Constructed by: Patti Varol
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
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Theme: Inner Circles
Today’s themed answers each INCLUDE a type of CIRCLE:
- 53A…Influential groups, and what each of the answers to starred clues contains..INNER CIRCLES
- 20A…*Many a smartphone download..FREE RINGTONE
- 29A…*Beef cut..TOP ROUND STEAK
- 44A…*Traction aid for off-road vehicles..ALL-WHEEL DRIVE
Bill’s time: 5m 40s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5…Phased-out jets..SSTS
The most famous supersonic transport (SST) is the retired Concorde. Famously, the Concorde routinely broke the sound barrier, and cruised at about twice the speed of sound. Above Mach 2, frictional heat would cause the plane’s aluminum airframe to soften, so airspeed was limited.
9…Duvet filler..EIDER
Eiders are large sea ducks. Their down feathers are used to fill pillows and quilts, giving the name to the quilt called an “eiderdown”.
A “duvet” is a large flat bag that is filled with down, feathers or a synthetic substitute that is used as a top cover for a bed. Although a duvet is similar to what is called a “comforter” in the US, there is a difference. A duvet is often has an easily removed cover that is usually laundered at the same time as the bottom sheet and pillowcases. We use them a lot in Europe, and generally without a top sheet due to the ease of laundering.
14…October birthstone..OPAL
The largest opal ever found, and the most valuable, is the Olympic Australis. It was discoveredin South Australia in 1956. That same year, the Summer Olympics were being held in Melbourne so the newly discovered stone was given the name “Olympic Australis”.
16…Carne __: burrito filling..ASADA
“Carne Asada” translates from Spanish as “roasted meat”.
18…Singer Simone..NINA
Nina Simone was the stage name of Eunice Waymon. Simone was very much associated with jazz music, although she really wanted to be a classical musician early in her career, inspired by a love for the music of Bach.
23…Viola’s sect…STR
The viola looks like and is played like a violin, but is slightly larger. It is referred to as the middle voice in the violin family, between the violin and the cello.
24…Good to go, at NASA..A-OK
Our term “A-OK” is supposedly an abbreviation for “A(ll systems are) OK”, and arose in the sixties during the Space Program.
29…*Beef cut..TOP ROUND STEAK
A round steak comes from the rump of a cow, which is why it’s called a rump steak back in the British Isles.
35…Russian denial..NYET
“Nyet” is Russian for “no”, and “da” is Russian for “yes”.
38…Spider-Man Parker..PETER
Spider-Man was a creation of Stan Lee, along with Steve Ditko, and first appeared in comics in 1962. Spider-Man was a somewhat groundbreaking character in that his alter ego was a teenage high school student (named Peter Parker), marking the first time that a young person featured front and center as the superhero.
42…Uber alternative..TAXI
Uber is a ridesharing service that was founded in 2009 and is based in San Francisco. The service is somewhat controversial and has been described as an illegal taxicab operation. Central to Uber’s service is the company’s mobile app, which can use the client’s GPS location to help find the nearest available ride. Uber’s main competitor is Lyft. Personally, I love the service and have only had good experiences …
44…*Traction aid for off-road vehicles..ALL-WHEEL DRIVE
All-wheel drive (AWD)
48…”New Hampshire’s Gate City”..NASHUA
The New Hampshire city of Nashua was named for the Nashaway people who inhabited the upstream portions of the Nashua River Valley. The name “Nashaway” translates as “river with a pebbled bottom”.
49…Fair-hiring abbr…EOE
Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)
50…Clean Air Act org…EPA
The Clean Air Act of 1963 is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
57…Site with “Health A-Z” guides..WEBMD
WebMD is a website containing health information that has been online since 1996. WebMD is read by over 80 million readers each month.
60…Home Depot purchase..TOOL
The Home Depot is the largest home improvement retail chain in the US, ahead of Lowe’s. Home Depot opened their first two stores in 1979. The average store size if just over 100,000 square feet. The largest Home Depot outlet is in Union, New Jersey, and it is 225,000 square feet in size. That’s a lot of nuts and bolts …
62…Shake an Etch A Sketch, e.g…ERASE
Etch A Sketch was introduced in 1960. The toy was developed in France by inventor André Cassagnes.
63…In the buff..NUDE
Buffe leather was commonly used in the 1500s, leather taken from the original buffalo, a type of ox. This concept of “buffe” as a hide or skin led to the phrase “in the buff”, meaning “in the nude”.
64…Fried corn bread..PONE
“Pone” is another word for corn bread, from the Powhatan word “apan” meaning “something baked”.
65…Woodland deity..SATYR
The satyrs of Greek mythology came with a very high sex drive. They are the “rude” male subjects drawn on the side of old Greek vases. The nubile maidens known as nymphs were often an object of attention for the satyrs.
