Tag: Some forensic drama spinoffs crossword clue

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Constructed by: Christina Iverson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Themed Clue: Feeling under the Weather?

Themed answers are FEELINGS, and each is found UNDER a type of WEATHER in the grid:

• 17A Cozy spot to read a book, perhaps : BAY WINDOW (hiding “WIND”)
• 20A Feeling under the weather? : FEAR

• 33A Spot where soap scum may accumulate : SHOWER DRAIN (hiding “RAIN”)
• 40A Feeling under the weather? : LOVE

• 41A “That’s hardly a surprise” : IT’S NO WONDER (hiding “SNOW”)
• 47A Feeling under the weather? : HOPE

• 58A Expenditures that can’t be recovered : SUNK COSTS (hiding “SUN”)
• 64A Feeling under the weather? : IRE

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

Bill’s time: 8m 10s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 “The Mandalorian” actor Weathers : CARL

Carl Weathers is an actor and retired professional football player. Most famously, perhaps, Weathers played boxer Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies.

“The Mandalorian” is a TV series in the “Star Wars” universe that is set five years after the events in the 1983 film “Return of the Jedi”. The show was created by actor and filmmaker Jon Favreau, and has been well received. The title character is Din Djarin (played by Pedro Pascal), a bounty hunter with a ward named Grogu. Grogu is an infant of the same species as Yoda, and so is referred to by viewers as “Baby Yoda”.

15 Lav : LOO

It has been suggested that the British term “loo”, meaning “toilet”, comes from “Waterloo” (water closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of “lanterloo”, in which the pot was called the loo!

16 Jungian archetype : ANIMA

The concepts of anima and animus are found in the Carl Jung school of analytical psychology. The idea is that within each male there resides a feminine inner personality called the anima, and within each female there is a male inner personality known as the animus.

17 Cozy spot to read a book, perhaps : BAY WINDOW

A bay window is a window that projects outside, beyond the wall. The resulting space inside the wall forms a “bay-like” space inside a room.

19 Tiffany collectibles : LAMPS

The archetypal Tiffany lamp is made using pieces of colored, leaded glass with a copper foil bonding the pieces together, and a solder applied over the foil. The resulting effect resembles a stained glass window.

21 Omniscient : ALL-WISE

Omniscience is the quality of having complete knowledge and awareness. The term comes from the Latin “omnis” meaning “all” and “scientia” meaning “knowledge”.

26 “Born a Crime” memoirist Trevor : NOAH

“Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood” is a comedic autobiographical book penned by comedian Trevor Noah. It tells of Noah’s early life growing up during apartheid in South Africa. The title refers to the fact that black-white marriages were illegal under apartheid, and the very existence of a mixed-race child was evidence of a crime.

37 Some forensic drama spinoffs : CSIS

The “CSI” franchise of TV shows has been tremendously successful, and seems to really have legs. “CSI: Miami” (the “worst” of the franchise, I think) was canceled in 2012 after ten seasons. “CSI: NY” (the “best” of the franchise) was canceled in 2013 after nine seasons. The original “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” was set in Las Vegas, and hung in there until 2015 when it ended with a two-hour TV movie. Then there was “CSI: Cyber”. It lasted for two seasons, before being canceled in 2016. “CSI: Vegas”, a sequel to the original “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, launched in 2021.

46 Syncopated work : RAG

In the world of music, syncopation is the expected emphasis away from the normally accented beat, producing an unexpected rhythm, an “offbeat” rhythm. Syncopation is a characteristic of many genres of music, notably ragtime and jazz.

Ragtime music was at the height of its popularity in the early 1900s. It takes its name from its characteristic “ragged” rhythms. The most famous ragtime composer was Scott Joplin, who had a big hit with his “Maple Leaf Rag” when it was published in 1899. He followed that up with a string of hits, including the “Pine Apple Rag” (sic). Ragtime fell out of favor about 1917 when the public turned to jazz. It had a resurgence in the forties when jazz musicians started to include ragtime tunes in their repertoires. But it was the 1973 movie “The Sting” that brought the true revival, as the hit soundtrack included numerous ragtime tunes by Scott Joplin, including the celebrated “The Entertainer” originally published in 1902.

48 Practice of slicing open a bottle of champagne : SABERING

The technique of opening a bottle of champagne using a sword is known as sabrage, or sabering. It involves sliding the sword along the body of the bottle so that it hits the lip and separates the collar from the neck. Despite the need for a “sharp” movement of the sword, it is important to use the “blunt” side of the sword to provide maximum impact on the lip of the bottle.

52 City east of El Paso : ODESSA

The city of Odessa, Texas has as its symbol the jack rabbit. This is because from the thirties through the seventies the city hosted a rodeo for roping rabbits. The Humane Society applied pressure and the city did away with the tradition in 1977.

