Tag: Horse racing accessories crossword clue

Advertisement

[ad_above_grid]

Constructed by: Jeffrey Wechsler
Edited by: Rich Norris

Advertisement

Advertisement

Today’s Theme: Baker’s Dozen

We have a BAKER’S DOZEN of themed answers today, thirteen items sold in a BAKERY:

• 38A. It’s a bit more than it sounds, and hints at this puzzle’s theme : BAKER’S DOZEN

• 1A. #1 : MUFFIN
• 7A. #2 : BRIOCHE
• 24A. #3 : TORTE
• 26A. #4 : PIE
• 37A. #5 : CAKE
• 41A. #6 : ROLL
• 52A. #7 : BUN
• 53A. #8 : DONUT
• 69A. #9 : BISCUIT
• 70A. #10 : DANISH
• 14D. #11 : BAGEL
• 20D. #12 : CROISSANT
• 51D. #13 : SCONE

Bill’s time: 7m 50s

Bill’s errors: 0

Advertisement

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

7. #2 : BRIOCHE

“Brioche” is a French bread that has been enriched with lots of egg and butter, to the extent that it is also considered a pastry.

14. Crone : BELDAME

A beldam (also “beldame”) is an old woman, especially an ugly one. The term was originally used for a grandmother. In Old English, the prefix “bel-” is used to express a relationship (as in “grandmother”), and “dam” is used in the sense of “mother”.

15. Sarajevo citizen : BOSNIAN

Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is famous for many historical events. In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated there, the single event that sparked off WWI. More happily, Sarajevo was the host of the 1984 Winter Olympic Games. Just over a decade later the city was the center of the longest siege in the history of modern warfare, lasting almost four years from 1992 to 1996.

18. Merry, in Metz : GAI

The city of Metz is in the northeast of France, and close to the German border. Given the proximity to Germany, Metz has both a strong German tradition and a strong French tradition. Metz was handed over to the French following WWI, after nearly 50 years of German rule. It quickly fell back into German hands in 1940 during WWII, with many German officers delighted to have back the city of their birth. Perhaps because of this long association with Germany, the US Army under General Patton encountered stiff resistance when liberating Metz in 1944. The cathedral in Metz is home to the largest expanse of stained glass in the world, almost 70,000 square feet in all.

19. Prog. formally reinstated at Harvard in 2011 : ROTC

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a training program for officers based in colleges all around the US. The ROTC program was established in 1862 when as a condition of receiving a land-grant to create colleges, the federal government required that military tactics be part of a new school’s curriculum.

29. Future D.A.’s hurdles : LSATS

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

33. Belg. locale : EUR

Belgium is one of the six founding members of the European Economic Community (EEC) that evolved into today’s European Union (EU). Belgium also acts as host of several international organizations, including NATO. There are two large regions in the country. Flanders in the north is predominantly Dutch-speaking, and Wallonia in the south is predominantly French-speaking. The capital city of Brussels is officially bilingual, although from personal experience I can attest that it is mainly French-speaking even though it is located in the Flemish part of the country.

38. It’s a bit more than it sounds, and hints at this puzzle’s theme : BAKER’S DOZEN

A “baker’s dozen” is thirteen, with the phrase dating back to the sixteenth century. Apparently, the expression comes from the practice of bakers adding one loaf to every twelve, primarily for fear of being fined for supplying fewer loaves than had been purchased.

43. MS-__ : DOS

MS-DOS (short for Microsoft Disk Operating System) was the main operating system used by IBM-compatible PCs in the eighties and for much of the nineties.

45. Goddess usually depicted holding an ankh : ISIS

Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, as well as the protector of the dead and the goddess of children. She was the personification of the pharaoh’s power. The name “Isis” translates as “throne”, and she is usually depicted with a headdress shaped like a throne.

The ankh was the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic character for “eternal life”. The ankh wasn’t just used in inscriptions but was often fashioned into amulets and as surrounds for mirrors (perhaps symbolizing a view into another world). The ankh is also known as “the key of the Nile” and “crux ansata” (Latin for “cross with a handle”).

46. “M*A*S*H” rank: Abbr. : MAJ

“M*A*S*H” has only three stars (three asterisks, that is!). These asterisks first appeared on the poster for the 1970 movie, but they were omitted in the opening titles. The TV series went on to use the asterisks from the poster.

55. Pique-nique setting : PARC

Our term “picnic” comes from the French word that now has the same meaning, namely “pique-nique”. The original “pique-nique” was a fashionable pot-luck affair, and not necessarily held outdoors.

56. Karate training site : DOJO

The Japanese word “dojo” literally means “place of the way”. Originally the term applied to training halls that were found in or beside temples. The teaching in a dojo was not limited to the martial arts, but in the Western world we use the dojo as the name for a training facility for judo, karate and the like.

61. __ Speedwagon : REO

REO Speedwagon is an American rock band that formed in 1967, and is still going strong. The band’s biggest hits are “Keep On Loving You” (1980) and “Can’t Fight This Feeling” (1985). The founding members chose the name for the REO Speed Wagon flatbed truck. Note that the band’s name is one word “Speedwagon”, whereas the vehicle’s name uses two words “Speed Wagon”.

65. High-tech med. procedure : CAT SCAN

A CT (or “CAT”) scan produces (via computer manipulation) a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object, usually the human body. It does so by taking a series of two dimensional x-ray images while rotating the camera around the patient. The issue with CT scans is that they use x-rays, and high doses of radiation can be harmful, causing damage that is cumulative over time.

