Tag: French kiss kissers crossword clue

Bill’s time: 34m 44s

Bill’s errors: 2

• GALOIS (Gamois!)
• LEA SALONGA (Mea Salonga!)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

17A French kiss kissers : OPEN MOUTHS

A kiss that involves touching of tongues is known as a French kiss, but no one seems to know why. Paradoxically, in Northern France, giving the same type of kiss is known as “baiser anglais”, i.e. English kissing!

21A One of the First Nations : CREE

The Cree are one of the largest groups of Native Americans on the continent. In the US, Montana is home to most of the Cree nation. They live on a reservation shared with the Ojibwe people. In Canada, most of the Cree live in Manitoba.

“First Nations” is a term used in Canada describing the ethnicity of Native Americans who are neither Inuit nor Métis people.

28A Sponge brand originally spelled with two hyphens : OCELO

“o-cel-o” is a brand of kitchen sponge introduced in 1947, and is made today by 3M. The “o-cel-o” name comes from chemical components used in the product’s manufacture, i.e. oxygen-cellulose-oxygen.

30A N.B.A. stat: Abbr. : REB

In basketball, a rebound (REB) is retrieval of the ball after it “rebounds” (usually off the backboard) following a missed field goal or free throw. If the offensive side recovers the ball, it’s known as an offensive rebound. If the defensive side recovers it, it is a defensive rebound.

32A Practitioner of black magic : HEXER

“Hexen” is a German word meaning “to practice witchcraft”. The use of the word “hex” in English started with the Pennsylvania Dutch in the early 1800s.

33A Kind of box for media watchers : TIVO

TiVo is a digital video recorder (DVR) that revolutionized the way we watch television. The first TiVo devices were installed in homes in 1999, when they were the first consumer DVRs to hit the market. TiVo was originally marketed as a way to “pause live TV.” It quickly became known for its ability to record TV shows and movies, allowing viewers to watch them at their convenience.

36A Like bismuth and bitcoin : MINED

Bismuth (Bi) is a brittle, silvery-white metal. It’s one of the few metals that expands upon solidification, a trait it shares with water.

Bitcoin mining is … well, you know … need I say more …? 🙂

42A Abbreviated first name found three times on the signed Declaration of Independence : THOS

The Declaration of Independence, adopted on 4 July 1776, refers to “these United Colonies”. The nation name “United States” was not adopted by the Continental Congress until September 9th of the same year.

49A Became a marquee name, say : ROSE TO FAME

A marquee is a large sign that is placed over the entrance to a theater. The marquee usually displays the names of the film or play currently showing, as well as the principal actors performing.

50A Logical connective : ERGO

“Ergo” is a Latin word meaning “hence, therefore”, and one that we absorbed directly into English.

51A Lovers of “Emma” and “Persuasion” : AUSTENITES

Jane Austen’s novel “Emma” (1815) is her last novel published during her lifetime. Unlike many of her other heroines, Emma Woodhouse is a wealthy, privileged young woman who is not concerned with finding a husband but rather delights in matchmaking for others, often with disastrous and comedic results. A favorite of mine …

“Persuasion” was the last novel that Jane Austen completed. Publication took place in 1817, six months after the author passed away. Austen left the work unnamed, usually referring to it as “The Elliots”, a reference to the main family in the story. Austen’s brother Henry provided the name “Persuasion”, possibly a reference to Anne Elliot being persuaded not to marry her beloved early in the novel.

52A Equine color : ROAN

A roan horse has an even mixture of white and colored hairs on the body with the head, lower legs, mane and tail having a more solid color.

Down

5D Nintendo title character with a head mirror : DR. MARIO

“Dr. Mario” is a “falling block” game, similar to Tetris. The falling blocks are capsules that are used to eradicate viruses.

6D Largest of the Dodecanese Islands : RHODES

Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese, a group of Greek islands straddling the boundary shared by the Aegean and the Mediterranean Seas. Famously, it was once home to the giant statue known as the Colossus of Rhodes, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Some people hold that the US state of Rhode Island is named for the Greek island of Rhodes.

9D Barack Obama’s final secretary of defense (2015-17) : ASH CARTER

Ash Carter took over as Secretary of Defense in the Obama administration when Chuck Hagel resigned in 2015. Carter is a scientist by training, with a doctorate in theoretical physics from the University of Oxford where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

10D One who profits from eBay, say : RESELLER

There have been some notable things sold on eBay over the years. For example:

• Ad space on a guy’s forehead, in the form of a temporary tattoo – $37,375
• William Shatner’s kidney stone – $25,000
• A cornflake shaped like Illinois – $1,350
• A single corn flake – $1.63
• A box of 10 Twinkies – $59.99
• The original Hollywood sign – $450,400
• The meaning of life – $3.26

13D Where the 10th Amendment leaves many issues : STATE LEVEL

The Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution deals with the relationship between the federal government and the states of the union. The gist of the amendment, as I understand it, is that the federal government possesses only those powers specifically called out in the Constitution, and all remaining powers belong to the state or to the people.

24D Dairy spread in a health food store : GOAT BUTTER

Oh, those butting goats …

25D Bond classification : ACTION HERO

The character James Bond was the creation of writer Ian Fleming. Fleming “stole” the James Bond name from an American ornithologist. The number “007” was “stolen” from the real-life, 16th-century English spy named John Dee. Dee would sign his reports to Queen Elizabeth I with a stylized “007” to indicate that the reports were for “her eyes only”. There’s an entertaining miniseries that aired on BBC America called “Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond” that details Ian Fleming’s military career, and draws some nice parallels between Fleming’s experiences and aspirations and those of his hero James Bond. Recommended …

26D Tony-winning actress who provided the singing voice for the Disney princesses Jasmine and Mulan : LEA SALONGA

Lea Salonga is a singer and actress from the Philippines who is known for originating the lead role in the musical “Miss Saigon” in both the West End and on Broadway. She also provided the singing voice for the Disney princesses Jasmine (in “Aladdin”) and Fa Mulan (in “Mulan”, both 1998 and 2004 versions). Salonga was the first Asian woman to win a Tony Award, for her performance in “Miss Saigon”.

35D Smack in the middle of a crowd, in brief? : PDA

Public display of affection (PDA)

36D Units for measuring bacteria and dust : MICRONS

The measurement of length called a micron (plural “micra”) is more correctly referred to as a micrometer (or “micrometre”). One micron is equivalent to one millionth of a meter.

44D To be, to Brutus : ESSE

The most famous man with the name “Brutus” in ancient Rome was Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger. It was this Brutus that Julius Caesar turned to when he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate. William Shakespeare immortalized Brutus by featuring him in his play, “Julius Caesar”, and giving his victim the line “Et tu, Brute?”

45D ___ Hari : MATA

“Mata Hari” was the stage name used by Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, born in the Netherlands in 1876. After an unsuccessful and somewhat tragic marriage, Zella moved to Paris in 1903 where she struggled to make a living. By 1905 she was working as an exotic dancer and using the name Mata Hari. She was a successful courtesan, notably moving in various circles of high-ranking military officers. She apparently worked as a double agent, both for the French and the Germans. When Mata Hari was accused by the French of passing information to the enemy, she was tried, found guilty and executed by firing squad at the height of WW1, in 1917.

46D Part of A.S.L.: Abbr. : AMER

It’s really quite unfortunate that American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) are very different, and someone who has learned to sign in one cannot understand someone signing in the other.