57 Fire sign of spring : ARIES

Each of the twelve astrological signs is associated with one of the classical elements:

• Fire signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
• Earth signs: Taurus, Capricorn, Virgo
• Air signs: Libra, Aquarius, Gemini
• Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

63 Asian gambling mecca : MACAU

Macau (also “Macao”) is an autonomous territory of China located on the Pearl River estuary about 40 miles west of Hong Kong. It was a Portuguese colony from the mid-1500s until 1999. Macau was in fact the first European colony in China, and the last, having been handed back to the Chinese in 1999, two years after Hong Kong was returned by the British. Macau’s economy is driven by tourism and gambling. The territory’s gaming revenue is the highest for any gambling center in the world.

66 Proto- finish : -PLASM

The word “protoplasm” comes from the Greek, meaning first (protos) thing formed (plasma). It is the name given to the cell contents, everything that is surrounded by the plasma membrane. The protoplasm in most cells is divided into two parts, the cytoplasm which surrounds the nucleus, and the nucleoplasm found within the nucleus.

67 U.K. part : ENG

The terms “United Kingdom”, “Great Britain” and “England” can sometimes be confused. The official use of “United Kingdom” originated in 1707 with the Acts of Union that declared the countries of England and Scotland as “United into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain”. The name changed again with the Acts of Union 1800 that created the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland” (much to the chagrin of most of the Irish population). This was partially reversed in 1927 when the current name was introduced, the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”, in recognition of an independent Irish Free State in the south of the island of Ireland.

Down

1 Semi-important part? : CAB

A “semi” is a “semi-trailer truck”. The vehicle is so called because it consists of a tractor and a half-trailer. The half-trailer is so called because it only has wheels on the back end, with the front supported by the tractor.

2 “The penny drops!” : AHA!

When the penny drops for someone, that person has finally understood something. The phrase “the penny dropped” was coined in the 1930s in Britain and alludes to machines, like public telephones, that require coins to “drop” in order to operate.

3 “West Coast” singer Lana Del __ : REY

“Lana Del Rey” is the stage name of singer/songwriter Elizabeth Grant. Del Rey calls herself a “self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra”. Nice …

5 Internet abbreviation before an internet abbreviation? : TL;DR

Too long, didn’t read (TL;DR)

6 Hopping marsupial, casually : ROO

Marsupials are mammals that carry their young in a pouch. Better-known marsupials are kangaroos, koalas, wombats and Tasmanian devils. As you can probably tell from this list, most marsupials are native to the Southern Hemisphere.

7 Ames resident : IOWAN

The city of Ames, Iowa was famous for holding the now-defunct Ames Straw Poll (also “Iowa Straw Poll) in advance of presidential elections. The poll in question was used to gauge the level of support for two or more Republican candidates, although non-Republicans were allowed to cast a vote. To vote one had to be an Iowa resident and had to buy a ticket to the fundraising dinner at which the vote was taken. The event got a lot of coverage, so it boosted the local economy as journalists hit the town. It was a very successful fundraiser for the Republican Party in Iowa as well, but the usefulness of the straw poll in predicting the eventual winner of the nomination was less clear. There were six straw polls from its inception in 1979, and just 2 out of the 6 times the poll winner went on to capture the party’s nomination. The Republican Party decided to pull the plug on the event in 2015.

8 Wild duck : MALLARD

The mallard is perhaps the most recognizable of all ducks and is also known as the wild duck. The name “mallard” has the same Latin root as our word “male”, probably reflecting how flamboyant the coloring is of the male of the species relative to the female.

10 Rogers of “Bosch: Legacy” : MIMI

Mimi Rogers is a favorite actress of mine, although she hasn’t really had the starring roles in big movies. Off screen. Rogers is famous for her association with her second husband, Tom Cruise. It was Mimi who introduced Tom to Scientology. Mimi Rogers can also be seen playing a lot of so-called “celebrity poker”, and she is on the board of directors of the World Poker Tour.

“Bosch: Legacy” is a spin-off of the successful show “Bosch”. Titus Welliver reprises his role as Harry Bosch, but now Bosch has retired from the LAPD and is working as a private investigator.

14 Double daggers, in printing : DIESES

A dagger (also “obelisk”, plural “obeli”) is a typographical symbol. The dagger is usually used to indicate a footnote, if an asterisk has already been used for the same purpose. A further footnote might be marked with a double dagger, a variant with two handles. The double dagger is called a diesis (plural “diases”).

18 “Goes without sayin'” : NATCH

“Natch” is a slang term meaning “naturally, of course”. “Natch” is simply a shortening of the word “‘naturally”, and was first recorded at the end of WWII.

22 Tolkien trilogy, to fans : LOTR

“Lord of the Rings” (LOTR)

23 “Braxton Family Values” sister : TRACI

Singer Traci Braxton began her career with the quintet of sisters known as the Braxtons. Traci is perhaps best known these days for her appearance on the reality show “Braxton Family Values”.

The Braxton Family singers are sisters Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina and Tamar.

25 Chicago dog component : RELISH

A Chicago-style hot dog consists of an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun. The sausage is topped with yellow mustard, dark green relish, chopped raw onion, pickle spear, sport peppers, tomato slices and a dash of celery salt.

