Day: March 20, 2013

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Beavers’ projects DAMS
Beavers build dams so that they can live in and around the slower and deeper water that builds up above the dam. This deeper water provides more protection for the beavers from predators such as bears. Beavers are nocturnal animals and do all their construction work at night.

13. Thick-furred dog SPITZ
Spitz-type dogs are those with long thick fur that is usually white. Most spitz-type dogs seem to have originated in the Arctic and/or East Asia. Examples of breed described as spitz-type are the Alaskan Malamute and the Canadian Eskimo Dog.

15. Opera that premiered in Cairo in 1871 AIDA
“Aida” is the famous opera by Giuseppe Verdi, actually based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, who also designed the costumes and stages for the opening performance. The opera was first performed in 1871 in an opera house in Cairo. In the storyline, Aida is an Ethiopian princess brought into Egypt as a slave. Radames is an Egyptian commander who falls in love with her, and then of course complications arise!

18. Febreze target ODOR
The odor eliminating product we know today as Febreze was developed in England, and is now produced by Product & Gamble.

23. Bygone full-size Ford LTD
There has been a lot of speculation about what the acronym LTD stands for in the car model known as “Ford LTD”. Many say it stands for Luxury Trim Decor, and others that it is an abbreviation for “limited”. Although the car was produced in Australia with the acronym meaning Lincoln Type Design, it seems LTD was originally chosen as just three meaningless letters that sound well together.

24. Federal air marshals’ org. TSA
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.

The US air marshal program was created by President Kennedy in 1963, with the initial force of only six marshals assigned to flights that were considered at high risk for a hijacking. Just before 9/11, the number of marshals had increased to 33. The exact number of marshals employed today is classified, but it is thought to be thousands.

25. __ Nashville: country music label MCA
Today’s MCA Nashville country music label started out in 1945 as the country music division of Decca Records, and was based in New York. The division was moved to Nashville in 1955.

26. Cosmetics mogul Mary Kay ASH
Mary Kay Ash founded her skincare and cosmetics company, somewhat ominously on Friday 13th, 1963. In 1968, Mary Kay Ash bought herself a pink Cadillac, specially painted to match the color of one of her compacts. The car became so famous that she gave away five of them to her top saleswoman, a tradition that lasts to this day.

32. Celeb with all the answers TREBEK
Canadian-born Alex Trebek has been the host of the game show “Jeopardy” since 1984.

34. End of Ali’s memorable boast STING LIKE A BEE
Muhammad Ali first used his famous catchphrase “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” before his world title fight against Sonny Liston in 1964. Back then Ali still went by his birth name of Cassius Clay.

37. Green Hornet’s driver KATO
In “The Green Hornet” television series, Kato was famously played by Bruce Lee. The Kato role has been cited as a driving force behind the increase in popularity of martial arts in the US during the sixties.

39. Sack lead-in KNAP-
“Knapsack” is a Low German word for a bag with straps designed to be carried on the back. The word “knapsack” probably comes from the German verb “knappen” meaning “to eat”.

49. __ majesty: high treason LESE
Lèse majesté is the crime of offending the dignity of the “majesty” or sovereign, or the state. The term is from French Law, and comes from the law of Ancient Rome. In Latin “laesa maiestas” means “injured majesty”. Clearly, the term has no relevance in the United States but in other countries, including many in Europe, the law is occasionally cited.

54. Billy’s bleat MAA
“Maa” is the call of a goat.

62. Valentine’s Day deity AMOR
Cupid, the Greek god of desire, was also known as Amor. “Cupido” is Latin for “desire” and “amor” is Latin for “love”.

Saint Valentine’s Day was chosen by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD to honor various martyrs with the name Valentine. However, the saints’ day was dropped by the Catholic church in 1969, by Pope Paul VI. Try telling that to Hallmark though …

63. “Modelland” author Banks TYRA
Tyra Banks is a tremendously successful model and businesswoman. Banks created and hosts the hit show “America’s Next Top Model “, and also has her own talk show. She was also the first African American woman to make the cover of the “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit issue.

“Modelland” is a novel written by model Tyra Banks for young adults, and first published in 2011.

