Constructed by: Roland Huget
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
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Theme: None
Bill’s time: 17m 41s
Bill’s errors: 5
NIEKRO (Noekro)
ISOTONE (isotope)
ASTOLAT (Astolet)
RILKE (Rolke)
NRA (PRE)
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
8. Tybalt’s house : CAPULET
William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is all about the love between the two title characters, which is forbidden as the pair come from two families who are sworn enemies. Early in the play, Romeo (a Montague) sneaks into a masquerade ball being held by the Capulets in the hope of meeting a Capulet girl named Rosaline. Instead, he meets and falls for Juliet, also a Capulet. Tragedy ensues …
In William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”, the main antagonist of the piece is Tybalt, who is a very combative cousin of Juliet and a sworn enemy of Romeo.
15. French roll : ROULEAU
“Rouleau” is a French noun meaning “roll”, in the sense of perhaps a roll of wallpaper.
17. Like some wake-up hours : UNGODLY
“Ungodly” can mean “outrageous”, as in “what an ungodly hour!”
18. Wine product : VINEGAR
Our word “vinegar” comes from the French “vinaigre”, which means the same thing. “Vinaigre” comes from the French “vin” meaning “wine” and “”aigre” meaning “sour”.
20. Corp. fundraiser : IPO
An Initial Public Offering (IPO) is the very first offer of stock for sale by a company on the open market. In other words, an IPO marks the first time that a company is traded on a public exchange. Companies have an IPO to raise capital to expand (usually).
23. Dollywood locale: Abbr. : TENN
Dollywood is a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee that is owned by country singer Dolly Parton. The park opened in 1961 as Rebel Railroad. The name was changed to Goldrush Junction in 1970, Goldrush in 1976, Silver Dollar City Tennessee in 1977 and finally to Dollywood in 1986 when Parton became a co-owner.
26. Broadway seductress : LOLA
“Whatever Lola Wants” is a song from the musical “Damn Yankees”. “Damn Yankees” is actually yet another version of the classic German legend of “Faust”, set in Washington, D.C. in the fifties. 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 an obstructive lung disease only a few weeks after “Damn Yankees” opened on Broadway in 1955. He was just 29 years old.
27. “__ tu”: Verdi aria : ERI
Every crossword constructors’ favorite aria “Eri tu” is from Verdi’s opera “Un ballo in maschera” (“A Masked Ball”). The opera tells the story of the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden during a masked ball.
28. Oater accessory : TIN STAR
The term “oater” that is used for a western movie comes from the number of horses seen, as horses love oats!
In the Old West a “tin star” was a sheriff’s badge.
31. French appetizer : ESCARGOT
“Escargot” is the French word for “snail”. In order to eat snails, apparently they have to be “purged” before killing them. That means starving them or feeding them on something “wholesome” for several days before cooking them up. Ugh …
33. Hall of Fame knuckleballer Phil : NIEKRO
Phil Niekro is a former baseball pitcher. Niekro is famous for the knuckleballs that he threw, and so he earned the nickname “Knucksie”.
37. Ponderosa order : RIBEYE
Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse are a chain of steakhouses based in Plano, Texas. Ponderosa and Bonanza were separate chains until they merged in 1997. Both chains were named for the classic TV western “Bonanza”, which featured the Ponderosa Ranch. In fact Dan Blocker, who played Hoss Cartwright on the show, founded the Bonanza chain in 1963.
40. Performer who must be from 5’6″ to 5’10½” tall : ROCKETTE
The famous Rockettes can be seen in Radio City Music Hall. They have an amazing schedule during the Christmas season when they perform five high-kicking shows every day, seven days a week. The troupe has been doing this every Christmas for 77 years.
44. No power can change it : ONE
In mathematics, one to the power of one is one, one squared (to the power of two) is one, one cubed (to the power of three) is one, etc.
