Tag: Keep scritching my head crossword clue

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Constructed by: Adam Simpson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Letter Opener

Themed answers each comprise two words, the second of which sounds like the OPENING LETTER of the first. Clever …

• 56A Sharp device in a classic desk set, or a literal and phonetic description of the ends of 20-, 28-, 36-, and 48-Across? : LETTER OPENER

20A Arm of the North Atlantic Ocean : CARIBBEAN SEA (C sounds like SEA)

28A Chakra associated with higher consciousness : INNER EYE (I sounds like EYE)

36A Perfect for no one else : UNIQUELY YOU (U sounds like YOU)

48A Crude nickname : TEXAS TEA (T sounds like TEA)

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

Bill’s time: 7m 12s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9 They’re opened at bars : TABS

When we run a “tab” at a bar, we are running a “tabulation”, a listing of what we owe. Such a use of “tab” is American slang that originated in the 1880s.

14 English horn kin : OBOE

The English horn is also known by its French name “cor anglais” (and sometimes “alto oboe”). It is a double-reed, woodwind instrument.

19 Singer/actress Mandy : MOORE

Mandy Moore is a singer turned actress from Nashua, New Hampshire. She co-stars in the TV comedy-drama “This Is Us”, playing Rebecca Pearson.

20 Arm of the North Atlantic Ocean : CARIBBEAN SEA (C sounds like SEA)

The Caribbean Sea takes its name from the Island Carib people. The Island Caribs are an American Indian people that live in the Lesser Antilles islands, part of the West Indies.

28 Chakra associated with higher consciousness : INNER EYE (I sounds like EYE)

Chakras are energy centers in the body that are believed to correspond to different aspects of the physical, emotional, and spiritual self. There are seven main chakras, located along the spine from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Each chakra is associated with a different color, element, and emotion.

41 Brand of dryer sheets : BOUNCE

Dryer sheets are thin, non-woven sheets coated with fabric softening chemicals, designed to be tossed into a clothes dryer with wet laundry. As the dryer heats up, the chemicals are released, coating the fabrics to reduce static cling, soften fibers, and impart a pleasant fragrance. They work by depositing a layer of lubricating agents onto the fabric, which helps to minimize friction and prevent static electricity buildup. We stopped using them for several reasons, including the fact that the oils deposit on the lint trap screen. I used to have to scrub it in hot water every so that the pores on the mesh opened up.

42 MoMA locale : NYC

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

48 Crude nickname : TEXAS TEA (T sounds like TEA)

“Texas tea” is a familiar term for oil drilled from the earth.

52 “Memories of John Lennon” editor : ONO

“Memories of John Lennon” is a 2005 collection of essays and remembrances from fans, friends and colleagues edited by his widow, Yoko Ono.

55 Confront aggressively : ACCOST

To accost is to confront boldly. The verb “to accost” is a term that ultimately derives from the Latin “ad” meaning “to” and “costa” meaning “side, coast”. Originally, the term applied to warships that were attacking an enemy’s “coast”.

60 Caterpillar, for one : LARVA

Caterpillars are the larval form of butterflies and moths.

61 __ Scotia : NOVA

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”.

66 Alicia Keys album with the hit “No One” : AS I AM

“Alicia Keys” is the stage name of Alicia Cook, an R&B and soul singer from Hell’s Kitchen in New York City.

68 [Keep scritching my head] : [PURR]

“Scritching”: new to me …

71 Kings or Wizards : TEAM

The Sacramento Kings are one of the oldest basketball franchises still operating, having been founded way back in 1923 as the Rochester Seagrams. The Kings moved to Sacramento in 1985 from Kansas City, Missouri.

The Washington Wizards are the professional basketball team based in the nation’s capital. The franchise began playing in Chicago as the Packers, in 1961. One year later, the Chicago team changed its name to the Zephyrs. After one more season, the franchise relocated and became the Baltimore Bullets. In 1973, the team moved to Landover, Maryland to become the Capital Bullets, and then took the Washington Bullets name the following season. The final name change came in 1995, as the owner was uncomfortable with the violent images conjured up by the “Bullets” name. The Wizards name was chosen after a fan contest.

Down

2 Game with Reverse cards : UNO

In my youth I remember being taught a great card game by a German acquaintance of mine, a game called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that UNO is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that’s used for Mau Mau. I hear that Mau Mau is derived from the game called Crazy Eights.

5 Damon role : BOURNE

The “Bourne” series of films are based on a series of three “Bourne” novels penned by Robert Ludlum. The first three “Bourne” movies star Matt Damon in the title role of Jason Bourne. Damon opted out of the fourth movie (“The Bourne Legacy”), and so a new lead character was added and played by Jeremy Renner. That said, Damon’s image was used in the fourth film, and references were made to his character Jason Bourne. Damon returned for the fifth film in the series, but has suggested that he is unlikely to take on the role again.

6 Comedian Jacobson : ABBI

Abbi Jacobson is a comedian and actress who is perhaps best known as the co-creator, along with Ilana Glazer, of the Comedy Central sitcom “Broad City”. She also appeared in, wrote for and co-created the 2022 TV series “A League of Their Own”, which is based on the 1992 film of the same name.

