Tag: John Paul’s successor crossword clue

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Constructed by: Jerry Edelstein
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Find Out

Themed answers are common phrases in which an F has been put IN, and a D has been taken OUT:

• 66A Learn … and, in four parts, a hint to 17-, 37-, and 58-across : FIND OUT or F IN, D OUT

• 17A One teaching tchotchke-making? : FRILL INSTRUCTOR (from “drill instructor”)
• 37A Overly blunt? : FRANK TO EXCESS (from “drank to excess”)
• 58A Missives warning about ’30s gangster Dillinger? : FEAR JOHN LETTERS (from “Dear John letters”)

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

Bill’s time: 10m 11s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Intolerant : BIGOTED

“Bigot” is a French word that back in the late 1500s meant “sanctimonious person, religious hypocrite”. We use the term today to describe someone who is biased towards his or her own group, and who is intolerant of those outside of that group.

16 He won his only Oscar at age 73 for “City Slickers” : PALANCE

Actor Jack Palance was American-born and of Ukrainian descent. His birth name was Volodymyr Palahnuil. He was nominated three times for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, for “Sudden Fear” in 1952 and “Shane” in 1953. Palance eventually won the Academy Award for playing gnarly cowboy Curley Washburn in 1991’s “City Slickers”.

“City Slickers” is an entertaining 1991 comedy film starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance. Palance won the 1992 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as crusty old trail boss Curly Washburn. Famously, the 73-year-old actor did a few one-armed push-ups at the ceremony during his acceptance speech.

17 One teaching tchotchke-making? : FRILL INSTRUCTOR (from “drill instructor”)

“Tchotchke” is a slang term meaning “cheap, showy trinket”. It came into English from a Slavic source via Yiddish.

19 John Paul’s successor : ELENA

Elena Kagan was the Solicitor General of the United States from 2009 until 2010, when she replaced Justice John Paul Stevens on the US Supreme Court. That made Justice Kagan the first female US Solicitor General and the fourth female US Supreme Court justice. Kagan also served as the first female dean of Harvard Law School from 2003 to 2009.

John Paul Stevens retired as an associate justice on the US Supreme Court in 2010 after having served for over 34 years. That made him the third longest serving justice in the history of the court. Stevens had been nominated by President Gerald Ford to replace Justice William O. Douglas, who had been the longest serving justice in the court (at over 36 years).

20 Kit __: chocolate wafers : KATS

I grew up eating Kit Kat bars as a kid. The Kit Kat hit the shelves on the other side of the pond in the 1930s, but didn’t make it into US stores until the 1970s. I’ve seen new varieties of Kit Kat over in Britain and Ireland, such as an orange-flavored version, but haven’t seen anything like that over here.

24 Workout ctrs. : YMCAS

The YMCA (the Y) is a worldwide movement that has its roots in London, England. There, in 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded with the intent of promoting Christian principles through the development of “a healthy spirit, mind and body”. The founder, George Williams, saw the need to create YMCA facilities for young men who were flocking to the cities as the Industrial Revolution flourished. He saw that these men were frequenting taverns and brothels, and wanted to offer a more wholesome alternative.

28 “Sprechen __ Deutsch?” : SIE

“Sprechen Sie Deutsch?” is German for “Do you speak German?”

33 SeaTac-based airline : ALASKA

Despite the name, Alaska Airlines is based in SeaTac, Washington. The company was founded as McGee Airways in 1932, and back then was based in Anchorage, Alaska. The Alaska Airlines name dates back to 1944.

SeaTac is a suburb of Seattle, Washington and is a city that surrounds the Seattle-Tacoma Airport (Sea-Tac), hence the city’s name.

35 Women’s rights attorney Allred : GLORIA

Gloria Allred is a civil rights lawyer who also has a career as a radio and TV personality. In the courtroom, Allred has represented some high-profile clients, including Tommy Lee, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sasha Baron Cohen and Esai Morales.

41 Polynesian symbols : TIKIS

A tiki is a large carving of wood or stone resembling a human form that is found in Polynesian cultures. The carvings often mark out boundaries surrounding sites that are sacred to the locals.

44 More than brushed back : BEANED

To bean someone is to hit them on the head (the “bean”).

46 B-52 mission : SORTIE

A sortie is an attack by an armed unit, and usually a breakout by forces that are besieged, The term “sortie” comes directly from French and means “a going out”. “Sortie” is also used for a mission by a combat aircraft.

The B-52 Stratofortress has been a mainstay of the USAF since its introduction in 1955. The stated intention is to keep the B-52 in service until 2045, which would give a remarkable length of service of over 90 years.

47 __ mot : BON

“Bon mot” translates from French as “good word”. We use “bon mot” (and sometimes just “mot”) to mean “quip, witticism”.