64. Scrabble’s blank pair TILES
The game of Scrabble has been produced in many international versions, and each of these editions has its own tile distribution to suit the local language. For example, in English we have two tiles worth ten points: one “Q” and one “Z”. If you play the game in French then there are five tiles worth ten points: one “K”, one “W”, one “X”, one “Y” and one “Z”.

68. Bridge bid, briefly ONE NO
“One no” is short for “one no-trump”, a common bid in the card game of bridge.

69. Netflix rentals DVDS
Netflix was founded in Los Gatos, California in 1997. The company delivered it’s billionth DVD in 2007. I presume the renter wasn’t charged for that movie …

71. Agts. who might use the starts of 20-, 34-, 42- and 56-Across G-MEN
The nickname “G-men” is short for “Government Men” and refers to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Down
1. Gallantry-in-combat mil. award DSC
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest honor awarded to members of the US Army. The DSC is equivalent to the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross.

4. Island seating STOOL
You might have stools to sit at a kitchen island.

5. Brit’s joint GAOL
Both “jail” and “gaol” are pronounced the same way, mean the same thing and are rooted in the same Latin word for “cave”. The spelling “gaol” is seen quite often in the UK, although it is gradually being replaced with “jail”. The “gaol” spelling has Norman roots and tends to be used in Britain in more formal documentation.

8. Coffeehouse specialist BARISTA
The person who serves coffee in a coffee shop is often called a “barista”. “Barista” is the Italian for “bartender”.

11. Fillmore’s successor PIERCE
Franklin Pierce was the only US President from the State of New Hampshire. Pierce was by all accounts a tragic figure. Even though he was from the north of the country, he had sympathies for the causes of the South. After he left office he formally declared support for the Confederacy during the Civil War, which completely destroyed his reputation in the North. His marriage fell apart, and he died in 1869 from cirrhosis of the liver after struggling with alcoholism for much of his life.

14. Full-figured ZAFTIG
A woman who is “zaftig” has a full and shapely figure. “Zaftig” comes from the Yiddish word “zaftik” meaning “juicy”. I am not going to touch that one …

21. Superstar search show, to fans IDOL
“American Idol” is a spin-off show that was created after the amazing success of the British television show “Pop Idol”. I can’t abide either program(me) …

22. Atkins no-no CARB
The eating of relatively few carbohydrates is central to the diet proposed by Robert Atkins. Atkins first laid out the principles behind the Atkins diet in a research paper published in 1958 in the “Journal of the American Medical Association”. He popularized his diet starting in 1972 with his book “Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution”.

30. Simone of jazz NINA
Nina Simone was the stage name of Eunice Waymon. Simone was very much associated with jazz music, although she really wanted to be a classical musician early in her career, inspired by a love for the music of Bach.

35. Bleak film genre NOIR
The expression “film noir” has French origins, but only in that it was coined by a French critic in describing a style of Hollywood film. The term, meaning “black film” in French, was first used by Nino Frank in 1946. Film noir often applies to a movie with a melodramatic plot and a private eye or detective at its center. Good examples would be “The Big Sleep” and “D.O.A”.

40. Pioneering ISP AOL
An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is just what the name indicates, a company that provides its customers with access to the Internet. One way that ISPs differentiate themselves from each other is in the way in which end users are connected to the ISP’s network. So, there are cable ISPs, DSL ISPs, dial-up ISPs and satellite ISPs. I’d go with cable if I were you, if it’s available in your area …

43. Jardin du Luxembourg, par exemple PARC
The “Jardin du Luxembourg” is the park surrounding the French Senate, which is housed in the Luxembourg Palace. One of the most famous sights in the park is the Medici Fountain that was built in 1630.

45. West Point inits. USMA
West Point is a military reservation in New York State, located north of New York City. West Point was first occupied by the Continental Army way back in 1778, making it the longest, continually-occupied military post in the country. Cadet training has taken place at the garrison since 1794, although Congress funding for a US Military Academy (USMA) didn’t start until 1802.

48. “Foundation” author ASIMOV
Isaac Asimov was a wonderful science fiction writer, and a professor of biochemistry. He was a favorite author as I was growing up and I must admit that some hero worship on my part led me to study and work as a biochemist for a short while early in my career. My favorite of his works is the collection of short stories called “I, Robot”, although Asimov’s most famous work is probably his “Foundation” trilogy of novels.

