Tag: Quaint quarters crossword clue

Advertisement

Constructed by: Doug Peterson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Dog Tags

Themed answers each end with a stereotypical TAG (name) for a DOG :

• 39A Military IDs on chains, and what can be found at the ends of the answers to the starred clues? : DOG TAGS

• 21A *Tennis racket’s optimal impact point : SWEET SPOT
• 58A *Explorer on the red planet : MARS ROVER
• 3D *Sophocles tragedy : OEDIPUS REX
• 29D *Athletic shoe introduced in 1987 : NIKE AIR MAX

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

Bill’s time: 4m 56s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Unemotional : STOIC

Zeno of Citium was a Greek philosopher famous for teaching at the Stoa Poikile, the “Painted Porch”, located on the north side of the Ancient Agora of Athens. Because of the location of his classes, his philosophy became known as stoicism (from “stoa”, the word for “porch”). We get our adjective “stoic”, meaning “indifferent to pleasure or pain”, from the same root.

14 Concert setting : ARENA

Our term “arena” comes from the Latin “harena”, describing a place of combat. Originally “harena” was used for sand or a sandy place. Those Ancient Roman places of combat were covered with sand to soak up blood.

16 Daughter of Darth Vader : LEIA

The full name of the character played by Carrie Fisher in the “Star Wars” series of films is Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, and later Leia Organa Solo. Leia is the twin sister of Luke Skywalker, and the daughter of Anakin Skywalker (aka “Darth Vader”) and Padmé Amidala. Leia is raised by her adoptive parents Bail and Breha Organa. She eventually marries Han Solo.

18 Foam darts, for a Nerf Blaster : AMMO

Nerf is a soft material used in a whole series of toys designed for “safe” play indoors. The Nerf product is used to make darts, balls and ammunition for toy guns. “NERF” is an acronym, standing for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam.

20 Angler’s supply : BAIT

We use the verb “to angle” to mean “to fish” because “angel” is an Old English word meaning “hook”.

21 *Tennis racket’s optimal impact point : SWEET SPOT

The instrument striking a tennis ball, here in America, is a “racket’. In Britain and Ireland, and other English-speaking nations, the spelling “racquet” is more common. Interestingly (to me, anyway!), the spelling “racket” dates back to the 14th century. “Racquet” appeared later, in the early 16th century.

28 Apple Music predecessor : ITUNES

The key difference between iTunes and Apple Music is ownership: iTunes is for buying and owning digital music, while Apple Music is a subscription service for streaming music you don’t own.

34 “__ Yankees” : DAMN

In the musical show “Damn Yankees”, the title refers to the New York Yankees baseball team that dominated the sport in the fifties. That said, the show tells the story of a man who sells his soul to help his beloved Washington Senators team beat the Yankees and win the pennant. So, “Damn Yankees” is yet another version of the classic German legend of “Faust”. The show was written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, a production that turned out to be a very successful follow-up to their prior hit, “The Pajama Game”. The future was looking really rosy for Adler and Ross but, sadly, Jerry Ross died of obstructive lung disease only a few weeks after “Damn Yankees” opened on Broadway in 1955. He was just 29 years old.

38 Mo. with the signs Aries and Taurus : APR

The exact etymology of “April”, the name of the fourth month of our year, seems to be uncertain. The ancient Romans called it “mensis Aprilis”, which roughly translated as “opening month”. The suggestion is that April is the month in which fruits, flowers and animals “open” their life cycles.

39 Military IDs on chains, and what can be found at the ends of the answers to the starred clues? : DOG TAGS

The identification tags worn by soldiers are often called “dog tags”, simply because they do resemble tags worn by dogs. US military personnel are required to wear dog tags when in the field. Each soldier wears either two tags or a special tag that breaks easily into two identical pieces. The idea is that if a soldier is killed, then one half can be removed for notification and the remaining half stays with the body. Each tag contains basics such as name and ID number, medical information like blood type, and possibly a religious preference.

42 Cereal with Honey and Berry Berry varieties : KIX

Kix cereal has been around since 1937, would you believe? Kix used to be just puffed grains, processed to give the characteristic shape. Then the decision was made to add sugar to get better penetration into the young kid marketplace. Sad really …

46 “__ Rose Has Its Thorn”: Poison hit : EVERY

Poison is a glam rock band that formed in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania in 1980. Poison’s biggest hit is 1988’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”.

