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Constructed by: Amie Walker
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 16m 44s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Tach readings : RPMS

The tachometer takes its name from the Greek word “tachos” meaning “speed”. A tachometer in a car measures engine revolutions per minute (rpm).

10 Annie Lennox, e.g. : SCOT

Annie Lennox is a Scottish singer who rose to fame as half of the duo Eurythmics, with David A. Stewart, in the 1980s. Lennox went solo in 1992, and has been riding high ever since.

18 __ noire : BETE

“Bête noire” translates from French as “black beast”, and is used in English to describe something or someone that is disliked.

19 “Funny or Die” segment : SKIT

“Funny or Die” is a TV production company and comedy website that was founded in 2007 by three Hollywood insiders including Will Ferrell. The website is home to comedic short films that feature some big names like Danny DeVito, Steve Carell, Selena Gomez and Mila Kunis. Users of the website can vote on the video clips, rating them as “funny” or “die”.

21 Country with the largest number of Quechua speakers : PERU

Quechua was the Native-American language adopted by the Incan Empire and favored over other dialects. Today, Quechua is one of the official languages in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, alongside Spanish.

25 Sweeney of “Euphoria” : SYDNEY

Actress Sydney Sweeney really hit the big time with television roles, playing Cassie Howard on “Euphoria” and Olivia Mossbacher on the first season of “White Lotus”.

30 Gridiron cues : HUTS

The quarterback (QB) starts each play in football with a snap (also called a “hike”). He announces to his teammates the exact moment of the snap by calling out signals, usually including the word “hut” one or more times in a prearranged sequence.

31 Spell : JAG

The terms “jag” and “bender” describe periods of unrestrained activity, particularly those involving alcohol. Both words have been in use since the 1800s.

34 Moonrise direction : EAST

Moonrise and moonset are the times when the moon appears above and disappears below the horizon. The moon rises in the east and sets in the west, as does the sun, due to the direction of the Earth’s rotation.

37 Caesar dressing? : TOGA

In ancient Rome, the color of a man’s toga could indicate the wearer’s social status. For example, a plain white toga (known as a “toga candida”) was worn by candidates for political office, while a “toga praetexta” with a purple border was worn by magistrates and certain priests. A “toga picta”, which was decorated with elaborate embroidery and gold trim, was reserved for victorious generals and triumphal processions.

The most famous Roman known as “Caesar” was Gaius Julius Caesar, the dictator usually referred to as Julius Caesar. It was Julius Caesar’s actions and assassination that ushered in the end of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Roman Empire. The name Gaius Julius Caesar was also used by the dictator’s father, and indeed by his grandfather.

40 1990s TV nerd : URKEL

Steve Urkel is a character on the TV show “Family Matters” that originally aired in the late eighties and nineties. The Urkel character was the archetypal “geek”, played by Jaleel White. Urkel was originally written into the show’s storyline for just one episode, but before long, Urkel was the show’s most popular recurring character.

43 Belief systems : CREEDS

A creed or credo is a profession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

50 AFC East team : PATS

The New England Patriots football team was founded in 1959 as the Boston Patriots. The “Patriots” name was selected from suggestions made by football fans in Boston. The team played at several different stadiums in the Boston area for just over ten years, before moving to their current home base in Foxborough, Massachusetts. At the time of the move, the “Boston” name was dropped and changed to “New England”.

54 “Dance the Night” singer Dua __ : LIPA

“Dance the Night” is a 2023 song co-written and recorded by English-Albanian singer/songwriter Dua Lipa. It made it the number one spot in the UK and Ireland, but not in the US. Dua Lipa appeared in the celebrated 2023 movie “Barbie”, playing Mermaid Barbie. In return, Barbie’s director Greta Gerwig made a cameo in the music video for “Dance in the Night”.

55 Tool for turning over a new leaf? : SALAD TONGS

A pair of tongs is a tool with a scissor-like hinge used to pick up things, like meat cooking on a barbecue grill or ice from an ice bucket. The verb “to tong” means “to handle with tongs”.

Down

2 Allium cultivar : LEEK

The leek is a vegetable closely related to the onion and the garlic. It is also a national emblem of Wales (along with the daffodil), although I don’t think we know for sure how this came to be. One story is that the Welsh were ordered to wear leeks in their helmets to identify themselves in a battle against the Saxons. Apparently, the battle took place in a field of leeks.

