Tag: What might have bumps on a log? crossword clue

Bill’s time: 12m 06s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Easter starter? : NOR-

A nor’easter is a storm that blows from the northeast.

4 Element of an English Opening in chess : PAWN

In the game of chess, the pawns are the weakest pieces on the board. A pawn that can make it to the opposite side of the board can be promoted to a piece of choice, usually a queen. Using promotion of pawns, it is possible for a player to have two or more queens on the board at one time. However, standard chess sets come with only one queen per side, so a captured rook is often used as the second queen by placing it on the board upside down.

8 Hayek who portrayed Frida Kahlo : SALMA

Salma Hayek is a Mexican actress. Hayek was the first Mexican national to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, earning that nomination with her portrayal of artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 movie “Frida”.

14 George who wrote “Romola” : ELIOT

“Romola” is a novel by George Eliot that was first published in serial form in 1862-63. The story takes place in Florence during the Italian Renaissance, and has many references to actual historical events and notable figures of the time. This setting for “Romola” sets it apart from Eliot’s other novels, which take place in 19th-century England.

“George Eliot” was the pen name of English novelist Mary Anne Evans. As one might think, Evans chose a male pen name in order that her work might be best appreciated in the Victorian era. Eliot wrote seven novels including “Adam Bede” (1859), “The Mill on the Floss” (1860), “Silas Marner” (1861) and “Middlemarch” (1871-72).

16 “See ya!” : ADIOS!

The term “adiós” is Spanish for “goodbye”. “Adiós” comes from the phrase “a Dios vos acomiendo” meaning “I commend you to God”.

20 What might have bumps on a log? : TOAD

The “warts” on the skin of a toad have no relation to the viral infection that can occur on human skin. A toad’s warts are colored bumps that are believed to help the animal blend more effectively into its environment.

21 DVR pioneer : TIVO

TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful digital video recorder (DVR).

23 The last pope Julius : III

Pope Julius III was head of the Roman Catholic church from 1550 to 1555.

24 Makes the rounds : CIRCULATES (CIRCUS + LATE)

The Circus Maximus was an ancient stadium used for chariot racing in Rome. It was the first such stadium built by the Romans, and was the largest ever to be built in the whole of the Roman Empire. The Circus Maximus was over 2,000 feet long and just under 400 feet wide, and could house about 15,000 spectators. There is very little of the original structure remaining and the site is now used as a major park. It was the Circus Maximus and similar “circa” that gave rise to our contemporary word “circus” describing an arena used by clowns, acrobats, etc.

26 Large, flightless birds : EMUS (EMULATES – LATE)

The large flightless birds called emus make sounds by manipulating inflatable neck-sacs. The sac is about a foot long, has a thin wall and allows the bird to emit a booming sound. The type of sound emitted is the easiest way to differentiate between male and female emus.

31 King at the start of “Game of Thrones” : ROBERT

“A Game of Thrones” is the first novel in the series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin titled “A Song of Ice and Fire”. That first novel’s title gives its name to “Game of Thrones”, the incredibly popular HBO television series that uses the storyline from the whole series of books.

37 Overnight work assignment … or a hint to understanding four rows of answers in this puzzle : LATE SHIFT

In a three-shift working system, the shifts are known by various names:

1. First shift, day shift
2. Second shift, swing shift
3. Third shift, night shift, graveyard shift

40 Cry at la Copa Mundial : GOL!

In Spanish, supporters might shout “gol!” (goal!) at the “Copa Mundial” (World Cup) of soccer.

42 Forensic inits. : CSI

Crime scene investigation (CSI)

Something described as forensic is connected with a court of law, or with public discussion or debate. The term comes from the Latin “forensis” meaning “of a forum, of a place of assembly”. We mainly use the word today to mean “pertaining to legal trials” as in “forensic medicine” and “forensic science”.

56 Draped garment : SARI

The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that it is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.

58 ___ mater : ALMA

The term “alma mater” is used to describe a school from which one has graduated. It can also describe a school’s song or hymn.

