Etymology
Checkmate means the king is done for on a chessboard, as check refers etymologically to one of these Persian bigwigs
A shah
It describes air heavy with water vapor
humid
Ryan Gosling & Christian Bale see bad times ahead in this 2015 movie about mortgage banking & more
The Big Short
Implied & express are the 2 main types of this promise to repair or replace a damaged item previously purchased
warranty
This largest lake in Africa is home to more than 200 species of fish, including tilapia
Victoria
In "Home On The Range", you'll hear this word that comes from the Latin for "heart" & "asunder"
discouraging
This word means just a speck, a little bit, un poquito
a smidgen
Lil Rel Howery eased the tension a bit as Daniel Kaluuya's wisecracking bud in this 2017 horror film
Get Out
This action means to take something innocuous & then make it suitable to use against another
weaponize
The 10th century Caliphate city of Medina Azahara in this European nation was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018
Spain
The Dutch for "a twist in a rope" gave us this adjective for something twisted, like a rope or a fetish
kinky
Pitcher Randy Johnson once said this act of giving a batter pause "is not in hitting a guy. It's the fear of it"
intimidation
On "Parks & Rec" this 4-legged phenom was Pawnee's biggest star; Andy sang "5,000 Candles In The Wind" at his memorial
Lil Sebastian
This spiral galaxy is named for its vortex-like shape
Whirlpool Galaxy
In 1898 the Rough Riders charged up Kettle Hill as well as this more famous one in Cuba
San Juan Hill
This holiday gets its name because it falls on the 50th day--nowadays the 50th day of the Easter season
Pentecost
Karl Marx wrote, "Force is the" this "of every old society pregnant with a new one"
midwife
Before "Everything Everywhere All at Once", Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert directed "Turn Down for What" by DJ Snake & this rapper
Lil Jon
For a big discovery around 1912, Tom Slick was dubbed a king of this type of speculative oil drilling with a feline name
wildcatting
Man Mo Temple is not just a Buddhist temple; it is named for two gods of this philosophy many in Hong Kong follow as well
Taoism
Animals' ears are called these; the same-named parts of the heart get their name due to a resemblance to them
auricles
This plural-sounding word for the area in the center of a boat is an adverb, as in “There was fierce fighting”
amidships
Al Capp created this comic strip set in good ol' Dogpatch
Lil Abner
It sounds bad, but it's a type of firm fabric made from twisted, compacted yarn & often used for suits & pleated skirts
worsted
Of the 7 countries whose names end in "-stan", it's alphabetically last
Uzbekistan