Down
2…To the left, at sea..APORT
The left side of a ship used to be called the “larboard” side, but this was dropped in favor of “port” as pronunciation of “larboard” was easily confused with “starboard”, the right side of the vessel. The term “port” was chosen as it was customary to dock a ship, for loading in port, with the left side of the vessel against the dock.
6…Three sheets to the wind..STINKO
A sheet is the rope that is used to control a sail on a sailing vessel. The expression “three sheets to the wind” meaning “drunk” dates back to the early 1800s. It likely derives from the notion that a sailboat with three sails, and with all three sheets slipped out of control, would behave like someone who was drunk, and vice versa.
7…Cranberry quality..TANG
When early European settlers came across red berries growing in the bogs of the northern part of America, they felt that the plant’s flower and stem resembled the head and bill of a crane. As such, they called the plant “craneberry”, which later evolved into “cranberry”.
12…Academic address ending..EDU
The .edu domain was one of the six original generic top-level domains specified.
13…__ race..RAT
We use “rat race” figuratively to describe an endless, pointless pursuit. The term comes from the laboratory, where one might imagine rats racing around a maze in search of some cheese.
22…Gavel-pounding demand..ORDER!
A gavel is a small hammer that is rapped on a table or desk to call a meeting to order, or perhaps to signify a sale at an auction.
26…”Middlemarch” novelist..GEORGE ELIOT
George Eliot’s novel “Middlemarch” was first published in installments in 1871-72. The storyline is set some fifty years earlier, in the fictional English Midlands town of Middlemarch.
27…1976 Olympics star Comaneci..NADIA
Nadia Comaneci won three golds in the 1976 Summer Olympics and was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of a ten in the gymnastics competition. Comaneci published a book called “Letters to a Young Gymnast” in 2003, and now lives in the United States.
28…RR station postings..SKEDS
Schedule (sked)
30…Part of MYOB..OWN
Mind your own business (MYOB)
32…PBS “Science Guy” Bill..NYE
That would be “Bill Nye the Science Guy”. Bill’s show ran on Disney for four years from 1993-97.
34…Clapton woman who’s “got me on my knees”..LAYLA
“Layla” is one of the great rock anthems of the seventies, released by Derek and the Dominos in December of 1970. It is a masterpiece of composition, with the first half of the song a great vehicle for the guitar-playing talents of Eric Clapton. The second half is a beautifully melodic piano coda (a coda … taking up half the length of the track!). To top things off we have the “unplugged” version recorded by Clapton in 1992, a fabulous and inventive variation on the original.
Layla, you’ve got me on my knees.
Layla, I’m begging, darling please.
Layla, darling won’t you ease my worried mind.
38…Song of praise..PAEAN
A paean is a poem or song that expresses triumph or thanksgiving. “Paean” comes from the ancient Greek “paian” meaning “song of triumph”.
39…Application file suffix..EXE
In the Windows Operating System, a file with the extension .exe is an “executable” file.
40…Head in a capital: Abbr…GOV
Governor (gov.)
42…Lightning follower..THUNDER
The word “thunder” precedes the word “lightning” in the phrase “thunder and lightning”. However, thunder comes after lighting in reality, at least to the observer. The observer sees the flash of lightning and then seconds later hears the crash of thunder. That’s because light travels faster than sound.
43…Row at Dodger Stadium..TIER
Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles is the third oldest stadium currently used in Major League Baseball (after Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago).
51…Pasta often served alla vodka..PENNE
Penne alla vodka is a pasta dish with a sauce made of vodka, cream, tomatoes, onions and sausage or bacon.
54…European volcano that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site..ETNA
Mt. Etna is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy. Mt Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-guage railway and two ski resorts, and was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013.
55…Butter-and-flour sauce thickener..ROUX
A roux is a mixture of wheat flour and clarified butter (or other fat) cooked together until it can be used as a thickening agent. Roux is an essential ingredient in French cooking, although “healthier” versions of roux are being used more and more these days.
56…Police..COPS
“To cop” was northern British dialect for “to seize, catch”. This verb evolved in the noun “copper”, describing a policeman, someone who catches criminals. “Copper” is often shortened to “cop”.
57…Director Anderson..WES
Wes Anderson’s most famous movie is probably “The Royal Tenenbaums”, released in 2001, not my favorite film by any stretch. However, his 2007 release “The Darjeeling Limited”, that I enjoyed.
58…Wisk rival..ERA
Era was the first liquid laundry detergent produced by Procter & Gamble.
Wisk is a laundry detergent made by Sun Products. It was introduced in 1956 as the first liquid detergent. The Wisk “ring around the collar” campaign was introduced in 1968.
