Constructed by: Adam T. Cobb
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
Quicklink to comments
Theme: Mixed Drink
Each of today’s themed answers hints at a DRINK, the letters of which DRINK have been circled and anagrammed (MIXED) within that same answer:
- 59A. What’s clued in parentheses for each of four answers, and found in corresponding sets of puzzle circles : MIXED DRINK
Bill’s time: 7m 02s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Green Angry Birds animals : PIGS
Angry Birds is a video game that was 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.
5. Salon style : PERM
“Perm” is the name given to a permanent wave, a chemical or thermal treatment of hair to produce waves or curls. I don’t worry about such things, as it’s a number-one all over for me …
9. “Jabberwocky” opener : ‘TWAS
Here are the first two verses of “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll, probably the one poem that we all just loved learning to recite at school
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!
13. Les __-Unis : ETATS
“Les États-Unis” is what French speakers call “the United States”.
15. Eye layer : UVEA
The uvea is the middle of the three layers that make up the eyeball. The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
16. “For __ jolly … ” : HE’S A
“For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” is the second-most popular song in the English language according to the “Guinness Book of World Records”. Top of the list is “Happy Birthday to You”, and third comes “Auld Lang Syne”.
17. Name on a two-liter bottle (and what’s inside) : ROYAL CROWN (containing mixed “COLA”)
Nehi Corporation was the nickname for the Chero-Cola/Union Bottle Works that introduced the Nehi drink in 1924. Years later the company developed a new brand, Royal Crown Cola (also known as RC Cola). By 1955, RC Cola was the company’s flagship product, so the “Nehi Corporation” became the “Royal Crown Company”. In 1954, RC Cola became the first company to sell soft drinks in cans.
21. Valued caches : TROVES
The term “treasure trove” comes from the Anglo-French “tresor trové “ meaning “found treasure”.
26. Parthenon goddess : ATHENA
The Parthenon is the ruined temple that sits on the Athenian Acropolis. Although the Parthenon was dedicated to the goddess Athena as a sacred building in the days of the Athenian Empire, it was actually used primarily as a treasury. In later centuries, the Parthenon was repurposed as a Christian Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and was also used as a mosque after Ottoman conquest.
31. WWI battleship Graf __ : SPEE
Maximilian Graf von Spee was actually born in Denmark, but of a noble German family. By the time WWI started, Spee had risen to the rank of Rear Admiral in the German Navy. He was killed in the Battle of the Falkland Islands (the original 1914 version!). He gave his name to the powerful pocket battleship, the Admiral Graf Spee, which was damaged in the Battle of the River Plate during WWII. The Graf Spee took refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo and when the boat was expelled by the government of Uruguay, the captain scuttled her rather than face the Allied flotilla waiting for her just outside the port.
37. CIO partner : AFL
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded in 1886, making it one of the first federations of unions in the country. Over time the AFL became dominated by craft unions, unions representing skilled workers of particular disciplines. In the early thirties, John L. Lewis led a movement within the AFL to organize workers by industry, believing this would be more effective for the members. But the craft unions refused to budge, so Lewis set up a rival federation of unions in 1932, the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The two federations became bitter rivals for over two decades until finally merging in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO.
38. Where Starbucks began (and a product it popularized) : SEATTLE (containing mixed “LATTE”)
Starbucks is a coffee company based in Seattle, Washington. It is the largest coffeehouse company in the world and has over 19,000 stores. In the 1990s, Starbucks was opening one new store every single day! Starbucks is named after the chief mate on the Pequod in Herman Melville’s book “Moby Dick”.
The term “latte” is an abbreviation of the Italian “caffelatte” meaning “coffee (and) milk”. Note that in the correct spelling of “latte”, the Italian word for milk, there is no accent over the “e”. An accent is often added by mistake when we use the word in English, perhaps meaning to suggest that the word is French.
49. Pepperidge Farm treat (and its ideal companion) : MILANO COOKIE (containing mixed “MILK”)
Before the Milano, Pepperidge Farm produced what they called the Naples cookie, a vanilla wafer with chocolate on top. But, this lovely morsel had problems when stored or transported in a warm environment as the cookies stuck to each other, The solution was to put the filling between two wafers, and the Milano cookie was born.