45. Calder sculpture : STABILE
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist. Calder is famous for having invented the mobile sculpture, a work made up of several pieces hanging on a string in equilibrium. In effect they are what we might known as “mobiles”, operating on the same principle as mobiles that sit over cribs in a nursery. Calder refers to his large, stationary sculptures as “stabiles”.
47. Burgundy on screen : RON
Ron Burgundy is the title character in the movie “Anchorman” series of films. Burgundy is a news anchor played by comedian Will Ferrell. Apparently Burgundy loves a glass of scotch, poetry, and his dog Baxter.
48. Cookware portmanteau : T-FAL
Tefal (also T-Fal) is a French manufacturer of cookware, famous for its nonstick line. The name “Tefal” is a portmanteau, of TEFlon and ALuminum, the key materials used in producing their pots and pans.
51. Paris green? : PARC
In France, “les enfants” (the children) might play in the “parc” (park).
52. Wyandot people : HURON
The Native Americans known as the Wyandot people are also called the Huron. The Wyandot people mainly inhabit a reservation in Quebec.
54. Tournament pass : BYE
The word “bye”, as used in sport, originated in cricket. A bye is a run scored due to an error by the wicketkeeper (similar to a catcher in baseball) when he fails to stop a ball bowled by the bowler (like a pitcher in baseball). Later the word “bye” in sport came to mean the position of a player in a tournament who is left without a competitor when the rest have drawn pairs. In these commercial times, those byes tend to be awarded to the best (seeded) players, so that the most popular players always advance past the first round of competition.
56. One of two nuclides with the same neutron number but different proton numbers : ISOTONE
Atoms with the same number of neutrons and a differing number of protons are called “isotones”. The term comes from the related word “isotope”, but with the “p” in “isotope” replaced with “n” for “neutron”.
58. Contest name coined by its eventual winner : THRILLA
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had three memorable fights. The first was billed as the “Fight of the Century” and took place in 1971 in Madison Square Garden. It was a fight between two great boxers, both of whom were undefeated up till that point. Frazier won in a unanimous decision after fifteen rounds. A couple of years later, in 1973, Frazier lost his title to George Foreman. Ali and Frazier had a non-title rematch in 1974, with Ali coming out ahead this time, also in a unanimous decision. Later that year, Ali grabbed back the World Heavyweight Title in “The Rumble in the Jungle”, the famous “rope-a-dope” fight against George Foreman. That set the stage for the third and final fight between Ali and Frazier, “The Thrilla in Manila”. Ali won the early rounds, but Frazier made a comeback in the middle of the fight. Ali took control at the end of the bout, so much so that Frazier wasn’t able to come out of his corner for the 15th and final round. He couldn’t come out of his corner because both of his eyes were swollen shut, giving Ali a victory due to a technical knockout (TKO).
60. London-based news agency : REUTERS
The Reuters news agency was formed way back in 1851 by German-born, British entrepreneur Paul Julius Reuter. Reuter had checked the feasibility of a news service for a couple of years prior to launching the agency, and the technologies he used for his study were the telegraph and carrier pigeons!
62. Elaine’s home, in Arthurian legend : ASTOLAT
In Arthurian legend, Elaine of Astolat is a maiden who dies from unrequited love for Sir Lancelot, one of the Knights of the Round Table. In Alfred Lord Tennyson’s famous poem “The Lady of Shalott”, the “Lady” of the poem is based on Elaine of Astolat.
Down
3. Concerned with good breeding : EUGENIC
The term “eugenics” was coined by Francis Galton in 1883 by Francis Galton, a half-cousin of Charles Darwin, describing the potential practice of encouraging the mating of individuals with characteristics deemed “desirable”, while discouraging the mating of individuals exhibiting “undesirable” characteristics. By the way, it was Galton who also coined the phrase “nature and nurture”.
5. Some arena displays, briefly : LEDS
A Light Emitting Diode (LED) is a specialized form of semiconductor that when switched on releases photons (light). LEDs were used in early digital watches, and are getting more and more popular even though their use in electronic equipment is fading away. LEDs are used now as a replacement for the much less efficient tungsten light bulb. I replaced all of my tungsten Xmas lights a few years ago and saved a lot on my electricity bill.
