Tag: One looking for a deal? crossword clue

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Constructed by: Dan Kammann & Zhouqin Burnikel
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 11m 36s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

12 AMC model whose passenger’s side door was longer than its driver’s side door : PACER

The AMC Pacer is an iconic car from the seventies. It has big glass windows leading to it being nicknamed “the Flying Fish Bowl” by “Car and Driver” magazine. One quirky aspect of the two-door Pacer is its asymmetrical door design. Recognizing that passengers typically enter and exit the rear seats from the curbside, designers made the passenger-side door longer to facilitate access to the back seats.

13 Herb also known as dragon’s wort : TARRAGON

Tarragon is a herb in the sunflower family that is also known by the name estragon. There are several subspecies, with French tarragon being the variety most commonly used for cooking. Other subspecies are known as Russian tarragon, Spanish tarragon and wild tarragon.

17 One looking for a deal? : NARC

“Narc” and “narco” are slang terms describing a law enforcement officer who tracks down criminals associated with illegal drugs. Both words are short for “narcotics officer”. Narcs might work for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

20 White noise machine option : STEADY RAIN

The background sound produced by an untuned radio can be referred to as white noise. It is also called “static”, because it is caused by the discharge of “static electricity”, with those discharges mainly taking place in the upper atmosphere.

23 Like some MIA flights : INTL

Miami International Airport (MIA) began as a small airfield in 1928, initially named Pan American Field. During World War II, the airport was utilized for military purposes, resulting in expanded infrastructure. Post-war, MIA continued its expansion, becoming a major international gateway. In 2021, Miami International became the US airport handling the most international passengers, beating out New York-JFK.

26 Speed’s mysterious rival, in cartoons : RACER X

“Speed Racer” (also called “Mach GoGoGo”) is a Japanese media franchise about car racing.

28 Hawk : SELL

The verb “to hawk” has a Germanic origin, and comes from the Low German word “hoken” meaning “to peddle”. A hawker is actually slightly different from a peddler by definition, as a hawker is a peddler that uses a horse and cart, or a van nowadays perhaps, to sell his or her wares.

33 Org. impersonated in some scams : SSA

Social Security Administration (SSA)

37 Bloke : CHAP

“Chap” is an informal term meaning “lad, fellow” that is used especially in England. The term derives from “chapman”, an obsolete word meaning “purchaser” or “trader”.

“Bloke” is British slang for “fellow”. The etymology of “bloke” seems to have been lost in the mists of time.

42 Faucet handle : MOEN

The Moen line of faucets was started in 1956 by inventor Alfred M. Moen. It was Moen who invented the first single-handed mixing faucet.

50 Home of the Imiloa Astronomy Center : HILO

The Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii, located in Hilo on the Big Island, is somewhat unique in that it bridges the gap between science and Hawaiian culture. On the one hand, exhibits share the discoveries at the observatories located on Mauna Kea. On the other hand, many exhibits highlight the use of astral navigation by the Polynesian voyagers who populated the Hawaiian Islands.

54 Monument to Balzac sculptor : RODIN

Rodin’s statue “Monument to Balzac” faced fierce rejection from the Société des Gens de Lettres, the very group that commissioned it in 1891. They expected a traditional, realistic portrait of novelist Honoré de Balzac, but Rodin delivered a radical, almost abstract representation that emphasized the author’s creative spirit over his physical appearance. As a result, the work was not publicly displayed during Rodin’s lifetime. In 1939, a bronze cast of the “Monument to Balzac” was finally unveiled and placed on public display at the intersection of Boulevard Raspail and Boulevard Montparnasse in Paris.

55 Admits defeat, informally : TAKES AN L

Take a loss (take an L)

57 __ sense : SPIDEY

“Spidey-sense” is a term used to describe one’s intuition or instinct, especially when sensing something that might be dangerous. The term arises from the comic book hero Spider-Man’s ability to sense danger before others.

Down

1 Part of BASE jumping : SPANS

BASE jumping is parachuting off fixed objects such as buildings or cliffs. The term “BASE” is actually an acronym standing for the four types of objects from which parachutists jump: Buildings, Antennas. Spans/bridges, Earth/cliffs.

2 Gold standard : KARAT

A karat (also “carat”, the spelling outside of North America) is a measure of the purity of gold alloys, with 24-karat representing pure gold.

