Constructed by: Evan Mahnken
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Reveal Answer: A Drop in the Ocean
The grid includes three OCEANS spelled out in shaded letters. The name of each OCEAN DROPS from one line to the next:
- 40A Insignificant amount … or hint to this puzzle’s shaded squares : A DROP IN THE OCEAN
THE OCEANS with the DROPS are:
ARCTIC
The Arctic Ocean is in the north polar region, and is almost completely covered by sea ice in the winter. The amount of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean during the summer has been dropping in recent times, as a consequence of climate change.
INDIAN
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world’s oceans, and accounts for almost 20% of the Earth’s surface. It was named for the country of India, which forms much of the ocean’s northern boundary.
PACIFIC
The Pacific Ocean was given its name by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. When Magellan sailed into the ocean on his 1521 circumnavigation of the globe, he encountered favorable winds and so called it “Mar Pacifico” meaning “peaceful sea”.
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
Want to discuss the puzzle? Then …
… leave a comment
Bill’s time: 7m 28s
Bill’s errors: 2
- WYVERN (Fyvern)
- ENOW (enof!!!)
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
4 John or John Quincy : ADAMS
John Adams was the second President of the United States. I must admit that I learned much of what I know about President Adams in the excellent, excellent HBO series “John Adams”, which is based on David McCullough’s 2001 biography of the same name. Having said that, I have also visited the Adams home in Quincy, Massachusetts several times. He was clearly a great man with a great intellect …
John Quincy Adams (JQA), the son of John Adams, was the 6th US president. Like his father, John Quincy worked for many years as a diplomat representing the young United States. After leaving office, Adams served in Congress as Representative from Massachusetts, becoming the only president ever to enter the House after leaving the office of president.
14 Org. for the Flyers and Red Wings : NHL
The Philadelphia Flyers hockey team was founded in 1967. The team’s name was chosen using a “name-the-team” fan contest.
The Detroit Red Wings play in the National Hockey League. The Red Wings have won the Stanley Cup more times than any other US-based NHL team.
15 First toy to be called an “action figure” : GI JOE
G.I. Joe was the original “action figure”, the first toy to carry that description. G.I. Joe first hit the shelves in 1964. There have been a few movies based on the G.I. Joe figure, but, more famous than all of them I would say is the 1997 movie “G.I. Jane” starring Demi Moore in the title role. I thought that “G.I. Jane” had some potential, to be honest, but it really did not deliver in the end.
16 Congresswoman ___ Omar : ILHAN
Ilhan Omar has been representing Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in the US House since 2019. At that time, she became one of the first two Muslim women, as well as the first Somali American, to serve in the US Congress.
17 Teenage military leader canonized in 1920 : JOAN OF ARC
Joan of Arc (also “Jeanne d’Arc”, her birth name) led the French Army successfully into battle a number of times during the Hundred Years War with England. When she was eventually captured, Joan was tried in Rouen, the seat of the occupying English government in France at that time. There she was burned at the stake having been found guilty of heresy. In fact, after the fire died down, the executioner raked the coals to display the charred body, proving Joan had died, and then burned the corpse again, twice, so that relics could not be collected. The remaining ashes were then cast into the Seine River. Joan of Arc was canonized some 600 years later, in 1920, and is now one of the patron saints of France.
19 Country singer Patsy : CLINE
Patsy Cline was a country music singer who managed to cross over into the world of pop music where she enjoyed great success. Cline is one of a long list of musical legends who died in plane crashes. Cline was 30 years old when she was killed in 1963 in a Piper Comanche plane piloted by her manager, Randy Hughes. Hughes and Cline decided to make that last flight despite warnings of inclement weather, and it was a severe storm that brought down the plane in a forest outside Camden, Tennessee.
20 ___ Domini : ANNO
The Latin word for year is “annus”. We often see it used in Latin phrases, but usually with a different spelling. In “anno Domini”, the “anno” is the ablative case of “annus” as the phrase means “in the year of the Lord”. Another example is “per annum”, in which “annum” is the accusative case as the literal translation of the phrase is “during the year”.
27 Word before trap or prize : BOOBY …
The word “booby” has described a silly person since the late 1500s, with the term coming from the Spanish “bobo” meaning “stupid person. By the mid 1800s, schoolboys were pranking each other by setting “booby traps”. The latter innocent term took on a lethal meaning during WWI when it described a device designed to kill someone who triggered it unwittingly.
30 Marx’s collaborator on “The Communist Manifesto” : ENGELS
Friedrich Engels was a German political theorist who worked closely with Karl Marx to develop what became known as Marxist Theory. Along with Marx, he also co-authored the “Communist Manifesto” in 1848, and later he supported Marx as he worked to publish “Das Kapital”.