6. O’Hare initials : UAL
United Airlines (UAL) has a complicated history, but can trace its roots back to Aviation Enterprises, founded in 1944 and later called Texas International. The first use of the “United” name in the company’s history was when airplane pioneer William Boeing merged his Boeing Air Transport with Pratt & Whitney to form the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UATC) in 1929. The Air Mail Act of 1934 required that UATC be broken up into United Aircraft (which became United Technologies), the Boeing Aircraft Company and United Air Lines.
O’Hare International is the fourth busiest airport in the world. The original airport was constructed on the site between 1942 and 1943, and was used by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the manufacture of planes during WWII. Before the factory and airport were built, there was a community in the area called Orchard Place, so the airport was called Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field. This name is the derivation of the airport’s current location identifier: ORD (OR-chard D-ouglas). Orchard Place Airport was renamed to O’Hare International in 1949 in honor of Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare who grew up in Chicago. O’Hare was the US Navy’s first flying ace and a Medal of Honor recipient in WWII.
7. eBay option : BUY IT NOW
eBay is an auction site with a twist. If you don’t want to enter into an auction to purchase an item, there’s a “Buy It Now” price. Agree to pay it, and the item is yours!
9. “Aladdin” prince : ALI
The Disney animated feature “Aladdin” was released in 1992 and is one of the best movies to come out of the studio, in my opinion, largely due to the great performance by Robin Williams who voiced the Genie. “Aladdin” was the most successful film of 1992, earning over $500 million worldwide, an unusual feat for an animated movie.
10. Strike victims? : PINS
Bowling has been around for an awfully long time. The oldest known reference to the game is in Egypt, where pins and balls were found in an ancient tomb that is over 5,000 years old. The first form of the game to come to America was nine-pin bowling, which had been very popular in Europe for centuries. In 1841 in Connecticut, nine-pin bowling was banned due to its association with gambling. Supposedly, an additional pin was added to get around the ban, and ten-pin bowling was born.
11. __ layer: eye part : UVEAL
The uvea is the middle of the three layers that make up the eyeball. The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
13. Noncash business : E-TAILER
“E-tail” is the term used these days for online shopping (coming from “retail”). E-tail is often compared to regular shopping in the “real world” by juxtaposing it with a “brick and mortar” store.
14. Phenomenon measured by the Enhanced Fujita Scale : TORNADO
The Fujita scale (or F-scale) measures the intensity of tornadoes. It does so by measuring the effect that the tornado has on man-made structures and on vegetation. It was developed in 1971 by Tetsuya Fujita of the University of Chicago.
24. Small seals : SIGNETS
A signet is a seal, in particular one used by an official to mark a document. A signet can be incorporated into a “signet ring”.
25. Handcuff : MANACLE
A manacle is a device for constraining the hands, like handcuffs. The term comes from the Latin “manicula” which means “handle” or literally “little hand”.
29. “The Book of Hours” poet : RILKE
“The Book of Hours” is a poetry collection published in 1905 by the Bohemian-Austrian poet and novelist Rainer Maria Rilke. The collection comprises religious works, relating in particular to Saint Francis and the search for God. The title comes from a Christian devotional book that was popular in the Middle Ages, referred to as the book of hours.
36. Grooming process : TOILETTE
A French person when dressing is said to be attending to his or her “toilette”.
37. Estate planner’s advice : ROTH IRA
Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (Roth IRAs) were introduced in 1997 under a bill sponsored by Senator William Roth of Delaware, hence the name.
38. Imbues : INFUSES
“To imbue” is to pervade, to soak in. “Imbue” has the same etymological roots as our word “imbibe”.
42. Baroque composer Giuseppe __ : TORELLI
Giuseppe Torelli was a violinist and composer from Verona, Italy. Torelli is remembered for composing many works for the trumpet during the Baroque era.
