In baseball, a no-hitter (colloquially “no-no”) is a game in which one team fails to record even a single hit. No-hitters are pretty rare, and only occur about twice a year in Major League Baseball. The related one-hitter is a game when one team records just one hit.

23 Mood-stabilizing hormone : SEROTONIN

Most of the body’s serotonin is found in the gut, where it regulates intestinal muscle movement. The balance is manufactured in specialized nerve tissue and has various functions such as regulation of mood, sleep and appetite.

29 California’s Big __ : SUR

Big Sur is a lovely part of the California Coast located south of Monterey and Carmel. The name “Big Sur” comes from the original Spanish description of the area as “el sur grande” meaning “the big south”.

33 Souvlaki meat : LAMB

Souvlaki is a “fast food” from Greece consisting of meat (often lamb) grilled on a skewer, and sometimes served in a pita sandwich.

35 Put away the groceries? : EAT

Back in the early 1400s, a grocer was a wholesale dealer, someone who bought and sold goods in “gross”, in bulk. A century later, the term “grocer” became associated with a merchant selling individual items of food.

41 Cybergiggle : LOL

Laugh out loud (LOL)

46 Director Anderson : WES

Film director Wes Anderson’s most famous movie is probably “The Royal Tenenbaums” that was released in 2001, and is not my favorite film by any stretch. However, Anderson’s 2007 release “The Darjeeling Limited”, that I enjoyed.

48 Symbol on the Flash’s chest : BOLT

The Flash is a DC Comics superhero who is nicknamed “the Scarlet Speedster” or “the Crimson Comet”. The Flash’s superpower is his ability to move extremely quickly, with speed that defies the laws of physics.

50 Siete menos cinco : DOS

In Spanish, “dos” (two) is “siete menos cinco” (seven minus five)

52 Cable channel with a “superstar” wine club : TCM

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is one of my favorite television channels as it delivers just what its name promises, i.e. classic movies.

54 Univ. aides : TAS

Teaching assistant (TA)

61 Complex units : APARTMENTS

The terms “condominium” and “apartment” tend to describe the same type of residential property, namely a private living space with facilities shared with others residing in the same building or complex. The difference is that a condominium is usually owned, and an apartment is rented. At least that’s how it is in the US. The word “condominium” comes from the Latin “com-” (together) and “dominum” (right of ownership).

65 Watchdog breed : AKITA

The Akita breed of dog is named for its point of origin, Akita Prefecture in Japan. When Helen Keller visited Japan in 1937, she asked for and was given an Akita breed of dog, with the name of Kamikaze-go. Sadly, the dog died within a year from distemper. The following year the Japanese government officially presented Keller with a replacement dog. Supposedly Keller’s dogs were the first members of the breed to be introduced into the US.

68 Kidney-related : RENAL

Something described as renal is related to the kidneys. “Ren” is the Latin word for “kidney”.

70 Bog fuel : PEAT

When dead plant matter accumulates in marshy areas, it may not fully decay due to a lack of oxygen or acidic conditions. We are familiar with this in Ireland, because this decaying matter can form peat, and we have lots and lots of peat bogs around the country.

72 Kenneth of fashion : COLE

Kenneth Cole is a clothing designer from Brooklyn, New York. Cole is married to Maria Cuomo, the daughter of former Governor of New York Mario Cuomo.

73 Dessert brand : EDY’S

Dreyer’s ice cream sells its products under the name Dreyer’s in the Western United States, and Edy’s in the Eastern states. The company’s founders were William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.

Down

1 Default action, briefly : REPO

Repossession (repo)

2 “Einstein’s Dreams” novelist Lightman : ALAN

Alan Lightman’s “Einstein’s Dreams” is a fictionalized account of Einstein’s life while working on his theory of relativity, and of the dreams that troubled him during that period. I haven’t read it, but it sounds like my kind of book …

4 Goldman __ : SACHS

The investment banking firm Goldman Sachs was founded in New York in 1869 by Marcus Goldman. Samuel Sachs joined the firm in 1882, the same year that he married Louisa Goldman, Marcus’s daughter. The name “Goldman Sachs” was adopted by the firm in 1885. Goldman Sachs made out like bandits during the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007-08 as the company actually short-sold subprime mortgage bonds. As the price of the bonds nose-dived, Goldman Sachs made huge profits.

5 Target of some bark beetles : ELM TREE

Dutch elm disease is a fungus devastating to all species of elm trees that is transmitted by the elm bark beetle. The disease is thought to have originated in Asia and is now rampant in Europe and North America. Even though there is a hybrid of elm known as the Dutch elm, the disease isn’t named after the tree. Rather, the disease is called “Dutch” as it was identified in 1921 by a phytopathologist (plant pathologist) in the Netherlands.

6 Stay dry? : TEETOTAL

Teetotalism is the practice of abstaining from alcohol. The teetotalism movement started in England in the 1800s.

7 Core belief : TENET

A tenet is an article of faith, something that is held to be true. “Tenet” is Latin for “holds”.

8 Team that lost the 2019 World Series to the Nationals : ASTROS

The 2019 World Series was played between the American League’s Houston Astros and the National League’s Washington Nationals. The Nationals emerged victorious, and were crowned champions for the first time. The last time a D.C. team won the world series was back in 1924, when the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants.

9 Some coll. degrees : BSS

Bachelor of Science (BS)

10 “Channel Orange” Grammy winner Frank : OCEAN

“Frank Ocean” is the stage name of singer and rap artist Christopher Breaux.