55. Gerontologist’s concern AGING
Gerontology is the study of all aspects of aging, including the biology, psychology and sociology. Geriatrics is the study of diseases encountered in older adults.

59. Small business owner’s figurative array HATS
A small business owner might wear several hats.

60. Ne or Na ELEM
Neon is a chemical element with the symbol Ne, and is one of the noble gases. The noble gases are those elements over on the extreme right of the Periodic Table. Because of their “full” complement of electrons, noble gases are very unreactive.

Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na. Sodium is a soft silvery metal, and is highly reactive. A dangerous experiment sometimes demonstrated at school is to drop a pellet of sodium into a bowl of water. The sodium reacts explosively with the water to form hydrogen gas and sodium hydroxide.

61. Artist Magritte RENE
Belgian artist René Magritte was a surrealist. His most recognized work maybe is “The Son of Man”, a painting he created as a self-portrait. It is the work that shows a man in a bowler hat with his face covered by an apple. The image features prominently in the great movie, the 1999 remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

65. George W., to George H.W. SON
President George W. Bush is of course named for his father, George H. W. Bush. The “W” in the name of both father and son stands for “Walker”. Walker was the family name of President George H. W. Bush’s mother, Dorothy Walker.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Beavers’ projects DAMS
5. Eat on the run, as a sandwich GRAB
9. Dainty drinks SIPS
13. Thick-furred dog SPITZ
15. Opera that premiered in Cairo in 1871 AIDA
16. Make ribbing with needles KNIT
17. Ski lodge mugful COCOA
18. Febreze target ODOR
19. Wine bucket, e.g. ICER
20. Shot from the side PROFILE PICTURE
23. Bygone full-size Ford LTD
24. Federal air marshals’ org. TSA
25. __ Nashville: country music label MCA
26. Cosmetics mogul Mary Kay ASH
29. Physics particles IONS
32. Celeb with all the answers TREBEK
34. End of Ali’s memorable boast STING LIKE A BEE
37. Green Hornet’s driver KATO
38. Habit wearer NUN
39. Sack lead-in KNAP-
42. Diner’s cell app TIP CALCULATOR
47. Like cheerleaders RAH-RAH
49. __ majesty: high treason LESE
50. Scheming SLY
51. Legal ending -ESE
52. Lamb’s pop RAM
54. Billy’s bleat MAA
56. Makeshift radio antenna WIRE COAT HANGER
62. Valentine’s Day deity AMOR
63. “Modelland” author Banks TYRA
64. Scrabble’s blank pair TILES
66. Respond to hilarity ROAR
67. “A likely story” I BET
68. Bridge bid, briefly ONE NO
69. Netflix rentals DVDS
70. So-so grades CEES
71. Agts. who might use the starts of 20-, 34-, 42- and 56-Across G-MEN

Down
1. Gallantry-in-combat mil. award DSC
2. Per A POP
3. Very small: Pref. MICR-
4. Island seating STOOL
5. Brit’s joint GAOL
6. Hitchhiker’s hope RIDE
7. Get a pound pooch, say ADOPT
8. Coffeehouse specialist BARISTA
9. Satirical miniature SKIT
10. Officeholders INCUMBENTS
11. Fillmore’s successor PIERCE
12. Bolt in the buff STREAK
14. Full-figured ZAFTIG
21. Superstar search show, to fans IDOL
22. Atkins no-no CARB
26. Pose ASK
27. RR stop STA
28. “Get lost” HIT THE ROAD
30. Simone of jazz NINA
31. Hard head? SKULL
33. “__ mouse!” EEK! A
35. Bleak film genre NOIR
36. Suffix with differ or defer -ENCE
40. Pioneering ISP AOL
41. Meddle PRY
43. Jardin du Luxembourg, par exemple PARC
44. Utterly confused CHAOTIC
45. West Point inits. USMA
46. Primitive shelter LEAN-TO
47. Wanted poster offer REWARD
48. “Foundation” author ASIMOV
53. “It could happen” MAYBE
55. Gerontologist’s concern AGING
57. Gets the wrong total, say ERRS
58. Branch locale TREE
59. Small business owner’s figurative array HATS
60. Ne or Na ELEM
61. Artist Magritte RENE
65. George W., to George H.W. SON

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