Tag: Old kingdom of Spain crossword clue

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Constructed by: Caroline Hand

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Fields

Themed answers all have the same clue, namely “Field”:

• 20A Field : GRASSY PASTURE
• 27A Field : LINCOLN ACTRESS
• 43A Field : CATCH A GROUNDER
• 51A Field : BRANCH OF STUDY

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

Bill’s time: 6m 22s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5A Language of poet Nima Yooshij : FARSI

Nima Yooshij was a poet from Iran who developed a style of poetry that came to be known as “new poetry” (“she’r-e now” in Farsi). He is often referred to as the father of modern Persian poetry.

10A Future esq.’s exam : LSAT

The title “esquire” is of British origin and is used differently today depending on whether one is in the US or the UK. Here in America the term is usually reserved for those practicing the law (both male and female). In the UK, “esquire” is a term of gentle respect reserved for a male who has no other title that one can use. So, a mere commoner like me might receive a letter from the bank, say, addressed to W. E. Butler Esq.

16A Empire centered at Cuzco : INCA

Cusco (also “Cuzco”) is a city in the southeast of Peru. Historically, Cusco was the historic capital of the Inca Empire, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

17A iPhone speaker : SIRI

Siri was originally developed as a standalone app by a startup company of the same name. Apple acquired the company in 2010 and integrated the technology into their operating system.

18A Marner of fiction : SILAS

“Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe” is a novel written by George Eliot and first published in 1861. There’s an excellent BBC TV version of the tale (shown on PBS) starring Ben Kingsley in the title role, with Patsy Kensit playing Eppie, the young orphaned child that Marner takes under his wing.

19A Extol the good points of : TOUT

To extol something is to praise it loudly. The term “to extol” comes from the Latin “extollere” meaning “to raise up, elevate”.

23A Cooling syst. meas. : BTU

In the world of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), the power of a heating or cooling unit can be measured using the British Thermal Unit (BTU). This dated unit is the amount of energy required to heat a pound of water so that the water’s temperature increases by one degree Fahrenheit.

27A Field : LINCOLN ACTRESS

The 2012 movie “Lincoln” is a historical drama that portrays the last four months of the life of President Abraham Lincoln. The main focus in the story is Lincoln’s work to have the US House of Representatives pass the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, the amendment that finally abolished slavery. “Lincoln” was co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field and Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. It’s a film I’d recommend …

Actress Sally Field first came to the public’s attention in the sixties with title roles in the TV shows “Gidget” and “The Flying Nun”. She has two Best Actress Oscars; one for “Norma Rae” (1979) and one for “Places in the Heart” (1984).

33A Tortilla dough : MASA

“Masa” is the Spanish word for “dough”, with the term often used as an abbreviated form of “masa de maíz”. Masa is used to make tortillas and tamales, for example.

34A “The Banana Boat Song” opener : DAY-O

“Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” is a traditional folk song from Jamaica. It is sung from the standpoint of dock workers unloading boats on the night shift, so daylight has come, and they want to go home. The most famous version of “Day-O” was recorded by Harry Belafonte, in 1956.

35A Marinade of vinegar and spices : ADOBO

In Spanish and Mexican cuisine, a dish prepared adobo-style has been marinated in a mixture containing paprika, oregano, salt, garlic and vinegar. “Adobo” is Spanish for “marinade, seasoning”.

37A Tracy Marrow’s stage name : ICE-T

Rapper Ice-T must be tired of having his name come up as an answer in crossword puzzles (I know I am!). Born Tracy Marrow, Ice-T has been interested in acting for decades and made his film debut in the 1984 movie about breakdancing called “Breakin’”. He has also played Detective Fin Tutuola in the TV show “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” starting the year 2000.

43A Field : CATCH A GROUNDER

That might be baseball or softball.

48A Like some seals : EARED

There are three families of seals. The first is the walrus family, the second the eared seals (like sea lions), and thirdly the earless seals (like elephant seals).

56A Microsoft’s web browser : EDGE

Edge is a web browser developed by Microsoft. It was first released for Windows 10 in 2015, and replaced Internet Explorer as the default browser on Windows devices. Edge is based on the Chromium open-source project, the same engine that powers Google Chrome.

62A Pasta often served alla vodka : PENNE

Penne alla vodka is a pasta dish with a sauce made of vodka, cream, tomatoes, onions and sausage or bacon.

64A Weight units for whales : TONS

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

Down

2D Kimono sash : OBI

The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied at the back in what is called a butterfly knot. The term “obi” is also used for the thick cotton belts that are an essential part of the outfits worn by practitioners of many martial arts. The color of the martial arts obi signifies the wearer’s skill level.

The lovely Japanese kimono is a garment worn by men, women and children. The word “kimono” translates simply as “thing to wear”, with “ki” meaning “wear” and “mono” meaning “thing”.

3D Dry red wine : BURGUNDY

The Burgundy region of France is famous for its wine production. If you’re looking at a label that isn’t translated into English though, you’ll see Burgundy written in French, namely “Bourgogne”.

5D Accessory brand known for watches : FOSSIL

Fossil was founded in 1984, focusing on making watches that were affordable and stylish. They became known for their “modern vintage” look, and the collectible tin boxes in which the watches were packaged. The company was named Fossil after the nickname the founder and his brother had for their father.

8D Stuff available in bars : SOAP

Soap is basically made by adding a strong alkali (like lye) to a fat (like olive oil or palm oil). The fats break down in the basic solution in a process called saponification. The crude soap is extracted from the mixture, washed, purified and finished in molds.

