To apply a Bob Dylan song title to crossword puzzles, the times they are a-changin'. Brand names and product names used to be taboo in crosswords but now they appear quite frequently. AOL, IBM, RCA, ATRA, SERTA, SEALY and OREO are among the most common. In today's puzzle titled "Product Expansion," Jim Holland incorporates a brand name in each theme answer:
Automaker's expansion into music? HONDAACCORDIONS
Candy company's expansion into exercise equipment? HERSHEYBARBELLS
Drink container company's expansion into bakery products? DIXIECUPCAKES
Jewelry company's expansion into fishing for delicacies? TIFFANYLAMPREYS
Cleaning products company's expansion into arena seating? CLOROXBLEACHERS
Writing implement company's expansion into jewelry? BICPENDANTS
Kitchen supplies company's expansion into security? SOSPADLOCKS
Commercial.....but clever. Jim Holland's crosswords frequently appear in Simon & Schuster puzzle magazines and
The Journal Of Higher Education. His first puzzle to appear in the
New York Times and
Los Angeles Times was in November 2015. Today's is his fifth.
The paraffin-and-paper Dixie Cup, originally known as Health Kup, was created in 1907 by Lawrence Luellen, a Massachusetts lawyer. He also invented an ice-cooled water vending machine. The dispenser and cups soon became standard equipment on railroads which had previously used unsanitary water bowls, glasses and ladles. A history of the Dixie Cup, illustrated with several old advertisements, is on the Lafayette University website:
https://sites.lafayette.edu/dixieexhibit/1910s/"Bud in Baja" is AMIGO, which is not used in English. "Montivideo Mrs." is SRA, which is not used in English. "Latin trio part" is AMAT, which is not used in English. "Him, to Henri" is LUI, which is not used in English. "Nice summers" is ETES, which is not used in English. "___-de-France" is ILE, which is not used in English. " Second-easternmost U.S. state capital" is BOSTON. The easternmost is Augusta, Maine.
"Ballpark rallying cry based on a 1950s hit" is DAY-O, a chant in Harry Belafonte's 1956 hit
The Banana Boat Song. I have never understood why a word used by banana pickers is sung by fans at a baseball game. I also don't understand why baseball fans insist on yelling "Charge!" when a batter is trying to get a hit. Maybe the fans think the batter is planning to join military troops making a foray into Apache territory. I don't know. Here is
The Banana Boat Song, which has absolutely
nothing to do with baseball:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMigXnXMhQ4That's all for now. Daylight come and me wan' go home.