48 Actress Garson : GREER

Greer Garson was a British actress who made a name for herself in Hollywood films in the 1940s. One of Garson’s most famous roles was playing the title character in the 1942 film “Mrs. Miniver”, starring alongside Walter Pidgeon. Garson married a much younger man in 1943, actor Richard Ney who played her son in “Mrs. Miniver”. That role earned her an appearance in the “Guinness Book of World Records” for having given the longest Oscar speech ever, at 5½ minutes. After that speech, the producers of the Academy Awards instituted a time limit.

51 Dashed no. : SSN

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. Since 2011, SSNs have been assigned randomly. However, some random numbers have been excluded from use, i.e. Area Numbers 000, 666 (!) and 900-999.

52 Beauty store chain : ULTA

Ulta Beauty is an American chain of beauty stores that was founded in 1990 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois. I am not part of the company’s target demographic …

54 Baking apples : ROMES

A Rome apple is a cooking apple. Supposedly, the first Rome apple was planted by Alanson Gillett in 1817 on the banks of the Ohio River near the Rome Township. Originally called “Gillett’s Seedling”, it was eventually given the name “Rome Beauty”.

58 Missives warning about ’30s gangster Dillinger? : FEAR JOHN LETTERS (from “Dear John letters”)

John Dillinger was a notorious bank robber during the Depression Era. Famously, Dillinger was killed by federal agents in an ambush at the Biograph Theater in Chicago, in 1934.

Our word “missive”, which is used for a written message or letter, comes from the Latin “mittere” meaning “to send”.

The expression “Dear John letter” originated in WWII among American troops who were serving abroad. The servicemen highly valued letters from girlfriends and wives back home, and almost invariably those missives started out with “Dearest”, or “My Darling” or some other expression of affection. A curt, “Dear John” set the tone for a letter which was likely to contain news of a new love interest in the life of the girlfriend or wife. The contemporary equivalent missive from a male to a female is a “Dear Jane letter”.

65 Dickinson’s “There Is No __ Like a Book” : FRIGATE

Emily Dickinson wrote nearly 1800 poems in her lifetime, with less than a dozen published before she died in 1886. Emily’s younger sister discovered the enormous collection, and it was published in batches over the coming decades.

There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry –
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll –
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human Soul –

67 Son of David : SOLOMON

According to the Bible, Solomon was the son of David and a king of Israel. Notably, Solomon is described as being very wise. In the story known as “the Judgment of Solomon”, Solomon was asked to decide which of two quarreling women was the mother of a baby. He suggested that they cut the baby in two with a sword, forcing one of the women to surrender the child rather than see it die. Solomon gave the child to the woman who showed compassion.

Down

1 Closest pal : BFF

Best friend forever (BFF)

2 Not up to 57-Down, perhaps : IRR
57D Benchmarks: abbr. : STDS

Irregular (“irr.” or “irreg.”)

3 Moo goo __ pan : GAI

Moo goo gai pan is the American version of a traditional Cantonese dish. In Cantonese, “moo goo” means “button mushroom”, “gai” is “chicken” and “pan” is “slices”.

4 Lascivious look : OGLE

“Lascivious” is such an appropriate-sounding word, I always think. It means “lecherous, salacious”.

6 “Night” writer 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.

7 __ McClain, last MLB pitcher with 30+ wins : DENNY

Denny McLain is a former professional baseball pitcher who fell foul of the law after he finished his playing career. He served time in prison for trafficking in cocaine, embezzlement and racketeering.

8 Three-in-one vaccine, familiarly : DPT

The DPT vaccine is a combination vaccine providing protection against diphtheria (D), pertussis (P) and tetanus (T).

10 __ shot : FLU

Influenza (the “flu”) is an ailment that is caused by a virus. The virus is readily inactivated by the use of soap, so washing hands and surfaces is especially helpful in containing flu outbreaks … and other virus pandemics …

13 Nova __ : SCOTIA

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia (NS) lies on the east coast of the country and is a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The area was settled by Scots starting in 1621, and Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland”.

18 Namesake of a popular club : SAM

Sam’s Club is a warehouse club that is owned and operated by Walmart. It is named after the company’s founder Sam Walton.

21 Office conf. : MTG

Meeting (mtg.)

22 Baby whale : CALF

Male whales are referred to as “bulls”, females are “cows”, and the young are “calves”.

25 __ May : CAPE

Cape May is a peninsula and an island that forms the southern tip of New Jersey. The US Coast Guard basic training camp is located in Cape May.

26 “Dynasty” villain : ALEXIS

“Dynasty” was ABC’s shot at CBS’s incredibly successful soap opera “Dallas”. Both shows were centered on wealthy oil families, with “Dynasty” starring John Forsythe as Blake Carrington and Linda Evans as his new wife Krystle. The show didn’t really make much impact on the viewing figures for “Dallas” until season two, when Joan Collins joined the cast as the scheming ex-wife Alexis. “Dynasty” had a very successful run then, from 1981 to 1989. The 1980s “Dynasty” was rebooted under the same title starting in 2017.