49. Numbers game : LOTTO
Originally “Lotto” was a type of card game, with “lotto” being the Italian for “a lot”. We’ve used “lotto” to mean a gambling game since the late 1700s.
53. Winter air : NOEL
“Noël” is the French word for the Christmas season, ultimately coming from the Latin word for “birth” (natalis). Noel has come to be used as an alternative name for a Christmas carol.
55. 1962 title villain played by Joseph Wiseman : DR NO
The Canadian actor Joseph Wiseman was perhaps best known for playing the original “James Bond” supervillain, portraying the title character in the 1962 movie “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. No and Fu Manchu.
57. FDR program : NRA
The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was one of the first agencies set up under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program. On the one hand the NRA help set minimum wages and maximum working hours for workers in industry, and on the other hand it helped set minimum prices for goods produced by companies. The NRA was very popular with the public, and businesses that didn’t opt to participate in the program found themselves boycotted. The NRA didn’t survive for long though, as after two years of operation it was deemed to be unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court and so it ceased operations in 1935.
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1. Where member golfers gather, familiarly : THE CLUB
8. Tybalt’s house : CAPULET
15. French roll : ROULEAU
16. Cognizant of : ALIVE TO
17. Like some wake-up hours : UNGODLY
18. Wine product : VINEGAR
19. Biases : SKEWS
20. Corp. fundraiser : IPO
22. Greeted at the door : SAW IN
23. Dollywood locale: Abbr. : TENN
24. __ door : STORM
26. Broadway seductress : LOLA
27. “__ tu”: Verdi aria : ERI
28. Oater accessory : TIN STAR
30. Like half a deck : RED
31. French appetizer : ESCARGOT
33. Hall of Fame knuckleballer Phil : NIEKRO
35. “Got a minute?” : CAN WE TALK?
37. Ponderosa order : RIBEYE
40. Performer who must be from 5’6″ to 5’10½” tall : ROCKETTE
44. No power can change it : ONE
45. Calder sculpture : STABILE
47. Burgundy on screen : RON
48. Cookware portmanteau : T-FAL
50. Took : STOLE
51. Paris green? : PARC
52. Wyandot people : HURON
54. Tournament pass : BYE
55. Axle in a wooden toy : DOWEL
56. One of two nuclides with the same neutron number but different proton numbers : ISOTONE
58. Contest name coined by its eventual winner : THRILLA
60. London-based news agency : REUTERS
61. Goes underground : TUNNELS
62. Elaine’s home, in Arthurian legend : ASTOLAT
63. Me time? : EGO TRIP
Down
1. Board member : TRUSTEE
2. Geese : HONKERS
3. Concerned with good breeding : EUGENIC
4. One who’s not serious : CLOWN
5. Some arena displays, briefly : LEDS
6. O’Hare initials : UAL
7. eBay option : BUY IT NOW
8. Frolic : CAVORT
9. “Aladdin” prince : ALI
10. Strike victims? : PINS
11. __ layer: eye part : UVEAL
12. Old-fashioned investigation : LEGWORK
13. Noncash business : E-TAILER
14. Phenomenon measured by the Enhanced Fujita Scale : TORNADO
21. Prime example : POSTER BOY
24. Small seals : SIGNETS
25. Handcuff : MANACLE
28. Printer inserts : TRAYS
29. “The Book of Hours” poet : RILKE
32. Top performer : ACE
34. Squeeze (out) : EKE
36. Grooming process : TOILETTE
37. Estate planner’s advice : ROTH IRA
38. Imbues : INFUSES
39. Back up : BEAR OUT
41. Net user : TRAWLER
42. Baroque composer Giuseppe __ : TORELLI
43. Embrace : ENCLASP
46. Ideally : AT BEST
49. Numbers game : LOTTO
51. Essential thing : POINT
53. Winter air : NOEL
55. 1962 title villain played by Joseph Wiseman : DR NO
57. FDR program : NRA
59. Embrace : HUG