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Constructed by: Jamey Smith
Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Theme: None
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Bill’s time: 17m 28s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
6 News agency that covered Sputnik : TASS
“TASS” is the abbreviation used for the former news agency that had the full name Telegraph Association of the Soviet Union (Telegrafnoe Agentstvo Sovetskogo Soyuza). When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the Moscow-based agency’s scope changed along with its name. It is now known as the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS).
The Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite towards the end of 1957. The first in a series of space missions, the satellite was just a 23-inch diameter “ball” trailing four antennas. Sputnik 2 was launched just a month later, and carried the first living passenger into orbit, namely a dog named Laika. The word “sputnik” means “co-traveller” in Russian.
10 __-town : CHI
Chicago, Illinois is the US’s third most populous city, after New York and Los Angeles. It is also home to O’Hare airport, the busiest airport in the whole world (in terms of takeoffs and landings). Chicago takes its name from the Chicago River, which in turn takes its name from the Native American word “shikaakwa” that translates as “wild onion” or “wild garlic”. Early French explorers chose this name as they found dense growths of wild garlic along the banks of the river.
17 Relic : MUSEUM PIECE
A relic is something that has survived from the past, reminding us of that past. In the world of religion, a relic is an object revered due to its association with a saint or martyr.
18 Cinnabar, e.g. : ORE
Cinnabar is an ore from which mercury is extracted. It is a bright red or scarlet mineral in its natural form.
20 Endorheic basin between Europe and Asia : CASPIAN SEA
The Caspian Sea is a landlocked body of water lying between Asia and Europe. By some definitions, the Caspian is the largest lake on the planet. The name “Caspian” comes from the Caspi people who lived to the southwest of the sea in the South Caucasus.
A drainage basin that retains water, allowing no outflow to other bodies of water, is known as a closed lake or endorheic basin. An exorheic basin, or open lake, drains into another body of water (usually a river) and ultimately into the ocean.
22 “I’m Yours” singer : MRAZ
“I’m Yours” is a 2008 song written and recorded by Jason Mraz. It was a huge hit, and broke the record for the length of time spent on the “Billboard” Hot 100 chart (76 weeks).
24 Onetime Dodge : ARIES
The Dodge Aries (and the Plymouth Reliant) were Chrysler’s first “K-cars”, introduced in 1981. The K-cars were designed to carry 6 passengers, on two bench seats. Remember taking a corner a little too fast on those seats, in the days when no one wore seat belts?
25 Short getaways? : VACAYS
A vacation (“vacay”) might provide some rest and relaxation/recuperation (R&R).
31 South Asians living abroad : DESIS
People from the Indian subcontinent might refer to themselves as “desi”.
34 Karate levels : DANS
The dan ranking system is used in several Japanese and Korean martial arts. The ranking indicates a level of proficiency, and often only applies to practitioners who have already earned a black belt.
35 Langley, Va., campus : CIA HQ
The CIA headquarters is located in Langley, Virginia in a complex called the George Bush Center for Intelligence. The facility was named for former Director of the CIA and US President George H. W. Bush. Langley used to be the largest intelligence agency (by area) in the western world, but that honor now goes to the BND Headquarters in Berlin.
36 Kellerman who writes Rina Lazarus mystery novels : FAYE
Mystery novelist Faye Kellerman is best known for the “Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus” series of books. She chose a career as an author, despite having a degree in mathematics and a doctorate in dental surgery.
37 Pomeranian pick-me-up? : ARF!
The Pomeranian is a small breed of dog named for the Pomerania region of Europe (part of eastern Germany and northern Poland). The breed was much loved by the royalty of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 19th century, Queen Victoria owned a particularly small Pomeranian. Due to the notoriety of the monarch’s pet, the Pomeranian was bred for small size, so that during the Queen’s admittedly long reign, the size of the average “pom” was reduced by 50% …
40 Sequence depicting the passage of time, e.g. : MONTAGE
In the world of movies, a montage is a series of short clips that are arranged in sequence to suggest the passage of time. The term “montage” is French, and translates as “mounting”.