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1…Stare in astonishment..GAPE
5…Phased-out jets..SSTS
9…Duvet filler..EIDER
14…October birthstone..OPAL
15…Abbr. in an abbreviated list..ET AL
16…Carne __: burrito filling..ASADA
17…”My bad”..OOPS!
18…Singer Simone..NINA
19…Shoot down, in a way..REBUT
20…*Many a smartphone download..FREE RINGTONE
23…Viola’s sect…STR
24…Good to go, at NASA..A-OK
25…Wields power..REIGNS
29…*Beef cut..TOP ROUND STEAK
33…Radiates happiness..GLOWS
35…Russian denial..NYET
36…Poetic tribute..ODE
37…Blades cut by a blade..LAWN
38…Spider-Man Parker..PETER
40…Crossword diagram..GRID
41…Part of a storm or a needle..EYE
42…Uber alternative..TAXI
43…Frat party garb..TOGAS
44…*Traction aid for off-road vehicles..ALL-WHEEL DRIVE
48…”New Hampshire’s Gate City”..NASHUA
49…Fair-hiring abbr…EOE
50…Clean Air Act org…EPA
53…Influential groups, and what each of the answers to starred clues contains..INNER CIRCLES
57…Site with “Health A-Z” guides..WEBMD
60…Home Depot purchase..TOOL
61…Farm grunt..OINK
62…Shake an Etch A Sketch, e.g…ERASE
63…In the buff..NUDE
64…Fried corn bread..PONE
65…Woodland deity..SATYR
66…Fired from the job..AXED
67…Hearty meal..STEW
Down
1…Says 17-Across, say..GOOFS
2…To the left, at sea..APORT
3…They’re usually on a roll..PAPER TOWELS
4…”What __ is new?”..ELSE
5…Graduate-to-be..SENIOR
6…Three sheets to the wind..STINKO
7…Cranberry quality..TANG
8…Part of a window shutter..SLAT
9…Sincere..EARNEST
10…Words upon making out a distant image..I SEE IT
11…Apply daintily..DAB
12…Academic address ending..EDU
13…__ race..RAT
21…Knocks..RAPS
22…Gavel-pounding demand..ORDER!
26…”Middlemarch” novelist..GEORGE ELIOT
27…1976 Olympics star Comaneci..NADIA
28…RR station postings..SKEDS
30…Part of MYOB..OWN
31…Up to the time when..UNTIL
32…PBS “Science Guy” Bill..NYE
33…Gather a bit at a time..GLEAN
34…Clapton woman who’s “got me on my knees”..LAYLA
38…Song of praise..PAEAN
39…Application file suffix..EXE
40…Head in a capital: Abbr…GOV
42…Lightning follower..THUNDER
43…Row at Dodger Stadium..TIER
45…Capriciousness..WHIMSY
46…Solve, as a cipher..DECODE
47…Stirred up..ROILED
51…Pasta often served alla vodka..PENNE
52…Cockeyed..ASKEW
54…European volcano that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site..ETNA
55…Butter-and-flour sauce thickener..ROUX
56…Police..COPS
57…Director Anderson..WES
58…Wisk rival..ERA
59…Baseball club..BAT
A bit tricky, but done w/o Googling. Never heard of ASADA or WEBMD or PETER; had piNk before TANG.
ERA detergent is something I’m allergic to – I get little bumps between my fingers.
I can’t believe I’m the first here and 10:30!
I thought this was slightly trickier than usual for a Tuesday, but when I finished I realized my time was right at my norm. I didn’t get the theme until the very end so it didn’t help me at all.
I thought MYOB was some sort of BYOB alternative until I came to the blog. It’s telling as to where my mind is right now. I have a thousand things to do today. Heading to Puerto Vallarta on Thursday for a week for pleasure. It’s 2 hours from Houston; it’s easier to get to than LA for me. After that I have work trips to Santo Domingo (Dave, I’ll order the tobacco infused dessert there just for you), San Francisco and Chicago all coming up in the next month. Yikes.
Bill – please make sure the city is amply supplied with Anchor Steam for my visit out there Sep 8-11 🙂
Best –
Jeff, I have a suspicion that I should be more worried about the supply of Anchor Steam in the City immediately after your visit! 🙂
Bill, George Eliot is a pseudonym for Mary Ann Evans. Joan
Noelgolf@aol.com
George Eliot is a pseudonym for Mary Ann Evans. Many female writers hid their gender at that time. Joan
True indeed, Joan. She’s a favorite of mine. All the Brontë women had male-sounding pseudonyms too. I’m glad those didn’t stick…
Jeff and Bill, I was so curious about Anchor Steam, I googled it. Oh, beer. The only Anchor brand I know, are a brand of white or colored cotton threads, …. which my wife asks me, to use, to thread, or re-thread, the sewing machine needle for her. Isn’t it ironic, that she, a woman, and hence supposedly an expert, domestic-wise, should ask me, half blind already, to aim the thread through the needle, so she can mend our clothes …. supposedly.