7 “Stay” singer Lisa : LOEB

“Stay (I Missed You)” is a 1994 song by singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb. It gained significant popularity after being featured in the 1994 film “Reality Bites,” starring Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke.

8 Bowler : DERBY

I think that a bowler hat is usually called a derby here in the US. The bowler was first produced in 1849 in London by hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler, hence the name. The alternative name of “derby” comes from the tradition of wearing bowler hats at the Derby horse race (a major race held annually in England).

9 Like marinara : TOMATOEY

Italians use the term “marinara” not for a sauce, but in the name of a recipe that includes a tomato-based sauce. For example, “spaghetti alla marinara” would be a spaghetti dish, served “mariner’s style”. The tomato sauce that we call “marinara” is called “salsa di pomodoro” in Italy.

24 De Armas of “Knives Out” : ANA

Ana de Armas is an actress from Cuba. Having attended the National Theater School of Cuba, she moved to Spain at the age of 18. Thre, she made a name for herself in a Spanish TV series called “El Internado”. De Armas moved to Los Angeles in 2014, after which her performance opposite Ryan Gosling in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” earned her critical acclaim.

“Knives Out” is an intriguing murder mystery film released in 2019. There’s a great cast including Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer. I really enjoyed this one, partly because it’s a clever, contemporary take on a classic whodunit movie …

25 Indigenous people of Labrador : INNU

The Innu are a First Nations people who are the original inhabitants of Labrador, in northeastern Canada. They are historically nomadic hunters and gatherers, with a deep cultural connection to the land and its resources.

29 “Beef” Emmy winner Steven : YEUN

Steven Yeun is a South Korean-born American actor who is perhaps best known for playing Glenn Rhee in the TV show “The Walking Dead”. He also starred in the 2020 film “Minari” in a performance that earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination, making him the first Asian-American to be so honored.

“Beef” is a dark comedy-drama series that follows two strangers whose lives become intertwined after a road rage incident. A feud develops between the characters Amy Lau and Danny Cho, played by Ali Wong and Steven Yeun.

35 Not aweather : ALEE

Alee is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing aweather. The sheltered side of an island, for example, might be referred to as the “lee” side.

37 Org. for Kings and Wizards : NBA

The Sacramento Kings are one of the oldest basketball franchises still operating, having been founded way back in 1923 as the Rochester Seagrams. The Kings moved to Sacramento in 1985 from Kansas City, Missouri.

The Washington Wizards are the professional basketball team based in the nation’s capital. The franchise began playing in Chicago as the Packers, in 1961. One year later, the Chicago team changed its name to the Zephyrs. After one more season, the franchise relocated and became the Baltimore Bullets. In 1973, the team moved to Landover, Maryland to become the Capital Bullets, and then took the Washington Bullets name the following season. The final name change came in 1995, as the owner was uncomfortable with the violent images conjured up by the “Bullets” name. The Wizards name was chosen after a fan contest.

38 Rays made of charged particles : ION BEAMS

An ion beam is a charged particle beam consisting of ions. Ion beams can be used in the manufacture of semiconductors, and even in spacecraft propulsion.

39 “__ Eye”: makeover series on Netflix : QUEER

“Queer Eye” is a reality TV show that was launched in 2003 as “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”. Each episode features a panel of gay professional experts in the fields of fashion and design giving a makeover to a straight man. The show was given a new life in 2018 when it was launched on Netflix as “Queer Eye” with a new “Fab Five” cast.

40 “Once more __ the breach” : UNTO

Shakespeare’s play “Henry V” is more correctly called “The Life of Henry the Fifth”. The story mainly focuses on his life before and immediately after the king’s celebrated victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt. “Henry V” includes one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated speeches, an address by the king to his troops at the siege of Harfleur, with the opening lines:

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead …

47 Ibuprofen brand : MOTRIN

The anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen is sold under the brand names Advil and Motrin.

49 Musical film featuring a roller-skating Olivia Newton-John : XANADU

“Xanadu” is a 1980 musical film starring Olivia Newton-John. The film is largely remembered for its soundtrack, which features number-one hits “Xanadu” by Newton-John and ELO, and “Magic” by Newton-John. The movie itself was so poorly received that it inspired publicist John J. B. Wilson to inaugurate the annual Golden Raspberry Awards.

Olivia Newton-John was an Australian singer and actress, although she was born in Cambridge, England. Newton-John’s father was an officer in the British Security Services and worked on the Enigma code-breaking project during WWII. Through her mother, Olivia was also the granddaughter of Max Born, the atomic physicist and Nobel Prize winner.

50 Blackjack card : ACE

Blackjack is one of the few casino games where the player has a decent chance to beat the house. This is because the house edge in blackjack is relatively low, around 1%. That edge can be reduced or overcome by “counting cards”, something that casinos really don’t like …

58 One of the Spice Girls : POSH

Victoria Beckham (nee Adams) became famous as a member of the Spice Girls girl group, using the stage name Posh Spice. She married football legend David Beckham in 1999, not long after the celebrity couple had earned the nickname “Posh and Becks”. Their main home for several years was a large mansion on 24 acres of Hertfordshire countryside called Rowneybury House. After a multimillion-dollar renovation, the media dubbed the home “Beckingham Palace”. Oh, when she was a young girl, Victoria used to have her father drop her off at school each day in his Rolls Royce. All very posh …