53. Novelist Waugh : EVELYN
Evelyn Waugh was an English author, most famous for his fabulous 1945 novel “Brideshead Revisited”. Evelyn Waugh met and fell in love with Evelyn Gardner in 1927. Known to friends as “He-Evelyn” and “She-Evelyn”, the couple were married in 1929 (but divorced one year later).
58. Jones with a locker : DAVY
No one is really sure why the phrase “Davy Jones’s locker” is used to refer to the bottom of the sea, but the first known reference to the idiom was made in “The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle” published in 1751, written by Scottish author Tobias Smollett. What is clear, is that Davy Jones is a euphemism for the devil or god of the seas.
62. Don Juan’s mother : INEZ
Lord Byron wrote the poem “Don Juan” based on the legend of Don Juan the libertine. For the poem, Byron created the character Donna Inez, Don Juan’s mother. Supposedly Inez was based on Byron’s own wife, Annabella Milbanke.
67. Dijon dad : PERE
Dijon is a city in eastern France, in the Burgundy region. Dijon is famous for its mustard, a particularly strong variation of the condiment. The European Union doesn’t protect the name “Dijon” so anyone can use it on a label. That seems fair enough to me, given that 90% of the mustard made in and around Dijon is produced using mustard seed imported from Canada!
Down
1. Cop’s quarry : PERP
Perpetrator (perp)
2. “Like __ lump … ” : IT OR
My feeling, exactly …
3. Marvin of Motown : GAYE
Marvin Gaye was a singer-songwriter from Washington, D.C. who came to be known as “Prince of Soul” and “Prince of Motown”. Some of Gaye’s biggest hits are “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1968), “What’s Going On?” (1971), “Let’s Get It On” (1973) and “Sexual Healing” (1982). Famously, Gaye was shot dead by his father while Marvin was sitting on his mother’s bed just talking to her. Marvin had given the gun to his father as a Christmas gift.
6. President Morales of Bolivia : EVO
Evo Morales has been President of Bolivia since 2006. Morales has a socialist agenda, and as such his government is a close ally to the regimes in Venezuela and in Cuba.
8. Chanted word : MANTRA
A mantra is a word that is used as a focus for the mind while meditating. The term is Sanskrit in origin, and is now used figuratively in English to describe any oft-repeated word or phrase.
9. Add, as a shrimp to the barbie : THROW ON
It is believed that our word “barbecue” (BBQ, barbie) comes from the Taíno people of the Caribbean in whose language “barbacoa” means “sacred fire pit”.
11. Autumn bloom : ASTER
Apparently, most aster species and cultivars bloom relatively late in the year, usually in the fall. The name “aster” comes into English via Latin from the Greek word “astéri” meaning “star”, a reference to the arrangement of the petals of the flower.
18. Music box? : CD CASE
A CD case is also known as a jewel box, and I am not sure why …
25. Borscht veggies : BEETS
Borscht is a beetroot soup that originated in Ukraine. Borscht can be served both hot and cold.
26. Quaker captain of literature : AHAB
Captain Ahab is the obsessed and far from friendly captain of the Pequod in Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick”. The role of Captain Ahab was played by Gregory Peck in the 1956 John Huston film adaptation. Patrick Stewart played Ahab in a 1998 miniseries in which Peck made another appearance, as Father Mapple.
Members of the Religious Society of Friends are known as Friends or Quakers. The Christian sect started in England in the 1640s, led by George Fox. The principal tenet at that point was that Christians could have direct experience of Jesus Christ without the mediation of clergy, a reflection of the increasing dissatisfaction with the established church at that time. The term “Quaker” is thought to have been used earlier in reference to foreign religious sects whose followers were given to fits of shaking during religious fervor. Somehow that term became used for members of the Religious Society of Friends.
27. Fashionable Brit : TOFF
“Toff” is a disparaging British term that is used for a well-dressed gentleman of the upper class.
34. 2016 Best Picture nominee “__ Land” : LA LA
“La La Land” is a 2016 romantic musical film starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a musician and actress who fall in love in “La La Land” (Los Angeles, i.e. “LA”). The film was written and directed by Damien Chazelle, who had found success two years earlier with the musical drama “Whiplash”. “La La Land” won a record-breaking seven Golden Globes and tied the record number of Oscar nominations at fourteen, winning six.
36. Salary : WAGE
It has been suggested that out term “salary” comes from the Latin “sal” meaning “salt”. The idea is that a Roman soldier’s “salarium” might have been an allowance to purchase salt.
