1/26/25 - Letter Openers ✉️

🏁 Solve –> Letter Openers by Rich Proulx

21A | Frozen treat with a domed lid

ICEE

The invention of the ICEE is credited to Omar Knedlik, an American businessman who accidentally created the slushy carbonated beverage in 1958 at the Dairy Queen he owned in Coffeyville, Kansas, when a broken refrigerator forced him to store his soda in the freezer.

An instant hit with customers, Knedlik soon received a patent for a machine that would purposely produce this new frozen concoction. In addition to selling the treat under the ICEE brand name, Knedlik licensed his machines to the 7-Eleven chain of convenience stores under the condition that they sell their drinks using a different moniker. Thus, in 1965, the Slurpee (a reference to the sound made when consuming one) was introduced – though an ICEE by any other name tastes just as sweet.

37A | Water feature created by rising sea levels

RIA

A ria is formed when the lower part of a river valley floods, forming an estuary – a body of water where river water and seawater mix. In most cases, they are the result of glaciers that melted 11-12,000 years ago.

⚠️ FYI: Technically, Earth is still in the midst of an "Ice Age," though we are currently living through an "interglacial" period – one in which warmer temperatures cause glaciers to retreat rather than advance.

53A | ___ Collins, author of "The Hunger Games"

SUZANNE

Before Suzanne Collins achieved international fame for her Hunger Games book series (and subsequent film adaptations starring Jennifer Lawrence), she worked as a writer on various children's television shows including Clarissa Explains It All, Generation O!, and Clifford's Puppy Days.

62A | French aperitif

KIR

Kir is a fruit-flavored French cocktail made with a 9:1 ratio of white wine to blackcurrant liqueur (crème de cassis).

Referred to locally as blanc-cassis, the drink was re-branded to bear the name of Félix Kir, a Catholic priest and integral figure in the French Resistance during World War II. After the war, Kir was knighted and became the mayor of Dijon (a town in Burgundy, the region where the drink originated). In this role he became known for serving the aperitif to visiting delegations.

102A | "Ten-___!"

HUT

In military parlance, "Ten-hut" is a command used to call soldiers to attention – "ten" a shortened form of "attention," and "hut" serving as emphasis on account of being short, clear, and easy to understand at a distance.

For these reasons, "hut" was previously employed (along with "hup") by herders and coachmen to command animals. It now commonly heard on football broadcasts, with NFL quarterbacks having adopted the sharp syllable as part of the coded series of verbalizations they bark at the center before the ball is hiked.

119A | "White & ___" (2006 Weird Al Yankovic parody)

NERDY

Upon its release in 2006, "White & Nerdy" marked a return to mainstream success for "Weird Al" Yankovic, a musician famous for his song parodies and affinity for the accordion.

A spoof of "Ridin'" by Houston rapper Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone (of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony), "Weird Al"'s version swapped out lyrics about trying to stay a step ahead of the police with references to Dungeons & Dragons, Stephen Hawking, comic books, HTML, and speaking Klingon.

The song peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, besting Yankovic's previous high of #12 for his 1984 Michael Jackson parody "Eat It." (Meanwhile, Chamillionaire's original track reached #1 on the same chart and won the 2007 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.)

👉 BONUS BIT: The "gangsters" at the beginning of the "White & Nerdy" music video are portrayed by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, Mad TV cast members who eventually created their own sketch comedy show (Key & Peele).

8D | Largest public sch. in the U.S., by enrollment

ASU

With over 73,000 students (graduate and undergraduate) spread across multiple campuses and cities, Arizona State University is – by its own admission (pun intended!) – merely "among" the largest public universities in the country, a list that also includes Texas A&M, Central Florida, Ohio State, and Florida.

When it comes to private schools, New York University (NYU) and the University of Southern California (USC) top the charts with around 50,000 diploma seekers.

Western Governors University boasts an eye-popping enrollment of 150,000+, but because it operates entirely online it is often viewed in a separate category as far as rankings are concerned.

34D | White House dog of the 1980s

REX

Rex, a male Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was a 1985 Christmas present from Ronald Reagan to his wife Nancy.

He was named after Rex Scouten, the White House's Chief Usher (head of operations and household staff) from 1969-1986 and Curator (tasked with overseeing the 60,000+ objects – from fine art to furniture and everything in between – in the residence's collection) from 1986-1997.

Beginning with George Washington, animals have been a mainstay in the Executive Residence over the years (with the exception of three pet-free presidential tenures under James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump).

Among the usual assortment of cats, dogs, and birds, several unexpected creatures have also spent time on the grounds:

• Sheep (Thomas Jefferson, Woodrow Wilson)
• Silkworms (John Quincy Adams)
• Opossums (Benjamin Harrison, Herbert Hoover)
• Hyena, black bear, lion cubs (Theodore Roosevelt)
• Raccoon (Calvin Coolidge)

👉 BONUS BIT: The source of "Fido" (from the Latin for "faithful") as an archetypal dog's name can be traced back to Abraham Lincoln, whose favorite pet was well-known throughout the country on account of being the first Presidential pooch to have its photo taken.

98D | Comedian Radner

GILDA

Gilda Radner (1946-1989) was one of the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live's seven original "Not Ready For Prime Time Players," appearing on the show from its inception in 1975 until departing in 1980.

In 1978, she won an Emmy for her performance on the show – an honor only three other SNL cast members share: Chevy Chase (1977), Dana Carvey (1993), and Kate McKinnon (2016, 2017).

Radner was married to actor Gene Wilder when she passed away from ovarian cancer at the untimely age of 42.

100D | Planet whose day is longer than its year

VENUS

Averaging a distance of only 67 million miles from the Sun, Venus is able to complete one complete orbit around the star in a speedy 225 (Earth) days.

However, owing to its extremely dense atmosphere, it takes the planet a bit longer – 243 days – to rotate fully around on its axis.

👉 BONUS BIT: Along with Uranus, Venus is one of only two planets in our solar system to spin clockwise (east to west).