28 “… and your little dog, too!” dog : TOTO

Toto is Dorothy’s dog in the film “The Wizard of Oz”, and in the original book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. Toto was played in the movie by a dog called Terry, but Terry’s name was soon changed to Toto in real life due to the success of the film.

In the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz”, the Wicked Witch of the West has a few things to say to Dorothy when they first meet. One of the more famous lines is:

I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!

29 Graceful swimmers : SWANS

An adult male swan is a cob and an adult female is a pen. Young swans are swanlings or cygnets.

31 Indigenous New Zealanders : MAORIS

The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. They are eastern Polynesian in origin and began arriving in New Zealand relatively recently, starting some time in the late 13th century. The word “māori” simply means “normal”, distinguishing mortal humans from spiritual entities. The Māori refer to New Zealand as “Aotearoa”.

34 Old Icelandic text : EDDA

“Poetic Edda” and “Prose Edda” are two ancient works that are the source for much of Norse mythology. Both Eddas were written in 13th-century Iceland.

35 Director Reitman and tennis great Lendl : IVANS

Ivan Reitman was a film producer and director born in Slovakia, but who lived in Canada from when he was a small boy. Reitman is best known for producing and directing comedy movies. His long list of hits includes “Stripes”, “Ghostbusters”, “Kindergarten Cop” and “Dave”. Ivan’s son Jason Reitman is also a successful director, and was at the helm for the films “Juno”, “Thank You for Smoking” and “Up in the Air”.

Ivan Lendl is a former professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia. Lendl appeared in eight consecutive US Open finals in the eighties, a record that stands to this day.

36 “Passing” actress Ruth : NEGGA

Ruth Negga is an Ethiopian-born Irish actress. On the silver screen, she is perhaps best known for playing Mildred Loving in the 2016 film “Loving”, and Clare Bellew in the 2021 film “Passing”. She also has a starring role in the supernatural adventure TV show “Preacher”, playing Tulip O’Hare.

“Passing” is a powerful 2021 film based on a 1929 novel of the same name by Nella Larsen. The title is a reference to “racial passing”, which occurs when a member of one racial group is perceived as (passes as) a member of another. The primary use of the term was in the US, describing a black or brown person who passed for white in order to avoid racial segregation and discrimination. The cast of the movie “Passing” is led by actors Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga.

38 Stir-fry vegetables : SNOW PEAS

The snow pea lives up to its name. It continues to grow when it is snowing.

42 Marsupial that plays dead : OPOSSUM

Although they are both marsupials, the opossum and the possum are two distinct animals. True possums are found in Australia and other places in the South Pacific. Opossums are found in North America.

The idiom “playing possum” means pretending to be dead. The phrase is used in recognition of the behavior of the Virginia Opossum that does just that, plays dead as a defense mechanism. We often use the term “possum” colloquially for the opossum species that live here in North America, but in fact, the true “possums” are marsupials native to Australia.

45 Censor for security reasons, e.g. : REDACT

Our word “redact”, meaning to revise or edit, comes from the past participle of the Latin “redigere” meaning “to reduce”.

51 Nail polish brand in square bottles : ESSIE

Essie Cosmetics is a company that was founded by Essie Weingarten, and which is now owned by L’Oreal. Apparently, Queen Elizabeth II would only wear Essie’s Ballet Slippers color nail polish. Well, that’s what Wikipedia claims …

55 Costa __ : RICA

Costa Rica is a country in Central America that is bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the South. Costa Rica is remarkable in my opinion, a leader on the world stage in many areas. It has been referred to as the “greenest” country in the world, the “happiest” country in the world, and has a highly educated populace. In 1949, the country unilaterally abolished its own army … permanently!

56 Rare blood type, briefly : B-NEG

The most important grouping of blood types is the ABO system. Blood is classified as either A, B, AB or O, depending on the type of antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. A secondary designation of blood is the Rh factor, in which other antigens are labeled as either positive or negative. When a patient receives a blood transfusion, ideally the donor blood should be the same type as that of the recipient, as incompatible blood cells can be rejected. However, blood type O-neg can be accepted by recipients with all blood types, A, B, AB or O, and positive or negative. Hence someone with O-neg blood type is called a universal donor.

59 Spigoted server : URN

Back in the 15th century, a spigot was specifically a plug to stop a hole in a cask. Somewhere along the way, a spigot had a valve added for variable control of flow.

60 __ Tomé and Príncipe : SAO

The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe is an island nation off the west coast of Africa comprising mainly two islands: São Tomé and Príncipe. São Tomé and Príncipe is located in the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Gabon. It was colonized by Portugal after POrtuguese explorers discovered the islands in the 15th century. After gaining independence in 1975, São Tomé and Príncipe became the smallest Portuguese-speaking country in the world.

62 Bowen Yang’s show, for short : SNL

Bowen Yang is an actor and comedian who joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live” in 2019, after working for a year with the show’s writing staff. When Yank became a cast member, he was the first Chinese-American to appear regularly on SNL.