27 Quixote’s squire __ Panza : SANCHO

Sancho Panza is Don Quixote’s squire, and a character who spouts out humorous comments called “sanchismos”.

30 Persona non __ : GRATA

A persona non grata (plural “personae non gratae”) is someone who is not welcome. The phrase is Latin for “an unacceptable person”. The opposite phrase is “persona grata”, meaning “acceptable person”.

36 Plea at sea : SOS

The combination of three dots – three dashes – three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress call in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS (three dots – pause – three dashes – pause – three dots). That said, in the emergency signal there is no pause between the dots and dashes, so “SOS” is really only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases “Save Our Souls” and “Save Our Ship” are back-formations that were introduced after the SOS signal was adopted.

38 It ebbs and flows : TIDE

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

39 H.S. exams : SATS

Today, the standardized test for admission to colleges is known as the SAT Reasoning Test, but it used to be called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, which led to the abbreviation “SAT”.

40 Mumbai titles : SRIS

Mumbai is the most populous city in India, and the second most populous city in the world (after Shanghai). The name of the city was changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995.

44 Ravel work immortalized in “10” : BOLERO

Maurice Ravel’s “Boléro” is a remarkable piece of music that has a very insistent theme that just builds and builds, with instruments being added to the mix as the piece develops. Famously, “Boléro” played a significant role in the 1979 film “10” starring Bo Derek, Dudley Moore and Julie Andrews. Not a bad movie …

47 Big fans : BUFFS

Back in the early 1900s, a buff was someone (usually a male) who admired firefighting. The term “buff” was a reference to the buff-colored uniforms that had been sported by volunteer firefighters in New York City since the 1820s. The use of the word “buff” spread over time to describe a person who was enthusiastic about any particular subject, e.g. film buff, WWII buff.

49 Shore eagle : ERN

The ern (sometimes “erne”) is also known as the white-tailed eagle or the sea eagle.

50 Pocahontas’ spouse : ROLFE

John Rolfe was one of the early English settlers in America. He is perhaps best remembered for marrying the Native American Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan. For a few months before her death, Pocahontas lived with Rolfe in England. The couple had actually boarded a ship to return them to Virginia when Pocahontas became ill and had to be brought ashore on the south coast of England, where she soon passed away.

53 Jason’s ship : ARGO

In Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts set sail on the Argo from the city of Iolcos in search of the Golden Fleece. Jason’s vessel was called the “Argo” in honor of the ship’s builder, a man named Argus.

55 Israel’s “Iron Lady” : MEIR

Golda Meir was known as the “Iron Lady” when she was Prime Minister of Israel, long before that sobriquet came to be associated with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Golda Meir was born Golda Mabovitch in Kiev (in modern-day Ukraine), and when she was a young girl she moved with her family to the United States and settled in Milwaukee. As a teenager she relocated to Denver where she met and married Morris Meyerson, at the age of 19. She and her husband joined a kibbutz in Palestine in 1921, when she was in her twenties. Meir had been active in politics in the US, and continued her political work in Palestine. She was very influential during WWII, and played a leading role in negotiations after the war leading to the setting up of the state of Israel. By the time she was called on to lead the country, Meir had already retired, citing exhaustion and ill health. But serve she did, and led Israel during turbulent times (e.g. the massacre at the Munich Olympics, and the Yom Kippur War). She eventually resigned in 1974, saying that was what the people wanted.

56 Sicilian mount : ETNA

Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy, and indeed the largest of all active volcanoes in Europe. Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-gauge railway, and two ski resorts. It is sometimes referred to as “Mongibello” in Italian, and as “Mungibeddu” in Sicilian. The English name “Etna” comes from the Greek “aitho” meaning “I eat”.

57 Benchmarks: abbr. : STDS

A benchmark is something that serves as a standard used to measure others. The original benchmark was a point of reference used by surveyors. Literally, a benchmark was an angle-iron driven into the ground as a support (or “bench”) for a levelling instrument.

60 Ioway relative : OTO

The Otoe (also “Oto”) Native American tribe originated in the Great Lakes region as part of the Winnebago or Siouan tribes. The group that would become the Otoe broke away from the Winnebago and migrated southwestward, ending up in the Great Plains. In the plains the Otoe adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle dependent on the horse, with the American bison becoming central to their diet.

61 Cornish game __ : HEN

The Cornish game hen is a broiler chicken, and not a game bird. And, despite the designation “hen”, A Cornish game hen can be either male or female.

62 Help-wanted ad abbr. : EOE

Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)

63 Capek’s dystopian play : RUR

Karel Čapek was a Czech writer noted for his works of science fiction. Čapek’s 1921 play “R.U.R.” is remembered in part for introducing the world to the word “robot”. The words “automaton” and “android” were already in use, but Capek gave us “robot” from the original Czech “robota” meaning “forced labor”. The acronym “R.U.R.”, in the context of the play, stands for “Rossum’s Universal Robots”.