The “Communist Manifesto” written in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels contains the phrase “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” (“Proletarier aller Länder vereinigt Euch!” in German). This evolved into the English saying “Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!” The words “Workers of all lands, unite“ are written on Karl Marx’s headstone in Highgate Cemetery in London.
39 Furniture megastore : IKEA
The IKEA furniture chain was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, when he was just 17-years-old. IKEA is an acronym standing for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (don’t forget now!). Elmtaryd was the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up, and Agunnaryd is his home parish in Sweden.
45 Actress Rigg of “The Avengers” : DIANA
Diana Rigg was a marvelous actress from England who was best known for playing Emma Peel on the hit sixties show “The Avengers”. Rigg also won an Emmy for her performance in a 1997 television adaptation of “Rebecca”. In my humble opinion, she was also the best-ever Bond girl (opposite George Lazenby, the worst-ever Bond guy), in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” …
“The Avengers” was must-see television when I was growing up. It is a sixties comedy spy series set in England during the days of the Cold War. The hero was John Steed, played ably by Patrick Macnee. Steed had various female partners as the series progressed, the first of which was Cathy Gale, played by Honor Blackman (who also played Pussy Galore in “Goldfinger”). Following Ms. Gale was Emma Peel, played by the wonderful Diana Rigg. Finally there was Tara King, played by Linda Thorson.
46 “___ sells seashells …” : SHE
She sells seashells on the seashore.
The shells she sells are seashells, I’m sure.
For if she sells seashells on the seashore
Then I’m sure she sells seashore shells.
47 Rachel of MSNBC : MADDOW
We used to be able to listen to “The Rachel Maddow Show” on Air America Radio before the radio station went bust. Now we can see Maddow on a TV show with the same name, every night on MSNBC. She was the first openly gay anchor to host a primetime news program in the US.
52 Places where the cucumbers aren’t for eating : SPAS
Apparently, scientists have shown that the inside of a cucumber (“cuke” for short) growing in a field can be up to twenty degrees cooler than the surrounding air. That’s something that was believed by farmers as early as the 1730s, at which time the phrase “cool as a cucumber” was coined.
58 Big-dollar election-influencing grp. : SUPER PAC
A political action committee (PAC) is a private group that works to influence the outcome of a particular election or group of elections. Any group becomes a PAC by law when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election. In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that PACS that did not make direct contributions to candidates or parties could accept unlimited contributions. These “independent, expenditure-only committees” are commonly referred to as “super PACs”.
62 Smoothie berry : ACAI
Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.
63 Deadly nerve gas : SARIN
Sarin is a toxic liquid that easily evaporates into a gas, and is used as a chemical weapon. It was first discovered in Germany by scientists looking for stronger pesticides. The name Sarin was derived from the names of the discovering scientists: Schrader, Ambros, Rudiger and von der Linde.
67 Use a stencil on : TRACE
A stencil is a sheet of impervious material with perforations in the shape of letters or a design. The stencil is placed over a surface to be printed and then the printing medium is applied, so that the medium only attaches to the surface beneath the perforations.
68 Instrument in Hindustani music : SITAR
The sitar has been around since the Middle Ages. It is a stringed instrument that is played by plucking, and is used most often in Hindustani classical music. In the West we have been exposed to the instrument largely through the performances of Ravi Shankar and some music by George Harrison of the Beatles, a onetime student of Shankar.
“Hindustan” is a historical name for the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent.
72 Rap’s Dr. ___ : DRE
“Dr. Dre” is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre is known for his own singing career as well as for producing records and starting the careers of others such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.
Down
2 Bogus : PHONY
Something or someone described as phony (sometimes “phoney”) is not genuine or real. There is a suggestion that the term “phony” comes from “fawney”, which was a gold-plated brass ring used by swindlers in place of a one made of pure gold.
Our word “bogus”, meaning “not genuine” was coined (pun!) in the 1830s, when it applied to counterfeit money.
3 “Tea” for “gossip,” e.g. : SLANG
“Tea” is a slang term used mainly in social media to denote “gossip”.
6 Cracked, as a door : AJAR
Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.
7 Glutton’s demand : MORE
A glutton is a person who eats and drinks to excess, with the term “glutton” deriving from the Latin “gluttire” meaning “to swallow”.
9 One who worships the Triple Goddess and Horned God : WICCAN
Wicca is a relatively new phenomenon. It is a Neopagan religion that developed in the twentieth century. Typically, followers of Wicca worship one goddess and one god, namely the Moon Goddess and the Horned God. A follower of Wicca is called a Wiccan or a Witch.
12 Philosopher Immanuel : KANT
Immanuel Kant was an 18th-century German philosopher. Kant published “Perpetual Peace” in 1795, laying out what he believed were conditions for ending all wars and creating a lasting peace. The good news for us is that one of these conditions was to have a world full of constitutional republics, so it seems we are on the right track here in the US!
