Tag: Head of Kronos crossword clue

Bill’s time: 7m 21s

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Marx with a manifesto : KARL

Karl Marx was a German philosopher and revolutionary who helped develop the principles of modern communism and socialism. Marx argued that feudal society created internal strife due to class inequalities which led to its destruction and replacement by capitalism. He further argued that the inequalities created in a capitalist society create tensions that will also lead to its self-destruction. His thesis was that the inevitable replacement of capitalism was a classless (and stateless) society, which he called pure communism.

5A ___ Romeo : ALFA

The “Alfa” in “Alfa Romeo” is actually an acronym, one standing for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (“Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company”). ALFA was an enterprise founded in 1910 and which was taken over by Nicola Romeo in 1915. In 1920 the company name was changed to Alfa Romeo.

9A Tracker in a speed trap : RADAR

Radar speed guns were first used to monitor traffic by Connecticut State Police in the town of Glastonbury, way back in 1947!

19A Some golf shirts : POLOS

René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a “tennis shirt”. When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as “polo shirts”. The “golf shirt” is basically the same thing. The Lacoste line of clothing features a crocodile logo, because René was nicknamed “The Crocodile”.

22A “Black Panther” actress Bassett : ANGELA

Angela Bassett is an actress from New York whose breakthrough role was playing Tina Turner in the 1993 film about the pop icon’s life “What’s Love Got to Do with It”. Bassett married fellow actor Courtney B. Vance in 1997, having first met him while both were studying at Yale School of Drama.

“Black Panther” is a 2018 superhero film starring Chadwick Boseman in the title role. Black Panther is a Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. When not a superhero, Black Panther is the king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda, and goes by the name “T’Challa”.

23A French city on the Rhone : LYON

The city of Lyon in France is sometimes known as “Lyons” in English. It is the second-largest metropolitan area in the country, after Paris, and is located just to the north of the confluence of the Rhône and Saône Rivers.

24A Deg. for a writer : MFA

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

29A Some postpartum exercises : KEGELS

Kegel exercises can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles: the ones that support the bladder, bowel, and uterus. They’re named after Dr. Arnold Kegel, the American gynecologist who first described these exercises in the 1940s.

The term “postnatal” refers to the period immediately after the birth of a child, when referring to the infant. The equivalent term when referring to the mother is “postpartum”.

31A Not yet decided, for short : TBD

To be determined (TBD)

34A “I saw the future” : NOSTRADAMUS

“Nostradamus” is the Latin name given to the French apothecary and purported seer Michel de Nostredame. His book “The Prophecies” is a famous source for predictions of world events. It is so popular that “The Prophecies” has rarely been out of print since it first appeared in 1555!

37A ___ 51, highly classified Nevada facility : AREA

The famed Area 51 is a remote base in the USAF Nevada Test and Training Range. There’s no question that Area 51 is an unusual base in that frontline operational units are not deployed there. It seems that it is used for developing and testing new and classified weapons facilities for the US Military and other US agencies like the CIA. The government did not even acknowledge that Area 51 existed until 2013, and this official position fueled a theory that the base is home to UFOs that landed on Earth.

40A Fishy Hawaiian dish : POKE

Poke is a Native Hawaiian dish featuring diced raw fish. “Poke” is a Hawaiian word meaning “to slice”.

41A “I conquered “Jeopardy!” for 74 days straight” : KEN JENNINGS

On the game show “Jeopardy!”, Ken Jennings holds the record for longest winning streak, winning 74 episodes in a row, and amassing over $2.5 million. Brad Rutter holds the record for the highest winnings in cash and prizes overall, and has won over $5 million. The record holder for lifetime winnings by a woman is held by Amy Schneider, who brought home over $1.6 million.

46A Action between a bump and a spike : SET

In volleyball, each team can only touch the ball a maximum of three times before it returns to the other side of the net. The three contacts are often a “bump” (a preliminary pass) and a “set” (setting up the attacking shot) followed by a “spike” (a shot into the opposing court).

50A Abbr. before some hotel numbers : STE

Suite (ste.)

58A Classic quotation that might be said by 20-, 34- and 41-Across? : VENI, VIDI, VICI

The oft-quoted statement “Veni, vidi, vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”) is believed by many to have been written by Julius Caesar. The words date back to 47 BCE and refer to the short war between Rome and Pharnaces II of Pontus.

60A Direction in a challah recipe : BRAID

Challah is a special braided bread that is eaten by Ashkenazi Jews on the Sabbath. The bread is served to commemorate the manna that fell from the heavens as the Israelites wandered around the desert after the Exodus from Egypt.

64A Longtime Stallone role : RAMBO

“First Blood” was the original of the four “Rambo” films starring Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled Vietnam War veteran. I thought “First Blood” was a pretty good film actually, but the sequels were terrible, and way too violent for me. But, action all the way …

66A Home of County Donegal : EIRE

“Éire” is the Irish name for Ireland, coming from “Ériu”. Ériu was the matron goddess of Ireland in Irish mythology.

Donegal is the most northerly county in Ireland, and is also the name of the town that gave the county its name. “Donegal” is the anglicized form of the Irish “Dún na nGall” meaning “fort of the foreigners”. Donegal is a really beautiful part of the country, and my favorite county to visit …

67A Colorado resort town : ASPEN

Aspen, Colorado used to be known as Ute City, with the name change taking place in 1880. Like many communities in the area, Aspen was a mining town, and in 1891 and 1892 it was at the center of the highest production of silver in the US. Nowadays, it’s all about skiing and movie stars.

