Tag: Emits a stream of hot air crossword clue

Bill’s time: 15m 37s

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

12A After-afterthought, for short : PPS

One adds a PS (post scriptum, or simply “postscript”) at the end of a letter (ltr.). A second postscript is a post post scriptum, a PPS.

16A Choler : IRE

Choler is anger, irritability. Choler (also “cholera”) was one of the body’s four basic substances of medieval science, the so-called four humors. All diseases were caused by these four substances getting out of balance. The four humors were:

• Black bile (melancholia)
• Yellow bile (cholera)
• Phlegm (phlegma)
• Blood (sanguis)

19A A narwhal’s “horn,” technically speaking : TUSK

The narwhal is a whale species in which the male has a large tusk. The “tusk” is actually a modified incisor tooth that projects from the jaw through the lip. Usually only one tusk develops, on the left side of the jaw. Occasionally, a second tusk develops as well, on the right side of the jaw. The tusk is unlike a tooth in that it contains many nerves, making it a sensory organ. It is rarely used in an act of aggression.

20A Many Snapchats, informally : VIDS

Snapchat is a messaging system that allows users to send photos and video clips to a limited list of recipients. The photos and clips, called “snaps”, can be viewed for only a few seconds before they are deleted from the recipient’s device, and from the Snapchat servers.

23A Author Roald Dahl, during World War II : SPY

Roald Dahl’s name is Norwegian. Dahl’s parents were from Norway, although Dahl himself was Welsh. Dahl became one of the most successful authors of the twentieth century. Two of his most famous titles are “James and the Giant Peach” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.

25A Veronica ___, author of the “Divergent” novels : ROTH

The “Divergent” series of movies is based on the “Divergent” novels written by Veronica Roth. The movies and novels are set in a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. The story is about a citizenry that is divided into five different factions based on personality traits. The critics weren’t crazy about the first movie in the series, but I really enjoyed it …

28A Grain that once fed the Roman army : FARRO

Farro is an ancient grain that is often used as an alternative to rice in dishes like risotto, thanks to its nutty taste and chewy texture. The term “farro” can refer to three different species of wheat: einkorn, emmer, and spelt. Emmer is often considered “true” farro and is the most common variety cultivated in Italy.

29A Heroic tale of romance : GEST

Our word “gest”, describing a great deed or exploit, has been around since about 1300. The term comes from the Old French word “geste” meaning the same thing. These days “geste” can also mean “gesture”.

34A Montenegrin, e.g. : BALKAN

The Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe is usually referred to as “the Balkans”. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains located in present-day Bulgaria and Serbia. “Balkan” is Ottoman Turkish for “mountain”.

Montenegro is a country in Southeastern Europe that once was part of Yugoslavia. “Montenegro” is a historical Italianate translation of “black mountain”.

35A You can’t cut through it : CUL-DE-SAC

Even though “cul-de-sac” can indeed mean “bottom-of-the-bag” in French, this term is of English origin. It was introduced in aristocratic circles at a time when it was considered very fashionable to speak French. Dead-end streets in France are usually signposted with just a symbol and no accompanying words, but if words are included they are “voie sans issue”, meaning “way without exit”.

37A Fictional subjects of 13 movies between 2000 and 2020 : X-MEN

The X-Men are a team of superheroes created by Stan Lee for Marvel Comics. Nowadays, they are perhaps best known as the subject of a series of movies, with Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine and Patrick Stewart playing Professor Xavier (or simply “Professor X”). Some very respected actors have also played the villains whom the X-Men have to battle. For example, the enemy called Magneto is portrayed by veteran Shakespearean actor Sir Ian McKellen.

39A Sylvan : WOODED

A sylvan area is wooded, covered in trees. “Silva” is the Latin word for “forest”.

41A The Green Hornet’s sidekick : KATO

The Green Hornet is a masked crime-fighter who first appeared in a radio show in 1936. The alter ego of newspaper publisher Britt Reid, the Green Hornet fights crime in a long, green overcoat, green fedora hat and green mask. He also drives around in a hi-tech car called the Black Beauty that is driven by his masked partner Kato. Britt Reid’s use of a face mask to hide his identity is reminiscent of the Lone Ranger. That’s because the Lone Ranger was Reid’s great-uncle. Both “The Lone Ranger” and “The Green Hornet” originated as radio programs on local Detroit station WXYZ.

46A Medgar ___, one inspiration for the 1964 protest anthem “Mississippi Goddam” : EVERS

Medgar Evers was an African-American civil rights activist from Mississippi who was assassinated by the Ku Klux Klan in 1963. A year after the murder, one Byron De La Beckwith was arrested and charged with the crime. Two trials failed to return a decision on Beckwith’s guilt as the juries, composed completely of white males, deadlocked both times. New evidence was unearthed some thirty years later so Beckwith could be retried and he was finally convicted of the murder in 1994. Back in 1963, Evers was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Evers had served in the US Army in France during WWII and left the military with the rank of sergeant.