13 Number on a foam finger : ONE
The concept of a foam hand gesturing “number one” dates back to a prototype made out of hardware cloth and papier-mâché in 1971 by a high school student in Ottumwa, Iowa. Steve Schmelar was photographed supporting his school wearing his giant “hand”, and the photo was published by several outlets. A few years later, Texas high school teacher Geral Fauss recreated the design in foam to raise funds for an arts club at his school. Building on the popularity of the foam fingers, Fauss went on to create Spirit Industries for mass-production, and I’d say he made a pretty penny …
18 Beginner, in modern lingo : NOOB
“Noob” is a not-so-nice slang term for a “newbie”, and often refers to someone who is new to an online community.
24 Dove or Dial : SOAP
Dove is a brand of personal care products made by Unilever. The brand originated in the UK, back in 1955.
Dial was the first antibacterial soap introduced in the US. It was given the name “Dial” as it was touted as offering “round-the-clock” protection against any odors caused by perspiration.
25 Hindu festival of colors : HOLI
Holi is a Hindu festival, celebrated in spring, that is also known as the Festival of Colours.
28 “___, James ___” : BOND
Ian Fleming’s spy first introduced himself with the words “Bond, James Bond” in the 1953 novel “Casino Royale”. Sean Connery first uttered the words on the silver screen in the first Bond movie, “Dr. No”.
29 Himalayan cryptids : YETIS
The yeti, also known as the abominable snowman, is a beast of legend. “Yeti” is a Tibetan term, and the beast is fabled to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Our equivalent legend in North America is that of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. The study of animals whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology, and a cryptid is a creature or plant that isn’t recognized by the scientific community, but the existence of which has been suggested.
The study of animals whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology, and a cryptid is a creature or plant that isn’t recognized by the scientific community, but the existence of which has been suggested.
32 Jacob’s first wife : LEAH
According to the Bible, Leah was one of the two wives of Jacob, the other being Leah’s sister Rachel. Jacob’s intention had been to marry Rachel, but Leah and Rachel’s father “switched” his daughters and provided Leah as the veiled bride. Jacob married Rachel a week later, and lived with the two wives concurrently.
36 Mortarboard tosser : GRAD
Tasseled mortarboards, or square academic caps, are associated with school graduations all over the world, although traditions do differ. For example in Ireland (where I come from), mortarboards are only worn by female graduates.
38 Bogus : SHAM
A sham is something that is imitation, fake. In the world of bed linens, a sham is also an imitation or fake, in the sense that it is a decorative cover designed to cover up a regular pillow used for sleeping.
41 Male grooming brand : OLD SPICE
The Old Spice brand of grooming products was introduced in 1937, and was originally intended for a female clientele. The first male product hit the shelves in 1938, and today Old Spice is completely focused on products for men.
42 Sufficient, to Shakespeare : ENOW
“Enow” is an archaic form of the word “enough”.
43 Describing chardonnay, e.g. : OAKY
The chardonnay grape is believed to have originated in the Burgundy wine region of France. Now it’s grown “everywhere”. Drinkers of California “chards” seem to be particularly fond of oak flavor, so most chardonnay wines are aged in oak barrels or with oak chips.
49 Mindless two-player card game : WAR
War is a card game, one played mainly by children.
51 Emergency relocation of people, for short : EVAC
Evacuation (evac.)
56 Like uranium vis-à-vis carbon : RARER
The isotope of uranium that is mostly found in nature in uranium-238. Natural uranium also contains a small amount (less than 1%) of uranium-235. When uranium is “enriched”, the percentage of uranium-235 is increased. Uranium containing 80% or more uranium-235 is considered “weapons grade”. Uranium was discovered in 1789, and named for the planet Uranus that had been discovered a few years earlier.
The chemical element carbon has the symbol C and atomic number 6. Pure carbon exists in several physical forms, including graphite and diamond.
58 ___ Lee (dessert brand) : SARA
In 1935, businessman Charles Lubin bought a chain of three bakeries in Chicago called Community Bake Shops, and soon expanded the operation into seven stores. Lubin introduced a cream cheesecake that he named after his daughter who was only 8-years-old at the time, Sara Lee Lubin. The cheesecake was a hit and he renamed the bakeries to Kitchen of Sara Lee. The business was bought out by Consolidated Foods in 1956, but the brand name Sara Lee persists to this day, as does Ms. Sara Lee herself who now goes by the name Sara Lee Schupf.
59 Russian river : URAL
The Ural River rises in the Ural Mountains in Russia and flows for half its length through Russian territory until it crosses the border into Kazakhstan, finally emptying into the Caspian Sea. It is the third-longest river in Europe, after the Volga and Danube. The Ural is often cited as defining a long stretch of the border between Europe and Asia, although the exact position of that border is open to debate.