11 With 16-Across, 9-, 37-, or 71-Across, for any given hole : GOLF …
16 See 11-Down : … SCORE

The following terms are routinely used in golf for scores relative to par:

• Bogey: one over par
• Par
• Birdie: one under par
• Eagle: two under par
• Albatross (also “double eagle”): three under par
• Condor: four under par

No one has ever recorded a condor during a professional tournament.

12 Writer Bombeck : ERMA

Erma Bombeck wrote for newspapers for about 35 years. She produced more than 4,000 witty and humorous columns under the title “At Wit’s End”, with all describing her home life in suburbia.

24 Mystery writer Johansen : IRIS

Author Iris Johansen started her writing career as a romance novelist in the early eighties. She moved on to historic romantic suspense novels in the early nineties before settling in as an author of suspense and crime fiction.

27 __ board : EMERY

Emery is a very hard type of rock that is crushed for use as an abrasive. Emery paper is made by gluing small particles of emery to paper. Emery boards are just emery paper with a cardboard backing. And emery boards are primarily used for filing nails.

30 “Canadian __”: “Weird Al” parody of a Green Day song : IDIOT

“Canadian Idiot” is one of Weird Al Yankovic’s collection of parody songs. This one is based on Green Day’s punk rock anthem “American Idiot”.

“Weird Al” Yankovic is a singer-songwriter who is noted for writing and performing parodies of popular songs. Of the 150 or so such songs, the best known are probably “Eat It” (parodying “Beat It” by Michael Jackson) and “Like a Surgeon” (parodying “Like a Virgin” by Madonna).

31 Nabisco wafer brand : NILLA

As one might expect, “Nilla” is a shortened form of “vanilla”. However, you won’t find any vanilla in Nilla brand cookies or wafers. They have always been flavored with vanillin, which is synthetic vanilla. Is nothing sacred …?

32 Mouse pads? : NESTS

Back in the 16th century a pad was a bundle of straw to lie on. “Pad” came to mean “place for sleeping” in the early 1700s. The term was revitalized in the hippie era.

34 Tampa NFLer : BUC

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (the Bucs) joined the NFL in 1976, along with the Seattle Seahawks, as an expansion team. The Bucs had a tough start in the NFL, losing their first 26 games. Things went better in the early eighties, but then the team went through 14 consecutive losing seasons. Their luck changed again though, and they won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2002 season.

38 Corddry of HBO’s “Ballers” : ROB

Rob Corddry is an actor and comedian who is known by many for his regular appearances as a correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Steart”. He became one of the three co-hosts of “Top Gear America” starting in 2021. Rob is the older brother of fellow actor and comedian Nate Corddry.

“Ballers” is an HBO comedy-drama about a retired NFL player who now works as a financial manager for other NFL players. Dwayne Johnson plays the lead character.

40 Mani-__ : PEDI

Manicure & pedicure (mani-pedi)

45 1970 Kinks hit : LOLA

“Lola” is a fabulous song that was written by Ray Davies and released by the Kinks back in 1970. Inspired by a real life incident, the lyrics tell of a young man who met a young “lady” in a club, danced with her, and then discovered “she” was actually a transvestite. The storyline isn’t very traditional, and the music is superb.

51 __ tank : SEPTIC

A septic tank is a sewage system that resides locally beside a house, on the property i.e. “on-lot”. The term “septic” is used generally to describe anything related to the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter, often with the emission of foul-smelling gases. Septic tanks usually rely on anaerobic bacteria to break down the solid waste that settles.

53 “The Emancipation of __”: Mariah Carey album : MIMI

“The Emancipation of Mimi” is a 2005 studio album released by Mariah Carey. “Mimi” is Carey’s personal nickname, one used only by her inner circle. She deliberately used “Mimi” in the title as a sign she was letting her guard down, inviting her friends to get closer to her.

55 Prenatal : FETAL

The word “fetus”, used for an unborn young animal, comes from Latin as one might expect. “Fetus” is the Latin word for the act of hatching or bringing forth a young animal or child. The mistaken spelling “foetus” is seen occasionally, but there’s no historical basis for adding that “o”.

57 ASU’s home : TEMPE

Tempe is a city in the metropolitan area of Phoenix. The city is named for the Vale of Tempe in Greece.

Arizona State University (ASU) has a long history, and was founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885. The athletic teams of ASU used to be known as the Normals, then the Bulldogs, and since 1946 they’ve been called the Sun Devils.

59 SUNDVIK baby furniture retailer : IKEA

The IKEA furniture chain was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, when he was just 17-years-old. IKEA is an acronym standing for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (don’t forget now!). Elmtaryd was the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up, and Agunnaryd is his home parish in Sweden.

60 __-pong : PING

Ping-Pong is called table tennis in the UK, where the sport originated in the 1880s. Table tennis started as an after-dinner activity among the elite, and was called “wiff-waff”. To play the game, books were stacked in the center of a table as a “net”, two more books served as “”rackets” and the ball used was actually a golf ball. The game evolved over time with the rackets being upgraded to the lids of cigar boxes and the ball becoming a champagne cork (how snooty is that?). Eventually the game was produced commercially, and the sound of the ball hitting the racket was deemed to be a “ping” and a “pong”, giving the sport its alternative name. The name “Ping-Pong” was trademarked in Britain in 1901, and eventually sold to Parker Brothers in the US.

64 Retired jets : SSTS

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.

66 Flagon fill : ALE

A flagon is a large jug with a lid that is traditionally used for holding beer or wine.