62 Size option at Starbucks : VENTI (VENTILATE – LATE)

Starbucks introduced us to coffee drinks in a whole range of volumes:

• Demi … 3 fl oz
• Short … 8 fl oz
• Tall … 12 fl oz
• Grande … 16 fl oz (Italian for “large”)
• Venti … 20 fl oz (Italian for “twenty”)
• Trenta … 30 fl oz (Italian for “thirty”)

65 Sister ___ Prejean, author of the 1993 best seller “Dead Man Walking” : HELEN

“Dead Man Walking” is a 1995 film starring Sean Penn as a prisoner on death row in Louisiana, and Susan Sarandon as a nun who becomes his spiritual advisor. The movie is based on the true story of Sister Helen Prejean, a nun who acted as a spiritual advisor to two convicted murderers on Death Row in the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

68 Onetime Ford executive : EDSEL

Edsel Ford was the only child of automobile manufacturing pioneer Henry Ford. Edsel became president of Ford Motors, as Henry’s sole heir, and served in that capacity from 1919 until his death in 1943. Henry’s name is very much associated with the Model T, the Tin Lizzie. Edsel was the man behind the subsequent development of the more fashionable Model A. However, despite Edsel’s many successes, his name is inextricably linked with the highly unsuccessful Edsel line of cars.

Down

1 Nada : NIL

The word “nothing” translates to “nada” in Spanish, and to “rien” in French.

5 Chicken ___ king : A LA

A dish prepared “à la king” (usually chicken or turkey), is prepared in a cream sauce with mushrooms, pimentos, green peppers and sherry.

12 World Cup datum : ASSIST

The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious tournament in the sport of soccer. The competition has been held every four years (excluding the WWII years) since the inaugural event held in Uruguay in 1930. The men’s World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, even outranking the Olympic Games. And, the women’s World Cup is fast catching up …

15 “I really appreciate it!,” in textspeak : TYVM!

Thank you very much (TYVM)

24 X : CHI

The letter chi is the 22nd letter in the Greek alphabet, and the one that looks like our Roman letter X.

30 Camper’s protection : DEET

“DEET” is short for “N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide”, an active ingredient in insect repellents. DEET is most often used to repel mosquitoes by applying it to the skin and/or clothing. It is also used to protect against tick bites.

34 Camper’s detritus : ASH

Detritus is loose material that results from the process of erosion. The usage of the term has evolved to describe any accumulated material or debris. “Detritus” is Latin for “a wearing away”.

40 Euphemism for a lesbian couple : GAL PALS

Lesbos is a Greek island in the northeast of the Aegean Sea. The Greek poet Sappho came from Lesbos, and she was a woman noted for her powerful emotional poems directed towards other females. It is because of the writings of Sappho from Lesbos that we have our word “lesbian”.

42 Hybrid beverage in a Bloody Caesar cocktail : CLAMATO

Clamato is a drink made by Mott’s that is a blend of tomato juice and clam broth flavored with spices.The drink is intended to be reminiscent of Manhattan-style clam chowder.

The cocktail known as a Caesar is reminiscent of a Bloody Mary, and so is often referred to as a Bloody Caesar. It’s basically a Bloody Mary with the addition of clam juice. The clam juice comes as part of Clamato, a proprietary blend of tomato juice and clam broth. The Caesar was invented in 1969 by restaurateur Walter Chell in Calgary Alberta. Although very popular in Canada, the drink isn’t seen very often in the US.

43 One in 100 : SENATOR

The US Senate comprises 100 senators, with each of the fifty states being represented by two popularly elected senators. US senators were appointed by their state legislators from 1798 through 1913, until the Seventeenth Amendment called for popular elections.

44 Points to, in a way : IDS

Identity document (ID)

45 Cutter with a curve : SCYTHE

I guess there are several designs of scythe, e.g. English scythes and Austrian scythes. The two main components of any scythe are the blade and the handle known as a snaith.

60 Former name signifier : NEE

“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”. The term “née” is mainly used in English when referring to a married woman’s birth name, assuming that she has adopted her husband’s name, e.g. Michelle Obama née Robinson, Melania Trump née Knavs, and Jill Biden née Jacobs.

61 Show with “featured players,” in brief : SNL

The youngest person to host “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) was Drew Barrymore, at age 7 in 1982. The oldest host was Betty White, at 88 in 2010.

63 X : TEN

The number 10 is written as X in Roman numerals.