Tag: Low on funds say crossword clue

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Constructed by: Ajay Bhargava

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Pairing Up

Themed answers all feature a PAIR of UPs:

• 59A Forming couples, or a feature of 17-, 25-, 36-, and 50- Across : PAIRING UP

• 17A Lunch combo component, perhaps : CUP OF SOUP
• 25A Out of this world : SUPER-DUPER
• 36A Classic Connie Francis song with the line “I’d like to clip your wings so you can’t fly” : STUPID CUPID
• 50A Spanish candy brand whose logo was designed by Salvador Dalí : CHUPA CHUPS

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

Bill’s time: 5m 09s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9A Inter Miami star Lionel : MESSI

The professional soccer club Inter Miami CF joined the MLS league as an expansion franchise in 2020, having been established in 2018. The club’s president and co-owner is former soccer star David Beckham. One of Inter Miami’s big signings is Lionel Messi, who joined in 2023.

15A Baghdad resident, e.g. : IRAQI

According to the University of Baghdad, the name “Baghdad” dates way back, to the 18th-century BCE (yes, BCE!). The name can be translated into English from the language of ancient Babylon as “old garden” (bagh-) and “beloved” (-dad).

16A Sean of “Rudy” : ASTIN

Sean Astin is best known for playing the title role in the 1993 film “Rudy” and the character Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” movies. You might also have seen him playing Lynn McGill in the 5th season of “24”. Astin is the son of actress Patty Duke, and the adopted son of actor John Astin (of “The Addams Family” fame).

“Rudy” is a 1993 American biographical sports film starring Sean Astin in the title role. The movie is an account of the life of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who harbored dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles. It was the first film that the Notre Dame administration allowed to be shot on campus since “Knute Rockne, All American” in 1940.

19A Media mogul Winfrey : OPRAH

What can you say about Oprah Winfrey that hasn’t been said already? Born into poverty to a single mother and with a harrowing childhood, Oprah is now the greatest African-American philanthropist the world has ever known. Oprah’s name was originally meant to be “Orpah” after the Biblical character in the Book of Ruth, and that’s how it appears on her birth certificate. Apparently folks had trouble pronouncing “Orpah”, so she’s now “Oprah”.

24A Monopoly card : DEED

In the game of Monopoly there are 28 title deeds:

• 22 streets
• 4 railroads
• 2 utilities

28A Picnic invader : ANT

Our term “picnic” comes from the French word “pique-nique”, which now has the same meaning. The original “pique-nique” was a fashionable potluck affair, and not necessarily held outdoors.

29A Gerund ending : -ING

A gerund is a form of a verb that can be used as a noun. For example, the gerund of the verb “to solve” is “solving”, as in the phrase “we really enjoyed the solving of the crossword”.

30A Camping gear retailer : REI

REI is a sporting goods store, with the initialism standing for Recreational Equipment Inc. REI was founded in Seattle by Lloyd and Mary Anderson in 1938 as a cooperative that supplies quality climbing gear to outdoor enthusiasts. The first full-time employee hired by the Andersons was Jim Whittaker, who was the first American to climb Mount Everest.

31A Air pump fig. : PSI

Pounds per square inch (PSI) is a measure of pressure.

32A Like figure skaters : AGILE

Figure skating started out as a sport in which a skater demonstrated skill at carving out specific patterns into the ice (a figure-8, for example). Over time, the sport placed greater influence on free skating. Compulsory figures were dropped completely from most international competitions in the 1990s, but the name “figure” skating has been retained.

36A Classic Connie Francis song with the line “I’d like to clip your wings so you can’t fly” : STUPID CUPID

“Stupid Cupid” is a song co-written and recorded by Neil Sedaka. Sedaka released his version in 1959, a year after the song was recorded by Connie Francis. It was a big hit for Francis, and helped launch her career as an international recording star.

39A Rapper/actor __ Jackson Jr. : O’SHEA

O’Shea Jackson Jr. is an American actor and rapper who is best known for his portrayal of his own father, rapper Ice Cube, in the biopic “Straight Outta Compton” (2015).