48 “You have my cell number” : TEXT ME

What we mostly call a “cell phone” here in North America is more usually referred to as a “mobile phone” in Britain and Ireland. My favorite term for the device is used in Germany, where it is called a “Handy”.

50 Salami type : GENOA

Genoa salami is made using preservation techniques that originated in ancient Rome.

52 Dos + tres : CINCO

In Spanish, “cinco” (five) is “dos y tres” (two plus three).

55 Forms a line? : AD-LIBS

“Ad libitum” is a Latin phrase meaning “at one’s pleasure”. In common usage, the phrase is usually shortened to “ad-lib”. On the stage, the concept of an ad-lib is very familiar.

58 *Explorer on the red planet : MARS ROVER

There have been several rovers sent to Mars from Earth. The Soviet Union’s Mars 2 landed in 1971, and failed. Mars 3 landed the same year, and ceased operation just 20 seconds after landing. NASA’s Sojourner landed in 1997 (what a great day that was!) and operated from July through September. The British rover Beagle 2 was lost six days before its scheduled entry into the Martian atmosphere. NASA’s Spirit landed in 2004, and operated successfully for over six years before getting trapped in sand and eventually ceasing to communicate. NASA’s Opportunity also landed in 2004, and operated for over fourteen years. And then NASA’s Curiosity made a spectacular, hi-tech landing in 2012 and is continuing to explore the planet today. Based on the Curiosity design, NASA’s Perseverance rover landed in 2021, along with the Mars helicopter named Ingenuity. The China National Space Administration landed its first rover, named Zhurong (“Rover” in English), five months after Perseverance started its mission on the planet.

61 Canadian First Nations people : CREE

“First Nations” is a term used in Canada describing the ethnicity of Native Americans who are neither Inuit nor Métis people.

62 Literary detective Wolfe : NERO

Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective and the hero of many stories published by author Rex Stout. There are 33 Nero Wolfe novels for us to read, and 39 short stories. There are also movie adaptations of two of the novels: “Meet Nero Wolfe” (1936) which features a young Rita Hayworth, and “The League of Frightened Men” (1937). One of Wolfe’s endearing traits is his love of good food and beer, so he is a pretty rotund character.

65 Sleeveless top, for short : CAMI

A camisole (also “cami”) is a sleeveless undershirt worn by women that extends down to the waist. “Camisole” is a French word that we imported into English that ultimately derives from the Latin “camisia” meaning “shirt, nightgown”.

68 Black gem : ONYX

Onyx is a form of quartz that comes in many different shades, but most often it’s the black version that’s used for jewelry. The name “onyx” comes from the Greek word for “fingernail”, as onyx in the flesh color is said to resemble a fingernail.

69 “Swish Swish” singer Perry : KATY

“Swish Swish” is a 2017 song by Katy Perry, featuring Nicki Minaj. It has been interpreted by some as a diss track, a song where an artist publicly criticizes or insults another person or group, often another musician. Some listeners speculate it was aimed at Taylor Swift, though this has never been officially confirmed. The song uses basketball metaphors to address critics and negativity.

70 Athlete in a weight class : BOXER

Here are the main weight classes in boxing, from lightest to heaviest:

• Flyweight
• Bantamweight
• Featherweight
• Lightweight
• Welterweight
• Middleweight
• LightHeavyweight
• Heavyweight

Down

1 Brazilian dance : SAMBA

The samba is a Brazilian dance that is very much symbolic of the festival of Carnival. Like so much culture around the world, the samba has its roots in Africa, as the dance is derived from dances performed by former slaves who migrated into urban Rio de Janeiro in the late 1800s. The exact roots of the name “samba” seem to have been lost in the mists of time. However, my favorite explanation is that it comes from an African Kikongo word “semba” which means “a blow struck with the belly button”. We don’t seem to have a need for such a word in English …

2 “Law & Order” proceeding : TRIAL

“Law & Order” ran for many, many years on NBC, from 1990 to 2010. It is a police drama that spawned a huge franchise of shows both here in the US and overseas. I am probably a bit biased, but my favorite is the version shown in BBC America called “Law & Order: UK”.

3 *Sophocles tragedy : OEDIPUS REX

“Oedipus Rex” (also “Oedipus the King”) is a tragedy penned by the Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles. The play tells the story of Oedipus, a man who becomes king of Thebes. Famously, Oedipus was destined from birth to murder his father and marry his mother.

5 Friskies muncher : CAT

The Friskies brand is known today as a cat food, although it was first introduced as a dry dog food in 1930.