46. Wisecrack : BON MOT
“Bon mot” translates from French as “good word”. We use “bon mot” (and sometimes just “mot”) to mean a quip, a witticism.
50. The first Mrs. Trump : IVANA
Ivana Winklmayr was born in Czechoslovakia. Winklmayr was an excellent skier, and was named as an alternate for the 1982 Czech Olympic Team. She was promoting the Montreal Olympics in New York in 1976 when she met Donald Trump. Ivana and Donald’s marriage was very public and well-covered by the media, but not nearly so well as their very litigious divorce in the early nineties.
57. __-Ball: arcade game : SKEE
Skee Ball is that arcade game where you roll balls up a ramp trying to “bounce” it into rings for varying numbers of points. The game was first introduced in Philadelphia, in 1909.
60. Suffix with concert : -INO
A “concertino” is a short concerto.
A concerto is a musical work that is usually composed of three movements, and is often written for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra.
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1. Green Angry Birds animals : PIGS
5. Salon style : PERM
9. “Jabberwocky” opener : ‘TWAS
13. Les __-Unis : ETATS
15. Eye layer : UVEA
16. “For __ jolly … ” : HE’S A
17. Name on a two-liter bottle (and what’s inside) : ROYAL CROWN (containing mixed “COLA”)
19. Double-crossers : RATS
20. Like microwavable meals : PREMADE
21. Valued caches : TROVES
23. Independently owned suds producer (and the suds in question) : MICROBREWERY (containing mixed “BEER”)
26. Parthenon goddess : ATHENA
29. “How cool!” : NEATO!
30. Length of most TV dramas : HOUR
31. WWI battleship Graf __ : SPEE
33. Kin by marriage : IN-LAW
37. CIO partner : AFL
38. Where Starbucks began (and a product it popularized) : SEATTLE (containing mixed “LATTE”)
40. __ snail’s pace : AT A
41. Note above A : B-FLAT
43. Snoop (around) : NOSE
44. Blockage : CLOG
45. Slangy “It’s cool” : NO BIG
47. Currently combusting : ABLAZE
49. Pepperidge Farm treat (and its ideal companion) : MILANO COOKIE (containing mixed “MILK”)
53. Novelist Waugh : EVELYN
54. Scolds harshly : BERATES
58. Jones with a locker : DAVY
59. What’s clued in parentheses for each of four answers, and found in corresponding sets of puzzle circles : MIXED DRINK
62. Don Juan’s mother : INEZ
63. Just : ONLY
64. __ protector : SURGE
65. Give a darn : CARE
66. Horseshoes turn : TOSS
67. Dijon dad : PERE
Down
1. Cop’s quarry : PERP
2. “Like __ lump … ” : IT OR
3. Marvin of Motown : GAYE
4. Speech therapist’s challenge : STAMMER
5. More virtuous : PURER
6. President Morales of Bolivia : EVO
7. DVR “back up” button : REW
8. Chanted word : MANTRA
9. Add, as a shrimp to the barbie : THROW ON
10. Go this way and that : WEAVE
11. Autumn bloom : ASTER
12. Flip : SASSY
14. “‘And hast thou __ the Jabberwock?'” : SLAIN
18. Music box? : CD CASE
22. Deal with, as loose laces : RETIE
24. “Almost there!” : ONE TO GO!
25. Borscht veggies : BEETS
26. Quaker captain of literature : AHAB
27. Fashionable Brit : TOFF
28. Ship frame : HULL
32. Freak out : PANIC
34. 2016 Best Picture nominee “__ Land” : LA LA
35. All-inclusive : A TO Z
36. Salary : WAGE
38. Like a path that’s cobbled together? : STONY
39. Allowed to get out : LEAKED
42. Examine in detail : ANALYZE
44. Go from cloudy to fair : CLEAR UP
46. Wisecrack : BON MOT
48. Tweeters : BIRDS
49. Physician at the front : MEDIC
50. The first Mrs. Trump : IVANA
51. Prying tool : LEVER
52. Acts like a good dog : OBEYS
55. Lose steam : TIRE
56. Elec. or mech. expert : ENGR
57. __-Ball: arcade game : SKEE
60. Suffix with concert : -INO
61. Big tee sizes : XLS