3 Answer to a cold call? : ICE RESCUE

Ice rescues are high-risk operations undertaken to save individuals who have fallen through frozen bodies of water. These rescues demand specialized training and equipment, as the rescuer faces the same dangers as the victim: hypothermia, unstable ice, and potential submersion.

5 SAT takers : SRS

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”.

7 Close on a set : WRAP

When shooting of a film is concluded the movie is said to wrap, and everyone heads to the wrap party. There is one story that “wrap” is actually an acronym for “wind, reel and print”, a reference to the transition of the filming process into post-production. But, this explanation is disputed.

8 Country rock great Emmylou : HARRIS

Emmylou Harris is a country singer from Birmingham, Alabama who grew up in North Carolina and Virginia. She has won many Grammys over the course of her career, culminating in the Grammy LIfetime Achievement Award in 2018.

9 Push : EGG ON

The verb “to edge” has been used to mean to incite, to urge on, from the 16th century. Somewhere along the way “edge” was mistakenly replaced with “egg”, giving us our term “to egg on” meaning “to goad”.

11 Prepare for camel pose : KNEEL

Camel pose, or Ustrasana, is a challenging backbend in yoga that opens the front of the body, including the chest, abdomen, and quadriceps. It involves kneeling with the hands supporting the lower back or reaching back to grasp the heels, arching the spine and lifting the chest.

18 Minnesota team with four championships : LYNX

Both Minnesota professional basketball teams are owned by billionaire businessman Glen Taylor. The Timberwolves play in the NBA, and the Lynx in the WNBA.

27 Evanescence lead singer Lee : AMY

Evanescence is an American rock band known for their blend of gothic rock, alternative metal, and symphonic elements, overlaid with powerful vocals of singer and keyboardist Amy Lee. Founded in 1994, Lee and band cofounder Ben Moody decided on the name Evanescence, which means disappearance or fading away.

29 Object of worship in Exodus : FALSE IDOL

According to the Book of Exodus in the Bible, Moses’ brother Aaron made a golden calf as an idol for the Israelites to worship while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments. When Moses returned, he became angry on seeing the calf, a “false idol”, and destroyed it.

31 Miss after a wedding : MRS

“Mr.” is an abbreviation for “mister”, and “Mrs.” an abbreviation for “mistress”.

33 Female grouse : SAGE HEN

The term “sage hen” can be used to describe sage-grouse females. And, the one-word term “sagehen” can be used for any sage-grouse, male or female. At least, I think so …

39 Bond villain with prosthetic hands : DR NO

“Dr. No” may have been the first film in the wildly successful James Bond franchise, but it was the sixth novel in the series of books penned by Ian Fleming. Fleming was inspired to write the story after reading the Fu Manchu tales by Sax Rohmer. If you’ve read the Rohmer books or seen the films, you’ll recognize the similarities between the characters Dr. Julius No and Fu Manchu. By the way, the author Ian Fleming tells us that Julius No attended medical school in Milwaukee.

40 Outbid at the last moment : SNIPED

Auction sniping is a relatively new phenomenon, a phenomenon that is associated with online auctions. A sniper waits until the final seconds of an auction and drops in a slightly higher bid, winning the auction as other bidders have no time to respond. Auction sniping is often executed with the help of a software application, or by using an online service.

42 Rainforest phenomena : MISTS

Strictly speaking, the terms “rainforest” and “jungle” are related, but different. A healthy rainforest has a thick canopy of leaves so that the ground below is relatively clear of vegetation due to a lack of sunlight. When the canopy thins, the increase in sunlight promotes growth of tangled vegetation at ground level producing the habitat that we refer to as “jungle”.

44 Mushroom in ramen : ENOKI

Enokitake (also known as “enoki”) are long and thin white mushrooms often added to soups or salads.

53 Something that’s cut and dried : HAY

Hay is dried grass that is stored for use as animal fodder. Straw consists of the dried stalks of cereal plants, the residue left after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw can also be used as animal fodder, as well as fuel, bedding and thatch.

54 Squeeze bunt result : RBI

In baseball, a squeeze play (also “squeeze bunt”) is one in which a batter bunts the ball expecting to be thrown out at first, but gives a runner at third base a chance to score. In a safety squeeze the runner at third waits to see where the bunt is going before heading for home. In a suicide squeeze, the runner heads home as soon as the pitcher throws the ball.