Tag: Position in a bridge game crossword clue

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

15A ___ Holmes, 2020s role for Millie Bobby Brown : ENOLA

“The Enola Holmes Mysteries” is a series of detective novels for young adults by American author Nancy Springer. The title character is the 14-year-old sister of 34-year-old Sherlock Holmes, the detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Springer’s novels were adapted into a series of “Enola Holmes” films that Netflix picked up at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Very enjoyable movies …

Actress Millie Bobby Brown was just twelve years old when she landed her breakthrough role, playing Eleven in the sci-fi horror show “Stranger Things”. I must admit that I really only know her from playing the title role in the very entertaining mystery movies “Enola Holmes” (2020) and “Enola Holmes 2” (2022). Brown was born to British parents in Marbella, Spain, and moved with them to Orlando, Florida when she was eight years old. In 2024, she married Jake Bongiovi, son of rock musician Jon Bon Jovi.

18A Jack ___ : SPRAT

“Jack Sprat” is a nickname given in the 16th century to people of small stature. Jack featured in a proverb of the day:

Jack will eat not fat, and Jull doth love no leane. Yet betwixt them both they lick the dishes cleane.

Over time, this mutated into a nursery rhyme that is still recited in England:

Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean. And so between them both, you see, they licked the platter clean.

20A Covers for campers : TARPS

Originally, tarpaulins were made from canvas covered in tar that rendered the material waterproof. The word “tarpaulin” comes from “tar” and “palling”, with “pall” meaning “heavy cloth covering”.

24A Astrophysicist ___ deGrasse Tyson : NEIL

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist who is noted for his ability to communicate science to the masses. Tyson is well known for his appearances on the great PBS show “Nova”.

29A Chocolate toffee bar since 1981 : SKOR

The candy bar named “Skor” is produced by Hershey’s. “Skor” is Swedish for “shoes”, and the candy bar’s wrapping features a crown that is identical to that found in the Swedish national emblem. What shoes have to do with candy, I don’t know …

30A Modern component in a digital display, in brief : OLED

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are light-emitting diodes that are often used for digital displays. They utilize organic compounds to produce light when an electrical current is applied. Unlike traditional liquid-crystal displays that rely on backlights, each pixel in an OLED emits its own light, enabling deeper blacks, higher contrast ratios, and more vibrant colors.

35A What may precede a texter’s two cents : IMHO

In my humble opinion (IMHO)

To put in one’s two cents is to add one’s opinion. The American expression derives from the older English version, which is “to put in one’s two pennies’ worth”.

46A 1880s-’90s veep ___ P. Morton : LEVI

Levi P. Morton served as US Vice President under President Benjamin Harrison, from 1889 to 1893. Morton lived to the ripe old age of 96 years, making him the second longest-lived of all US Vice Presidents. Only John Nance Garner lived longer, passing away just a few days shy of his 99th birthday.

61A Hit musical set in Buenos Aires : EVITA

“Evita” was the follow-up musical to “Jesus Christ Superstar” for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Both of these works were originally released as album musicals, and very successful ones at that (I remember buying them when they first came out). “Evita” was made into a film in 1996, with Madonna playing the title role and Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce playing her husband Juan Perón.

67A “Call Me Maybe” singer Carly ___ Jepsen : RAE

“Call Me Maybe” was released as a single in 2011 by Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen. Jepsen co-wrote the number originally as a folk song, but it was transformed into pop during production.

73A C7H5N3O6, for short : TNT

“TNT” is an abbreviation for “trinitrotoluene”. It was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Julius Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

Down

1D Automotive giant headquartered in Austin, Tex. : TESLA

Tesla Motors was founded in 2003 as a manufacturer of electric vehicles based in Palo Alto, California. Tesla is noted for producing the first electric sports car, called the Tesla Roadster. The company followed the sports car with a luxury sedan, the Model S. The Model S was the world’s best selling plug-in electric vehicle of 2015. Tesla Motors shortened its name to Tesla in early 2017.

5D Chinese zodiac creature : RAT

The 12-year cycle in the Chinese calendar uses the following animals in order:

• Rat
• Ox
• Tiger
• Rabbit
• Dragon
• Snake
• Horse
• Goat
• Monkey
• Rooster
• Dog
• Pig

8D Marbled gemstone : AGATE

The rock-like, semi-precious stone called “agate” takes its name from the Achates River in Sicily. Greek naturalist Theophrastus first discovered the banded stones along the edge of the river (now called the Dirillo) around 300 BCE.

14D Pioneer in developing alternating current : TESLA

Nikola Tesla was born in the Austrian Empire in a village located in modern-day Croatia, and later moved to the US. Tesla’s work on mechanical and electrical engineering was crucial to the development of alternating current technology, the same technology that is used by equipment at the backbone of modern power generation and distribution systems.

32D The sun : SOL

Sol was the Roman god personifying the Sun. For centuries, English astronomers have used the name “Sol” for our sun, to distinguish it from suns in other planetary systems.

36D Lost, for short : MIA

Missing in action (MIA)

44D Taiwanese president ___ Ing-wen : TSAI

Tsai Ing-wen was elected as Taiwan’s first female president in 2016. Tsai was also the nation’s first unmarried president.

52D Tanning agents, informally : UV RAYS

At either end of the visible light spectrum are the invisible forms of radiation known as infrared (IR) light and ultraviolet (UV) light. IR light lies just beyond the red end of the visible spectrum, and UV light lies just below the violet end.

53D Gemstone with biological roots : PEARL

Pearls form in oysters because of a reaction that is similar to an immune system response in higher animals. The pearl is formed as the oysters lay down successive layers of calcium carbonate around some microscopic foreign body that has penetrated the shell.

54D H.S. media room : AV LAB

Audio-visual (AV)

59D Posh clothing material : SATIN

The material known as “satin” takes its name from “Zayton”, the medieval Arabic name for the Chinese port city of Quanzhou. Quanzhou was used for the export of large amounts of silk to Europe.

60D Site of the Ten Plagues : EGYPT

According to the biblical Book of Exodus, God inflicted ten plagues on Egypt to persuade the Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage. For example, the first was the changing of water in the Nile to blood, the eighth was a plague of locusts that consumed all the Egyptian crops, and the tenth was the death of firstborn sons.

65D Traditional Japanese drama : NOH

Noh is a form of musical drama in Japan that has been around since the 14th century. Many of the Noh performers are masked, allowing all the roles to be played by men, including the female parts.

66D QB Manning : ELI

Eli Manning is a retired footballer who played quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning retired from football as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 2016. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback. Eli, Peyton and Archie co-authored a book for children titled “Family Huddle” in 2009. It describes the Mannings playing football together as young boys.