41A Old Testament figure who is instructed by a burning bush : MOSES

The burning bush is a biblical event described in the Book of Exodus. Moses encountered a bush that was ablaze, yet not consumed by the flames. He heard God speak from the bush, telling Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.

43A Peacock network : NBC

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) has had a number of different logos in its history, including the famous peacock with which we are familiar today. The first peacock logo was introduced in the early days of color television and was designed to illustrate how wonderful color television would be, so go buy one! (NBC was owned by RCA, and so had a vested interest in sales of color television sets).

46A Filmmaker Brooks : MEL

Mel Brooks’ birth name is Melvin Kaminsky. He is one of relatively few entertainers to win the “Showbiz Award Grand Slam” i.e. an Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy (EGOT). He is in good company, as the list also includes the likes of Richard Rogers, Sir John Gielgud, Marvin Hamlisch and Audrey Hepburn.

50A Spanish candy brand whose logo was designed by Salvador Dalí : CHUPA CHUPS

Chupa Chups is a Spanish brand of lollipops, and other confectionery. It was founded in 1958 by scientist Enric Bernat. The name “Chupa Chups” comes from the Spanish verb “chupar”, which means “to suck”. The brand’s daisy-shaped logo was designed by the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí in 1969. It’s said that Dalí’s entire design took him less than an hour, and he insisted that the logo be placed on top of the lollipop so it would always be seen whole, not distorted by the wrapper.

62A Tennis tie : DEUCE

In tennis, if the score reaches deuce (i.e. when both players have scored three points), then the first player to win two points in a row wins the game. The player who wins the point immediately after deuce is said to have the advantage. If the player with the advantage wins the next point then that’s two in a row and that player wins the game. If the person with the advantage loses the next point, then advantage is lost and the players return to deuce and try again. The player calling out the score announces “ad in”, or more formally “advantage in”, if he/she has the advantage. If the score announcer’s opponent has the advantage, then the announcement is “ad out” or “advantage out”. Follow all of that …?

66A Swiss chocolatier : LINDT

The delicious Swiss chocolate sold under the Lindt brand name has its origins in a small confectionery store in Zurich in the 1840s. Lindt purchased the San Francisco-based chocolate company Ghirardelli back in 1998.

Down

1D Noisy insect : CICADA

Cicadas are insects that are found all over the world. Although they resemble locusts, cicadas are an unrelated family. The name “cicada” is Latin and translated as “tree cricket”. However, the name is imitative of the clicking sound the insect makes using parts of its exoskeleton known as “tymbals”.

2D Mental sharpness : ACUMEN

“Acumen” is such a lovely word, I think, one meaning “keenness of judgment or insight”. “Acumen” is Latin for “point, sting”, the idea being that someone with acumen has mental sharpness.

5D Return-processing org. : IRS

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was set up during the Civil War to raise money to cover war expenses. Prior to the introduction of income tax in 1862, the government was funded by levies on trade and property.

6D Kung __ chicken : PAO

Kung Pao chicken (or sometimes shrimp or tofu) is a Sichuan stir-fry dish that includes peanuts, vegetables and chili peppers. The name “Kung Pao” is thought to come from a governor of the Sichuan province whose title was “Gongbao”, meaning “Palace Guardian”.

8D Big or Little formation in the night sky : DIPPER

The constellation Ursa Major (Latin for “Larger Bear”) is often just called “the Big Dipper” because of the resemblance of its main stars to a ladle or dipper. Those stars also resemble a plow, and that’s what we usually call the same constellation back in Ireland the “Plough”.

Ursa Minor (Latin for “Smaller Bear”) sits right beside the constellation Draco (Latin for “Dragon”). Ursa Minor used to be considered the wing of Draco, and was once called “Dragon’s Wing”. The tail of the “Smaller Bear” might also be considered as the handle of a ladle, and so the constellation is often referred to as the Little Dipper.