48A Device such as a qamutiik, an Inuk means of Arctic transportation : SLED

The Inuit people live in the Arctic, in parts of the US, Russia, Greenland and Canada. A member of the Inuit people is known as an “Inuk”.

50A “Missile” in many a slapstick fight : PIE

Slapstick is a physical form of comedy or horseplay. Back in the late 19th century, the term “slapstick” described a device made from two sticks loosely fastened together, which could be “slapped” together to create a sound effect offstage. The sound effect augmented the audience reaction when a clown or actor was given a slap on stage.

51A Eschewing modesty, say : LIVING LARGE

“To eschew”, meaning “to avoid, shun”, comes from the Old French word “eschiver” that means the same thing.

54A Home security inits. since 1874 : ADT

ADT is a home and small-business security company based in Boca Raton, Florida. The company was founded back in 1874 by Edward Callahan. Callahan invented the stock ticker several years earlier, and ran the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company. Calahan was awoken one morning by the sound of a burglar in his house, and so he decided to develop a telegraph-based security alarm system. The success of the system led to the founding of American District Telegraph, later known as ADT.

57A Digital deals for young people? : PINKY SWEARS

The use of “pinkie” or “pinky” for the little finger or toe comes into English from “pinkje”, the Dutch word for the same digit. Who knew …?

Down

3D Bohemian : ARTSY

The region known as Bohemia covers most of the Czech Republic. Centuries ago, it was wrongly believed that gypsies came from Bohemia, giving rise to the term “Bohemian” meaning a “gypsy of society”.

6D Emits a stream of hot air : BLOVIATES

“To bloviate” is such a descriptive verb, one meaning “to discourse pompously”. “Bloviate” is mock-Latin and derived from “blow”.

9D Hyperbolic amount of work : TONS

Hyperbole is the use of exaggerated speech. The term “hyperbole” is Greek, coming from “hyper-” meaning “beyond” and “bole” meaning “a throwing”. When using hyperbole, our choice of words is “thrown beyond” what is normally necessary to get our point across.

10D Unscripted, for short? : OTC

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs don’t need a prescription (Rx).

11D Neighborhood once home to N.Y.C.’s so-called “Gasoline Alley” : NOHO

“NoHo” is short for “North of Houston (street)”, and is the equivalent area to SoHo, South of Houston, both of which are neighborhoods in New York City.

12D The world’s biggest one contains seven keyboards : PIPE ORGAN

The organ that we often see in churches, synagogues and concert halls is a pipe organ. Sound is produced by pressurized air driven through particular pipes selected by keys on a keyboard.

26D Lab access point? : PET DOOR

The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814. The name “Labrador Retriever” is simply a reference to the breed’s origin and behavior. Labs originally “retrieved” from the “Labrador Sea”.

29D Some yellowish canines : GOLD TEETH

The canine teeth of a mammal are also called the eyeteeth or cuspids. The name “canine” is used because these particular teeth are very prominent in dogs. The prefix “eye-” is used because in humans the eyeteeth are located in the upper jaw, directly below the eyes.

31D Shelters some look to when duty calls? : TAX DODGES

Tax evasion is illegal, and tax avoidance is legal. Evading taxes involves dishonest tax reporting, whereas avoiding taxes uses the tax laws as written to reduce the amount of tax owed. Both evasion and avoidance might be regarded as noncompliance, because tax avoidance often involves legal manipulation of the system (using “loopholes”) in a manner that subverts the intent of the tax code.

36D Feature of Alfalfa’s hair in “The Little Rascals” : COWLICK

Alfalfa was one of Hollywood’s “Little Rascals”, also known as “Our Gang”. He was the young lad who sported the unique hairstyle, with a long spike of hair sticking up from the center of his head. Alfalfa’s real name was Carl Switzer. He and his brother were quite the young performers around his hometown in Illinois, singing and playing instruments. On a trip to California, the Switzer family were touring the Hal Roach movie studio and were fooling around in the studio cafeteria, basically giving an impromptu performance. Hal Roach happened to be there at the time, and signed both brothers up for roles in “Our Gang”. Carl was to play “Alfalfa”, and brother Harold played “Slim” (aka “Deadpan”).

40D Annual award for short stories : O. HENRY

The O. Henry Award has been given annually since 1919 and honors exceptional short stories. “O. Henry” was the pen name of writer William Sydney Porter from Greensboro, North Carolina. O. Henry is famous for his witty short stories that have a clever twist in the tail.

43D ___ Buena (island in San Francisco Bay) : YERBA

Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay was named by Spanish explorers for the fragrant herb that grew there. Over time, it’s also been known as Sea Bird Island, Wood Island, and Goat Island. It was home to a military base, which is now a coast guard station. Yerba Buena Island is connected by a causeway to a second island in the bay, Treasure Island.

44D Exiled character in “King Lear” : EDGAR

Edgar is a key figure in William Shakespeare’s tragedy “King Lear”. He is the son of the Earl of Gloucester, a powerful man in England. Edgar is tricked by his brother, which leads to his exile. Edgar returns in disguise as a mad beggar, and in his disguise is able to help both his father and King Lear himself.