Jeff, you do, do a lot of travelling …. they probably just routinely upgrade you to first class …. Link us some pictures, even if they are sans your friend.
Carrie, from yesterday … re: blondes …. I think most Brazilians are also blondes, …. even if they were not born thataway. At my age, if a woman has any hair, even with some white streaks, …. thats sexy enough.
I had a challenging time with the puzzle, but enjoyed it throughly. Not familiar with Asada, and I thought SKED was misspelled. I should know better …. Ms. Varol is Rich Norris’ associate, and a puzzle editor par excellance, in her own right. She would never make a ‘misteak’, like that. While she’s not quite ‘Rich’ …. I would consider her extremely ‘well-to-do’ ….
Which reminds, me, Bill, you ought to expand your own biography and tell us …… and the world, ….. what wonderful things you did …. and have done. Maybe, we should set up an erudite reporter from a major network to interview you and elicit some thought provoking ideas and philosophies. Your blog readers want to know !
Nina Simone seems to be, what I think Pookie is. A suave, sophisticated jazz pianist.
Now, this seems like a silly question ….. but regarding Concordes and SST’s ….. how did the passengers talk to each other or to the stewardesses ? Since they were travelling faster than the speed of sound, did they just use sign language or mimic each other ? When you travel faster than the speed of sound, doesn’t the sound just get ‘left behind’ ? …. or like lightning and thunder ….. do you see the lips moving …. and then, forever later, the sound comes out in packets ( quanta ) of speech ? or does the sound suddenly come out like water from a busted dam, when the plane slowly slows down for a conventional landing speed.
Have a nice day, folks.
@Vidwan
I’ll link the pictures again. That way anyone who can’t stomach seeing me won’t have to.
So many of my flights these days are on those commuter jets that have no first class that I don’t think about it all that often. On long flights I’ll occasionally splurge for first class seats just to take the angst out of hoping for an upgrade. On short flights, I really don’t much care where I am. Put me out on the wing and I’m good. So I’m essentially someone with…uh…no class.
I saw a fly on an airplane once. If only he knew how fast he was really flying….
Best –
This seemed pretty “Tuesdayish” to me. No real head scratching needed to finish. The WSJ daily was the same, if not slightly more difficult. As to speech problems on an SST, (not that I ever flew on one, even though I was there at LAX to see the one and only landing by the Concorde on Oct. 23rd, 1974 while standing in the parking lot of the Proud Bird), but I think since you and your voice are already traveling along with the airplane you don’t experience any difficulties (outside the usual ones due to over imbibing alcohol) conversing.
Although LAYLA is synonymous with Eric Clapton, he really only wrote the lyrics. Duane Allman came up with the guitar riff and the guitar effects at the end of the song, and drummer Jim Gordon played the piano interlude. The song hasn’t been real kind to those who performed it. Clapton was strung out on heroin at the time. He later lost his son falling from a hotel balcony. Gordon went insane and murdered his own mother. Allman died in a motorcycle crash in Macon, GA. Patti Boyd was effectively involved in what you might call a “love hexagon” with Clapton, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and his wife Maureen, and was in and out of rehab. She finally married Slowhand for a couple of years.
Jeff,
we, all on the Earth, are spinning at what ~~~ 1000 Miles per hour or about 1600 Km. per hour …. around our own axis …. ( at the equator, anyway … less on the higher latitudes – ).
and rushing headlong, at 18,5 miles per sec or ~~ 30 Km per sec around the ole Sun ….. 66,000 miles per hour ….. and we take it all for granted .
Whats a fly supposed to complain about .
Layla is a great song and the first I requested to learn when taking guitar lessons, but for true virtuosity you have to go with Crossroads, which he did with the supergroup Cream, before switching to Derrick and the Dominos. He really made that Gibson 335 sing the great Robert Johnson song.
The puzzle went pretty quick, so just came here for the fun.
There was a THEME?! Didn’t even notice!
@Willie, not wishing to stir controversy, but I’m not sure you’re right about Patti Boyd and rehab. I don’t think she ever had the habit.
And I’m glad you mention that the riff was Duane Allman’s! That I did not know. Makes sense.
I’m such a huge Clapton fan…?
@Jeff, you’re in fine form today!
I found this puzzle to be more like a Wednesday. Stumbled here and there; I had LYFT before TAXI (it does fit the clue better, say I!) Also got stuck for awhile on EIDER — I mis-read the clue.
I do like seeing the word GRID in a grid!
Sweet dreams~~™?
11:41, no errors, iPad. I also had LYFT before TAXI …