48 __ Voyage: concert residency featuring avatars of a Swedish pop group : ABBA
ABBA Voyage is an ingenious virtual concert that fans of the Swedish group can attend in London. The band appears on stage as virtual avatars, alongside live instrumental musicians. To create the show, the band members performed all the songs live, over a 5-week period wearing motion-capture suits. The ABBAtars were then “aged”, so that they appear as they did in 1979. From what I’ve heard, this is a fabulous show, and it’s on my list for the next time I’m in London …
53 Möbius strip, for one : ENDLESS LOOP
A Möbius strip is a surface that has only one side. One is easily made by taking a strip of paper and joining the ends together, but with a twist so that it isn’t a regular “band”.
58 Hill workers : ANTS
Anthills are actually underground nests. The ants in the colony excavate below ground, resulting in a pile of sand or soil above ground.
59 County south of Suffolk : ESSEX
Essex is a county in England that is referred to as one of the “home counties”. The home counties are those that surround the city of London, outside of London itself. “Home county” is not an official designation but has been in popular use since the 1800s. The list of home counties usually comprises Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex.
Suffolk is a county on the east coast of England that is home to Felixstowe, which is one of the largest container ports in Europe. Suffolk lies just south of the county of Norfolk. Back in the day, the “north folk” lived in “Norfolk” and the “south folk” lived in Suffolk.
Down
1 Do-It Yourself Tornado Kit company : ACME
The Acme Corporation is a fictional company used mainly by Looney Tunes, and within the Looney Tunes empire it appears mostly in “Road Runner” cartoons. Wile E. Coyote is always receiving a new piece of gear from Acme designed to finally capture the Road Runner, but the equipment always leads to his downfall.
3 White House resident between Eleanor and Mamie : BESS
Harry Truman and Bess Wallace first met when they were very young children at Sunday school. They were friends right through high school and became engaged in 1918, just before Harry went off to France during WWI, and married the next year. Bess Truman never really took to the Washington scene when she became First Lady and stayed out of the limelight as much as she could. Perhaps that contributed to her longevity. Mrs. Truman lived to the age of 97, making her the longest living First Lady in US history.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the daughter of Elliot, brother to President Theodore Roosevelt. Eleanor met Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was her father’s fifth cousin, in 1902. The two started “walking out together” the following year after they both attended a White House dinner with President Theodore Roosevelt.
Mamie Eisenhower was surely one of the most charming of all the First Ladies of the United States. She suffered from an inner ear complaint called Ménière’s disease which caused her to lose her balance quite often. Because she was unsteady on her feet there were unfounded rumors floating around Washington that Ms. Eisenhower had a drinking problem. People can be very unkind …
6 Utah’s state gem : TOPAZ
Utah named Topaz as the state gemstone in 1969. In 1991, coal was designated as the state rock, followed by copper as the state mineral in 1994.
7 French cordial flavoring : ANIS
Back in the 14th century, we used the word “cordial” to mean “from the heart”. The most common meaning today is “courteous and gracious”. The original usage also evolved into the name for a drink that “stimulated the heart”. Today’s cordial beverages are strong, sweetened liqueurs.
8 Flight segment : STEP
A landing is the area at the top and bottom of a staircase. Apparently, we called the steps between the landings a “flight” of stairs, because one “flies” between landings! Can that be true?
14 Places that might have pool queues : YMCAS
The YMCA (the Y) is a worldwide movement that has its roots in London, England. There, in 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded with the intent of promoting Christian principles through the development of “a healthy spirit, mind and body”. The founder, George Williams, saw the need to create YMCA facilities for young men who were flocking to the cities as the Industrial Revolution flourished. He saw that these men were frequenting taverns and brothels, and wanted to offer a more wholesome alternative.
15 Cultured set : PEARLS
Nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, is the strong iridescent material laid down by some mollusks on the inside of their shells, and it’s also what makes up pearls. The creature lays down nacre as a defensive mechanism, protecting the soft tissue of its body from the rough surface of the outer shell. Similarly, it uses nacre to encapsulate harmful debris or a parasite that penetrates the shell, and that’s how a pearl is formed. Cultured pearls are made by inserting a tissue graft from a donor oyster, around which the nacre is laid down.
21 Director DaCosta : NIA
Nia DaCosta was the first black woman to direct a superhero movie, doing so for 2023’s “The Marvels”.
25 Rig __: Sanskrit text with more than 1,000 hymns : VEDA
The Rigveda is a collection of sacred hymns that is one of the four canonical texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas.
28 “Moneyball” figure Billy : BEANE
Michael Lewis wrote his book “Moneyball” about the way Billy Beane built up the Oakland Athletics baseball team by bringing on board players who were “undervalued”, getting the maximum benefit from his limited payroll budget. I must admit I know nothing about baseball, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Moneyball”, as well as the film adaptation with Brad Pitt playing Beane.