6 Flood with negative replies on social media : RATIO

In the world of social media, a post that is “ratioed” is one that generates more negative comments than positive comments. The ratio of negative to positive is positive, if you know what I mean …

7 Jape : PRANK

“To jape” means “to joke or quip”. The exact origins of “jape” are unclear, but it does seem to come from Old French. In the mid-1600s, “to jape” was a slang term meaning “to have sex with”. No joke …!

9 Collections that include tokkuri and ochoko : SAKE SETS

A sake set comprises the essential elements to serve sake, commonly called “Japanese rice wine”. The elements of the set are a “tokkuri”, usually a bulbous flask with a narrow neck, and several “ochoko”, serving cups.

11 “You gouda brie kidding me,” for one? : CHEESY JOKE

Gouda is a cheese that originated in the Dutch city of the same name, although today Gouda is produced all over the world and very little of it comes from the Netherlands. Gouda is often smoke-cured, which gives it a yellowish-brown outer skin and that characteristic smoky taste.

Brie is a soft cheese that is named for the French region in which it originated. Brie is similar to the equally famous (and delicious) Camembert. Brie is often served baked in puff pastry with fig jam.

12 Closing bars : OUTRO

In the world of pop music, an outro is the opposite to an intro. An outro might perhaps be the concluding track of an album, for example.

13 Country group, briefly? : THE UN

The United Nations was established right after the end of WWII, and was a replacement for the ineffective League of Nations that had been formed after the end of WWI. The US was at the forefront of the founding of the United Nations, led by President Franklin Roosevelt just prior to the start of WWII. The UN’s headquarters is in international territory in New York. There are three regional UN headquarters, also located in international territory, in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi.

15 Cartoon boy in a Space Cub troop : ELROY

“The Jetsons” is an animated show from Hanna-Barbera that had its first run in 1962-1963, and then was recreated in 1985-1987. When it debuted in 1963 on ABC, “The Jetsons” was the network’s first ever color broadcast. “The Jetsons” is like a space-age version of “The Flintstones”. The four Jetson family members are George and Jane, the parents, and children Judy and Elroy. Residing with the family in Orbit City are their household robot Rosie and pet dog Astro.

26 10 jiao : YUAN

The jiao is a unit of currency used both in Mainland China and in Taiwan. There are 10 jiao in 1 yuan, and 10 fen in 1 jiao.

27 “Feel free to contact me privately on social” : DMS ARE OPEN

Direct message (DM)

36 HTML data : META TAGS

HTML Meta tags are snippets of information, primarily directed at search engines, that reveal basic information about a web page. Examples of meta tags are title tags, that give the title of the page, and description tags, that describe the content of the page.

37 Yoga stance also called Vrksasana : TREE POSE

The tree pose in yoga is more correctly known as “vrikshasana”. It involves standing on one leg, with the other leg bent and the foot placed on the inner thigh of the straight leg. The hands are placed together and raised directly over the head.

40 Samovar : URN

The samovar originated in Russia. It is a water boiler, one usually used for making tea. As such, there is often an attachment on top of a samovar to keep a teapot warm.

43 Airbnb listing : CONDO

The terms “condominium” and “apartment” tend to describe the same type of residential property, namely a private living space with facilities shared with others residing in the same building or complex. The difference is that a condominium is usually owned, and an apartment is rented. At least that’s how it is in the US. The word “condominium” comes from the Latin “com-” (together) and “dominum” (right of ownership).

Airbnb is a website-based service that matches people wanting to rent out short-term living quarters to people seeking accommodation. The company was founded in 2008 as AirBed & Breakfast. The original concept was renting out an “air bed” and providing “breakfast” to someone looking for cheap, temporary accommodation. That’s right; the “Air” in “Airbnb” has nothing to do with “air” travel …

45 Allium cultivar : CHIVE

Chives are the smallest species of edible onion, and a favorite of mine …

46 Galia, for one : MELON

The galia melon is a hybrid developed in Israel in the 1970s. It has been described as a cross between the best characteristics of the cantaloup and the best characteristics of a honeydew.

47 “Deadliest Catch” boatload : CRABS

“Deadliest Catch” is yet another reality show, although this one is perhaps worth a look. It is produced for the Discovery Channel and deals with the exciting life on board fishing boats in the Bering Sea.

52 Neutrogena product : T/GEL

Neutrogena is a brand of skincare products that was founded in 1930 as a cosmetics company called Natone.

53 Much of E. Europe, once : SSRS

The former Soviet Union (officially “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics” or “USSR”) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and comprised fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).