9D Rae of “American Fiction” : ISSA

Issa Rae is a Stanford University graduate who created a YouTube web series called “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl”. Rae also plays the title role in the series, a young lady named “J”. “Awkward Black Girl” was adapted into an HBO comedy-drama called “Insecure”, in which Issa Rae stars.

“American Fiction” is a 2023 comedy-drama movie based on a 2023 novel by Percival Everett titled “Erasure”. Jeffrey Wright plays a black writer whose publishers reject his latest story as not being “black enough”. The writer reacts to his lack of success by submitting a satirical novel that panders to black stereotypes. To his surprise, and dismay, the book is a great success.

11D Rooting parts : SNOUTS

The verb “to root” can be used for a pig’s action with the snout, turning objects over.

12D Legends, for example : ACURAS

The Acura Legend was a mid-size luxury car introduced by Honda into the North American market in the 1986 model year. It was the first model produced by Honda with a V6 engine.

13D Home run, in baseball slang : TATER

Apparently, a baseball has long been referred to as a tater (also “potato”). In the seventies, a long ball started to be called a “long tater”, and from this a home run became a “tater”.

22D Indie pop duo Tegan and __ : SARA

Tegan and Sara are an indie pop duo comprising Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirstan Quin, identical twin sisters from Canada.

24D Jukebox musical whose second act begins with “Private Dancer” : TINA

“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” is described as a jukebox musical that premiered in London in 2018. It tells the life story of rock ‘n roll legend Tina Turner. I haven’t seen this one, and would love to do so …

“Private Dancer” is a song written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, who decided not to release it with his band because he felt the lyrics required a female vocalist. Tina Turner later recorded the song for her 1984 comeback album of the same name. Her legendary version features most of the members of Dire Straits on the instrumental track and a guitar solo by Jeff Beck.

31D “The Search for General __”: food documentary : TSO

“The Search for General Tso” is a 2014 documentary about the history of Chinese food in the US. Much of the film explores the life of Zuo Zontang, the Chinese military leader who gave his name to the very American dish known as General Tso’s chicken.

36D Domingo, por ejemplo : DIA

In Spanish (Span.), the days of the week are masculine (masc.) nouns. Unlike in English, the days of the week in Spanish are not capitalized when used in the middle of a sentence:

• lunes – Monday
• martes – Tuesday
• miércoles – Wednesday
• jueves – Thursday
• viernes – Friday
• sábado – Saturday
• domingo – Sunday

38D Summer gig for an aspiring golfer, perhaps : CADDYING

“Caddie” is a Scottish word, as one might expect given the history of the game of golf. It is a local word derived from the French “cadet” that describes a younger son or brother, or a student officer in the military. The variant spelling “caddy” is quite common.

39D Foil kin : EPEE

The sword known as an épée has a three-sided blade. It is similar to a foil and saber, although the foil and saber have rectangular cross-sections.

40D Beach bird : TERN

Terns are seabirds that are found all over the world. The Arctic Tern makes a very long-distance migration. One Arctic Tern that was tagged as a chick in Great Britain in the summer of 1982, was spotted in Melbourne, Australia just three months later. The bird had traveled over 14,000 miles in over those three months, an average of about 150 miles a day. Remarkable …

41D Current options : AC/DC

There are two types of electric current. The 120V supply that is distributed throughout our homes provides us with alternating current (AC). The AC current moves back and forth every 1/60 second, in two different directions. AC is great for transmission around the country, and that’s the main reason that AC is piped into our homes. However, all of our electronic devices need direct current (DC), current that flows in one direction. That’s why those devices have adapters at the end of a power cable. The 120V AC supply is converted by the adapter into the DC supply used by the device.

42D Buddhist teacher : GURU

“Guru” is a Hindi word meaning “teacher” or “priest”.

43D Elliptical workout, e.g., informally : CARDIO

Aerobic exercise is moderate activity designed to be at a low enough intensity that very little anaerobic activity takes place. In other words, the exercise is at a level where oxygen is taken in to burn fat and carbohydrate and to create energy. Anaerobic exercise is more intense and uses carbohydrate (glycogen) in the muscle to provide energy, without the need for oxygen. Aerobics are also called “cardio” as the exercises strengthen the cardiovascular system.

The elliptical trainer exercise machine entered the market in the nineties. It is intended to provide a cardiovascular workout with very little impact on the body. The low impact motion is achieved because the movement of the pedal ensures that the heels stay in contact with the pedals. At the same time, the elliptical motion of the pedals allow the foot to roll from toe to heel, just as if the user is running.

44D Old kingdom of Spain : ARAGON

Modern-day Aragón is an autonomous community in the northeast of Spain. The region is named for the medieval Kingdom of Aragón.

45D Core convictions : TENETS

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

46D Prepares to bow : ROSINS

Rosin is a solid form of resin derived from plant sources. Rosin is formed into cakes that players of stringed instruments use to rub along the hairs of their bows to help improve sound quality. The rosin increases the degree of friction between the strings and the bow. That same friction-increasing property comes into play when baseball pitchers use rosin to get a better grip on the ball, or when dancers apply rosin to the soles of their shoes.

48D Longtime “At the Movies” co-host : EBERT

The film review TV show “At the Movies” has been around since 1988 in various forms with various hosts, most famously Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Siskel and Ebert used the iconic “thumbs up and thumbs down” rating system from the very first show.

52D Filter letters : HEPA

Air filters can be specified as “HEPA”, with the acronym standing for “high-efficiency particulate absorption”. To be given the name “HEPA”, the filter must remove 99.7% of particles with a size of 0.3 microns or larger.