68A Blue side, informally : DEMS

On political maps, red states are predominantly Republican and blue states predominantly Democrat. The designation of red and blue states is a very recent concept, only introduced in the 2000 presidential election by TV journalist, the late Tim Russert. In retrospect, the choice of colors is surprising, as in other democracies around the world red is usually used to describe left-leaning socialist parties (the reds under the bed!), and blue is used for conservative right-wing parties. In election cycles, swing/battleground states are often depicted in purple.

69A Platform for Street Fighter II and Mario Paint, informally : SNES

The name “Super NES” (or “SNES”) stands for “Super Nintendo Entertainment System”.

Down

1D Head of Kronos? : KAPPA

Kappa is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, and the equivalent of our letter K.

In Greek mythology, Cronus (also “Kronos”) was one of the Titans. He overthrew his father Uranus and took over rule of the Titans. Eventually, Cronus was ousted by his own son Zeus. The Roman equivalent of Cronus was the deity Saturn.

2D Narnia lion : ASLAN

In the CS Lewis series of books known as “The Chronicles of Narnia”, Aslan is the lion character (as in the title “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”). “Aslan” is the Turkish word for “lion”. Anyone who has read the books will recognize the remarkable similarity between the story of Aslan and the story of Christ, including a sacrifice and resurrection.

5D Green toast spread : AVOCADO

Avocado toast is trendy, but delicious. My homemade version includes a generous sprinkling of freshly cracked black pepper, and a splash of hot sauce. Yum …

8D Raring to go, say : ANTSY

The word “antsy” embodies the concept of “having ants in one’s pants”, meaning being nervous and fidgety. However, “antsy” has been used in English since the 1830s, whereas “ants in the pants” originated a century later.

9D Now blue, as a blueberry : RIPENED

The perennial flowering plants known as blueberries are native to North America. The many blueberry species are divided into two groups. Those with small berries, the size of peas, grow as low-level bushes and are known as lowbush blueberries. Those with larger berries grow on taller bushes, and are known as highbush blueberries. Lowbush blueberries tend to grow wild, and highbush blueberries are cultivated.

10D Mi ___ (Spanish term of endearment) : AMOR

“Tú eres mi amor” is Spanish for “you are my love”.

11D Lentil dish : DAL

I love dal dishes, which are prepared from various peas or beans (often lentils) that have been stripped of their outer skins and split. Dal is an important part of Indian cuisines. I suppose in Indian terms, split pea soup (another of my favorites) would be called a dal.

18D Traffic marker : PYLON

“Pylon” can be used as another word for “traffic cone”.

21D Trendy sneaker brand : HOKA

Hoka One One (also just “HOKA”) is a sportswear company that is best known for its athletic shoes. The company was founded in 2009, and the first product was a shoe designed for faster speeds when running downhill. The term “hoka” can be translated from the Maori language as “to fly over the earth”.

25D It’s unlikely to happen again : FLUKE

A fluke is a stroke of luck. The term “fluke” is thought to have originated as a lucky stroke in the game of billiards back in the mid-1800s.

31D Chips with a “Blue Heat” flavor : TAKIS

Takis are a brand of rolled corn tortilla chips, first introduced in Mexico in 1999. The most successful variety is “Fuego”, which comes in a purple bag and delivers a powerful kick of hot chili pepper and lime. That sounds fantastic …

32D Name inside of a libretto? : BRETT

The name “Brett” is hidden within the word “libretto”.

A libretto can be the book that contains the text of a dramatic musical work, with the text itself also being called the libretto.

36D “Seasons of Love” musical : RENT

“Seasons of Love” is a song from the musical “Rent” that starts out with the line “Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes”. That’s the number of minutes in a year.

38D ___ Wilson, four-time W.N.B.A. M.V.P. : A’JA

Professional basketball player A’ja Wilson was the first pick in the 2018 WNBA draft, after which she signed for the Las Vegas Aces. She won Olympic Gold at the 2020 Olympics, and captained the Aces in 2022 when the team won their first league championship title.

43D 12, say : NOON

Our word “noon”, meaning “midday”, comes from the Latin “nona hora” that translates as “ninth hour”. Back in ancient Rome, the “ninth hour” was three in the afternoon. Over the centuries, traditions such as church prayers and “midday” meals shifted from 3 p.m. to 12 p.m., and so “noon” became understood as 12 noon.

45D Source of Manchego cheese : SPAIN

Manchego is a cheese made from sheep’s milk that comes from La Mancha in Spain. The term “Manchego” is used to describe things related to La Mancha.

49D Exhibits one of the seven deadly sins : ENVIES

The cardinal sins of Christian ethics are also known as the seven deadly sins. The seven sins are:

• Wrath
• Greed
• Sloth
• Pride
• Lust
• Envy
• Gluttony

56D Earthy tone : OCHRE

Ocher is a light, yellowish-brown color, although variations of the pigment are possible such as red ocher and purple ocher. “Ocher” is usually spelled “ochre” on the other side of the pond.

57D Some skin irritants : MITES

Mites are tiny arthropods in the arachnid (spider) class. They are (annoyingly!) very successful creatures that have adapted to all sorts of habitats. And being so small, mites generally pass unnoticed. Ick …

59D Pair in the press : ITEM

An unmarried couple known to be involved with each other might appear in the gossip columns. This appearance as “an item” in the papers led to the use of “item” to refer to such a couple, but only since the very early seventies.

61D Dorm V.I.P.s : RAS

Resident assistant/adviser (RA)

62D Bit of gig gear : AMP

Musicians use “gig” to describe a job, a performance. The term originated in the early 1900s in the world of jazz. The derivative phrase “gig economy” applies to a relatively recent phenomenon where workers find themselves jumping from temporary job to temporary job, from gig to gig.