7 Caravan animal : CAMEL

Camels are well adapted to the desert, most notably perhaps having a fatty hump that acts as a reservoir of water. They also have long eyelashes and ear hairs, as well as nostrils that can close, all of which act as barriers to blown sand. They even have a third eyelid, which dislodges any sand that gets lodged in the eye.

A camel train carrying passengers or goods across a desert can be referred to as a caravan. “Caravan” derives from the Persian “karwan”, which has the same meaning. Over in Britain, “caravan” is the name given to travel trailers.

8 “Lucifer” actress Garcia : AIMEE

Aimee Garcia is an actress perhaps best known for her portrayal of Ella Lopez, the forensic scientist in the TV series “Lucifer”. Garcia has also appeared in shows like “Dexter” and “George Lopez”.

10 Fly off the handle : FLIP OUT

The phrase “to fly off the handle” means “to become suddenly enraged”. The imagery evoked here is of an axehead flying off the handle and causing some damage or injury.

11 Television Hall of Famer Jay : LENO

Jay Leno was born James Leno in New Rochelle, New York. Jay’s father was the son of Italian immigrants, and his mother was from Scotland. Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and actually dropped out of school on the advice of a high school guidance counselor. However, years later he went to Emerson College and earned a Bachelor’s degree in speech therapy. Leno also started a comedy club at Emerson in 1973. Today Jay Leno is a car nut and owns over 300 vehicles of various types. You can check them out on his website: www.jaylenosgarage.com.

The Television Hall of Fame was formed in 1984. There were seven inductees in that first year, including Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, Norman Lear and Edward R. Murrow.

21 ESPN football reporter Paolantonio : SAL

Sal Paolantonio is a reporter for ESPN who is based in Philadelphia. He is mostly associated with coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and the New York Jets.

22 USMC rank : SGT

The US Marine Corps (USMC) is the smallest of the four branches in the US Department of Defense (DOD).

29 *Athletic shoe introduced in 1987 : NIKE AIR MAX

The Nike Air Max is a line of running shoes first released by Nike in 1987. Its defining feature is the visible air cushioning unit in the midsole, designed to provide enhanced impact absorption and comfort.

30 Dubai dignitary : EMIR

Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the federation known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two largest members of the UAE (geographically) are Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the only two of the seven members that have veto power over UAE policy.

36 Actress Helgenberger : MARG

Marg Helgenberger is an actress best known for roles she plays on television. She played investigator Catherine Willows on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. Helgenberger also played drug-addicted prostitute K.C. Koloski in the Vietnam War drama “China Beach”.

44 Largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands : ST CROIX

St. Croix is the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Originally inhabited by the indigenous Carib and Arawak people, the island was claimed by the Spanish in 1493 and named Santa Cruz (Holy Cross). Over the centuries, it changed hands between various European powers, including the Dutch, English, French, and finally the Danish. Under Danish rule, the island’s name evolved to its current form, St. Croix, a Frenchified version of the original Spanish name. The US purchased St. Croix from Denmark in 1916, along with the islands of St. Thomas and St. John.

47 Mount St. Helens, for one : VOLCANO

The active volcano in Washington state called Mount St. Helens was named by explorer George Vancouver for his friend, British diplomat Lord St Helens. 57 people died when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, making it the deadliest eruption in the history of the US.

49 Scale notes after res : MIS

The sol-fa syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la & ti.

51 Organ with a drum : EAR

The eardrum lies at the intersection of the outer ear and middle ear. Also called the tympanic membrane, the eardrum picks up vibrations in air caused by sound waves, and transmits these vibrations to three tiny bones called “ossicles”. These ossicles (hammer, anvil and stirrup) are in the middle ear, and transmit the vibration to an oval window. The oval window is the membrane-covered opening lying at the intersection of the middle ear and the inner ear. The vibrations are transmitted into fluid in the inner ear, and converted into nerve impulses in the cochlea that are transmitted to the brain.

53 Tiramisu topper : COCOA

Tiramisu is an Italian cake. The name “tiramisu” translates from Italian as “pull me up”, and is often translated into our English phrase “pick-me-up”.

56 Geoffrey of fashion : BEENE

Geoffrey Beene was an American fashion designer. He had an impressive list of clients that included First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Nancy Reagan. He had a very successful line of clothing called “Beene Bag”.

57 Ceremonial Passover meal : SEDER

The Passover Seder is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish Passover holiday celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.