60 Home to the Hang Seng and Nikkei 225 indexes : ASIA
The Hang Seng Index (HSI) is the most important stock market index reported from Hong Kong. The index was started in 1969 by one of the largest banks in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Bank.
The Nikkei is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange that has been published by the “Nihon Keizai Shimbun” newspaper since 1950. The “Nihon Keizai Shimbun” has the largest circulation of any financial newspaper in the world, and is read by over 3 million people daily.
61 Commercial prefix with bank : CITI-
During the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, the US government rescued Citibank by providing loan guarantees and two payments of $25 billion each. It turns out that the government made a tidy profit on that deal, as Citibank has since repaid the loans in full, along with interest.
63 Indy 500 sponsor : STP
STP is a brand name of automotive lubricants and additives. The name “STP” is an initialism standing for “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”.
66 1040 org. : IRS
Form 1040, issued by the IRS, is the “US Individual Income Tax Return”. It was originally created just for tax returns from 1913, 1914 and 1915, but it’s a form that just keeps on giving, or should I say “taking” …?
Read on, or …
… return to top of page
Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 ___ and downs : UPS
4 John or John Quincy : ADAMS
9 Off-the-wall : WACKO
14 Org. for the Flyers and Red Wings : NHL
15 First toy to be called an “action figure” : GI JOE
16 Congresswoman ___ Omar : ILHAN
17 Teenage military leader canonized in 1920 : JOAN OF ARC
19 Country singer Patsy : CLINE
20 ___ Domini : ANNO
21 Not inclined to reveal one’s feelings : RETICENT
23 “Goodness gracious!” : MY GOSH!
26 Sign of an old wound : SCAR
27 Word before trap or prize : BOOBY …
30 Marx’s collaborator on “The Communist Manifesto” : ENGELS
34 Clown accessory that’s often bright red : WIG
37 Skin soothers : ALOES
39 Furniture megastore : IKEA
40 Insignificant amount … or hint to this puzzle’s shaded squares : A DROP IN THE OCEAN
44 Genuine : REAL
45 Actress Rigg of “The Avengers” : DIANA
46 “___ sells seashells …” : SHE
47 Rachel of MSNBC : MADDOW
50 Sign of fire : SMOKE
52 Places where the cucumbers aren’t for eating : SPAS
54 Dragonlike creature of fantasy : WYVERN
58 Big-dollar election-influencing grp. : SUPER PAC
62 Smoothie berry : ACAI
63 Deadly nerve gas : SARIN
64 “Tell someone who gives a hoot” : AS IF I CARE
67 Use a stencil on : TRACE
68 Instrument in Hindustani music : SITAR
69 TV remote button : REC
70 Turned white : PALED
71 Major pipes : MAINS
72 Rap’s Dr. ___ : DRE
Down
1 Dislodge, as printer paper : UNJAM
2 Bogus : PHONY
3 “Tea” for “gossip,” e.g. : SLANG
4 In the past : AGO
5 “What’s the ___?” : DIF
6 Cracked, as a door : AJAR
7 Glutton’s demand : MORE
8 Religious offshoots : SECTS
9 One who worships the Triple Goddess and Horned God : WICCAN
10 Itchy, say : ALLERGIC
11 Keep this up when you’re down : CHIN
12 Philosopher Immanuel : KANT
13 Number on a foam finger : ONE
18 Beginner, in modern lingo : NOOB
22 Rocks, in a drink : ICE
24 Dove or Dial : SOAP
25 Hindu festival of colors : HOLI
28 “___, James ___” : BOND
29 Himalayan cryptids : YETIS
31 Scrapes (out) : EKES
32 Jacob’s first wife : LEAH
33 Reasonable : SANE
34 In the 70s or 80s, say : WARM
35 Bit of inspiration : IDEA
36 Mortarboard tosser : GRAD
38 Bogus : SHAM
41 Male grooming brand : OLD SPICE
42 Sufficient, to Shakespeare : ENOW
43 Describing chardonnay, e.g. : OAKY
48 Uncorked : OPENED
49 Mindless two-player card game : WAR
51 Emergency relocation of people, for short : EVAC
53 Twitch : SPASM
55 Digital holiday greeting : E-CARD
56 Like uranium vis-à-vis carbon : RARER
57 Aunt and uncle’s little girl : NIECE
58 ___ Lee (dessert brand) : SARA
59 Russian river : URAL
60 Home to the Hang Seng and Nikkei 225 indexes : ASIA
61 Commercial prefix with bank : CITI-
63 Indy 500 sponsor : STP
65 Aid on a hot summer day : FAN
66 1040 org. : IRS
Leave a comment (below), or …
… return to top of page