70. #10 : DANISH

The Danish pastry that we know so well over here in the US is indeed a Danish specialty, although the recipe was brought to Denmark by Austrian bakers. A “Danish” is called “Viennese bread” in Denmark.

Down

1. Most of the periodic table : METALS

Dmitri Mendeleev was a Russian chemist. When Mendeleev classified elements according to their chemical properties, he noticed patterns and was able to group elements into his famous 1869 Periodic Table. So powerful was his table that he actually predicted the properties of some elements that had not even been discovered in 1869. Element number 101 is mendelevium and was named after Mendeleev.

2. __ Thule: distant place in medieval geography : ULTIMA

Medieval maps often featured a landmass in the far north called Thule. Even though Thule was sometimes depicted as an island, today’s historians often equate Thule with Norway. The term “ultima Thule” was used in the Middle Ages to denote any landmass beyond the known world.

3. HHS agency : FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has its roots in the Division of Chemistry (later “Bureau of Chemistry”) that was part of the US Department of Agriculture. President Theodore Roosevelt gave responsibility for examination of food and drugs to the Bureau of Chemistry with the signing of the Pure Food and Drug Act. The Bureau’s name was changed to the Food, Drug and Insecticide Organization in 1927, and to the Food and Drug Administration in 1930.

The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) was split in 1979, into the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

6. Argonaut known for wise counsel : NESTOR

Nestor was one of the Argonauts, the adventurers who sailed on the Argo with Jason on his search for the Golden Fleece of Greek mythology. In Homer’s “Iliad”, wise old Nestor is noted for giving sage advice. We use the term “nestor” today for any wise old man.

10. Fit-for-service designation : ONE-A

The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System (SSS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).

12. “Some __ meat and canna eat”: start of the Selkirk Grace : HAE

The Selkirk Grace is a prayer of thanks that is noted for its use before a Burns supper, a meal that celebrates the life and poetry of Scotsman Robert Burns. The grace is often attributed to Burns himself, although the text predates the poet.

Some hae meat an canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.

14. #11 : BAGEL

The bagel was invented in the Polish city of Kraków in the 16th century. Bagels were brought to this country by Jewish immigrants from Poland who mainly established homes in and around New York City.

20. #12 : CROISSANT

Although similar pastries have been around since the 13th century, the croissant was introduced in a Viennese bakery in Paris in 1839. The pastry was named for its shape, as “croissant” is French for “crescent”.

30. Czech composer Josef, son-in-law of Dvorák : SUK

Josef Suk was a Czech composer and violinist who studied under Antonín Dvořák. Suk became very close with the Dvořák family, and in 1898 married Antonín’s daughter Otilie.

32. Frozen treat : ICE POP

The term “ice pop” has largely been supplanted in the US by “popsicle”, as the Popsicle brand of ice pop became so popular. We still use “ice pop” in Ireland, and in the UK the same thing is called an “ice lolly”, and in Australia it’s an “ice block”.

34. Like half of Poland’s flag : RED

The flag of Poland comprises just two stripes, the top being white, and the bottom red.

39. Ex-quarterback Tony : ROMO

Tony Romo is a former quarterback who spent his entire NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. Romo is also an avid amateur golfer and has even tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to qualify for the US Open golf championship.

40. Clearasil target : ZIT

Clearasil acne medication was developed in 1940 by Ivan Combe and Kedzie Teller. Combe promoted the product by sponsoring the television show “American Bandstand” for many years.

42. Brutus Buckeye is its mascot: Abbr. : OSU

Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus was founded back in 1870 as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. The athletic teams of OSU are called the Buckeyes, named after the state tree of Ohio. In turn the buckeye tree gets its name from the appearance of its fruit, a dark nut with a light patch thought to resemble a “buck’s eye”.

49. __ Aurelius, second-century Roman emperor : MARCUS

Marcus Aurelius was Roman emperor from 161 until his death in 180. His death in 180 is generally regarded as the end of the “Pax Romana”, the long period of relative peace in the Roman Empire that started in 27 BCE. So, the death of Marcus Aurelius also marked the beginning of what came to be known as the Fall of the Roman Empire.

57. Intl. energy group : OPEC

The OPEC cartel (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) was formally established in 1960 and has been headquartered in Vienna since 1965. The US is actually the third largest oil producer in the world (after Russia and Saudi Arabia). One reason America isn’t in OPEC, even though we are a big producer, is that we import a lot more than we export. But we all probably knew that already …

58. Bach’s “__, Joy of Man’s Desiring” : JESU

The Bach cantata “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben” (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life) has ten movements. The most famous of these movements is the last one, a chorale titled “Jesus bleibet meine Freude”, usually translated as “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”.

60. Hugh Laurie’s alma mater : ETON

English actor and comedian Hugh Laurie used to be half of a comedy double act with Stephen Fry called simply “Fry and Laurie”. Fry and Laurie met in Cambridge University through their mutual friend, the actress Emma Thompson. Over in North America, Laurie is best known for playing the title role in the medical drama “House”.

63. NW Penn. airport : ERI

Erie International Airport (ERI) is located five miles from the city of Erie, Pennsylvania.

64. Aircraft in the Smithsonian Inst. collection : SST

The National Air and Space Museum owns one of the retired Air France Concorde aircraft. It is on display at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport, just outside Washington, D.C.