33 U. of Maryland player : TERP
The sports teams of the University of Maryland (UMD) are called the Maryland Terrapins, or “Terps” for short. The name dates back to 1932 when it was coined by the university’s president at the time, Curley Byrd. He took the name from the diamondback terrapins that are native to the Chesapeake Bay.
35 Ocho x cinco : CUARENTA
In Spanish, “ocho x cinco” (eight x five) is “cuarenta” (forty).
39 Step on the scale? : SOL
The sol-fa syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la & ti.
41 German “Fat chance!” : NIE!
In German, not in “eine Million Jahre” (a million years) means “nie” (never).
46 Brolin who plays Mia on “Yellowstone” : EDEN
Actress Eden Brolin plays rodeo barrel racer Mia on the Western TV show “Yellowstone”. Eden is the daughter of fellow actor Josh Brolin and his first wife Alice Adair.
47 __ du jour : PLAT
“Plat du jour” in a French restaurant translates literally as “dish of the day”, today’s special.
54 __ shed : SHE
A “she shed” is the equivalent of a “man cave”. It is somewhere that “she” can use as her own space within a home.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Opportunity to work from home? : AT BAT
6 News agency that covered Sputnik : TASS
10 __-town : CHI
13 Welcome addition : CHERRY ON TOP
16 Kicked things off : LED
17 Relic : MUSEUM PIECE
18 Cinnabar, e.g. : ORE
19 Italian pronoun : ESSA
20 Endorheic basin between Europe and Asia : CASPIAN SEA
22 “I’m Yours” singer : MRAZ
24 Onetime Dodge : ARIES
25 Short getaways? : VACAYS
28 Source of stability : BALLAST
30 Run into a hitch? : ELOPE
31 South Asians living abroad : DESIS
32 On a roll : HOT
34 Karate levels : DANS
35 Langley, Va., campus : CIA HQ
36 Kellerman who writes Rina Lazarus mystery novels : FAYE
37 Pomeranian pick-me-up? : ARF!
38 Fair : SUNNY
39 Delight in : SAVOR
40 Sequence depicting the passage of time, e.g. : MONTAGE
42 Cram : BONE UP
43 Former : PRIOR
44 Orange stuff : PULP
45 Expert in creature comforts? : GAMEKEEPER
48 __ Voyage: concert residency featuring avatars of a Swedish pop group : ABBA
52 Quarter of tetra- : UNI-
53 Möbius strip, for one : ENDLESS LOOP
55 With 57-Across, unleash : LET …
56 Secretive state : STEALTH MODE
57 See 55-Across : … FLY
58 Hill workers : ANTS
59 County south of Suffolk : ESSEX
Down
1 Do-It Yourself Tornado Kit company : ACME
2 “It follows … ” : THUS …
3 White House resident between Eleanor and Mamie : BESS
4 Tour guides? : AREA MAPS
5 “Ur so right” : TRU
6 Utah’s state gem : TOPAZ
7 French cordial flavoring : ANIS
8 Flight segment : STEP
9 Ability to read the room, say : SOCIAL IQ
10 Narrow escape : CLOSE SHAVE
11 “I raise my glass” : HERE’S TO YOU
12 Inkling : IDEA
14 Places that might have pool queues : YMCAS
15 Cultured set : PEARLS
21 Director DaCosta : NIA
23 Barley kin : RYE
25 Rig __: Sanskrit text with more than 1,000 hymns : VEDA
26 Security hub : ALARM PANEL
27 Sheepishness? : CONFORMITY
28 “Moneyball” figure Billy : BEANE
29 Wan : ASHY
31 [That’s right!] : [DING!]
33 U. of Maryland player : TERP
35 Ocho x cinco : CUARENTA
36 Trees with pinwheel-like leaves : FAN PALMS
38 Feeds : STOKES
39 Step on the scale? : SOL
41 German “Fat chance!” : NIE!
42 Rupture : BURST
44 Orange stuff : PEELS
45 Chasm : GULF
46 Brolin who plays Mia on “Yellowstone” : EDEN
47 __ du jour : PLAT
49 Runs off the stage? : BOOS
50 Presage : BODE
51 Culmination : APEX
54 __ shed : SHE
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