9D Card game with unspoken rules : MAO

The card game Mao is similar to Uno and Crazy Eights. The winning player is the one who can discard all of their cards, without breaking the rules of the game. The dealer in Mao is referred to as “the Chairman”. Cute …

10D Broadcaster of some NCAA games : ESPNU

ESPNU (short for “ESPN Universities”) is a sports channel focused on college athletics.

11D Low on funds, say : STRAPPED

In its most common usage today, “strapped” means to be short of money or to have very little cash. The term originally referred to a person who literally had their money tied up in a strap, which was a common way to carry bills before wallets became widespread.

12D Cat breed with blue eyes : SIAMESE

The exact origins of the Siamese cat aren’t very clear, but it is believed to be from Southeast Asia. The Siamese takes its name from the sacred temple cats of Thailand (a nation once called “Siam”).

13D Acquire from a will : INHERIT

A will is a legal document that dictates how a person wants their property, assets, and other possessions to be distributed after their death. Essentially, the document is named for the very thing it contains: the “will” or desire of the person making it.

18D Like a nonagenarian : OLD

A nonagenarian is a person in their nineties.

26D Hybrid tangelo : UGLI

The fruit called a tangelo is a hybrid between a tangerine and either a grapefruit or a pomelo (which gives it the name). A pomelo is a very large, pear-shaped citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia. The Jamaican form of tangelo is known as the ugli fruit.

29D Lizard with a spiny crest : IGUANA

An iguana is a lizard, and as such is cold-blooded. There are times when pet iguanas need heat from an IR lamp to maintain body temperature. They can also be very large lizards, sometimes growing to a length of six feet.

33D Genre at a rave : EDM

Electronic dance music (EDM)

37D Provide for free : COMP

To comp is to give for free, with “comp” coming from “complimentary”.

39D Prom flowers : ORCHIDS

Orchids are a large group of flowering plants found almost all over the planet, but especially in the tropics.

45D Place for prayer : CHAPEL

Our word “chapel”, meaning “place of worship”, comes from the Latin word “capella” meaning “small cape”. The reference is to a relic of Saint Martin of Tours, part of his cloak. Tradition has it that when Martin was a soldier, he cut his military cloak in two so as to give half to a beggar in need. The remainder he retained as his “capella”. He did not know that the beggar was Christ in disguise. Martin then left the military to become a monk, then abbot and finally bishop. The cape came into the possession of the Frankish kings who brought the relic as they waged war, housing it in a tent called “the capella”. The priests who said mass in the “capella” each day were known as the “capellani” (the source of our word “chaplain”).

47D Freeman of “Glory” : MORGAN

Actor Morgan Freeman hails from Memphis, Tennessee. As well as his outstanding performances in front of the camera, Freeman is noted for his distinctive, deep voice. That voice gets him a lot of work narrating television shows and commercials.

“Glory” is a 1989 movie about the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first African American units formed during the Civil War.

48D “Earthsea” series writer __ K. Le Guin : URSULA

“The Earthsea Cycle” is a series of fantasy novels penned by Ursula K. Le Guin, starting with “A Wizard of Earthsea” published in 1968. In addition to six standalone novels, Le Guin also wrote nine short stories set in the world of Earthsea.

51D Nez __ tribe : PERCE

The Nez Percé nation of the Pacific Northwest call themselves the Nimiipuu, meaning “The Real People”. The name “Nez Percé” means “pierced nose” in French (nez percé), a name applied in error to the Nimiipuu instead of the neighboring Chinook tribe, who did in fact practice nose-piercing.

60D Bond novelist Fleming : IAN

The character James Bond was the creation of writer Ian Fleming. Fleming “stole” the James Bond name from an American ornithologist. The number “007” was “stolen” from the real-life, 16th-century English spy named John Dee. Dee would sign his reports to Queen Elizabeth I with a stylized “007” to indicate that the reports were for “her eyes only”. There’s an entertaining miniseries that aired on BBC America called “Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond” that details Ian Fleming’s military career, and draws some nice parallels between Fleming’s experiences and aspirations and those of his hero James Bond. Recommended …