Day: October 30, 2013

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Big name in big trucks MACK
Mack Trucks was founded by John Mack in the early 1900s, after he had spent some years working in companies that made carriages and electric motor cars. Along with his two brothers, Mack started their company to focus on building heavy-duty trucks and engines.

9. TV’s Dick Van __ DYKE
The marvelous iconic comedian, actor, singer and dancer Dick Van Dyke has been in the world of entertainment since the 1940s when he was a radio announcer with the US military. He really made a name for himself on television in his iconic sitcom “The Dick Van Dyke Show”. On the big screen, Van Dyke’s most famous roles were in “Bye Bye Birdie” (1963), “Mary Poppins” (1964) and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968).

13. When doubled, a Northwest city WALLA
The Walla Walla Valley is a wine-growing region in Washington that extends into the northeast of Oregon. The valley is named after the Walla Walla people who lived in the area. I have a few bottles of excellent wine from the region that I picked up there on a recent road trip with my wife.

16. Home sound system HI-FI STEREO
Hi-fi systems were introduced in the late forties, and is audio equipment designed to give a much higher quality reproduction of sound than cheaper systems available up to that point. “Hi-fi” of course stands for “high fidelity”.

20. Some Beethoven works TRIOS
Beethoven’s most famous piano trio is commonly referred to as the “Archduke Trio”, as it was dedicated to friend and student Archduke Rudolph of Austria.

22. “Veni, vidi, vici” man CAESAR
The oft-quoted statement “Veni, vidi, vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”) is believed by many to have been written by Julius Caesar. The words date back to 47 BC and refer to the short war between Rome and Pharnaces II of Pontus.

23. Memorable “Rocky” line YO, ADRIAN!
You might remember Rocky Balboa saying, “Yo, Adrian!” in the original Rocky movie. Adrian was Rocky’s wife played by the lovely Talia Shire, sister of director Francis Ford Coppola.

29. __ del Fuego TIERRA
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southern tip of South America and is the location of the famed Cape Horn. Tierra del Fuego was discovered by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. He saw native fires on land as he passed by and originally called the location “Land of Smoke” This was later changed to “Land of Fire”, or “Tierra del Fuego” in Spanish.

32. Many millennia AEON
Aeon is a variant spelling of “eon”. In astronomical terms, an aeon is defined as one thousand million years.

40. Rapper who played Left Ear in “The Italian Job” MOS DEF
Mos Def is the stage name of actor and rapper Dante Terrell Smith-Bay. Mos Def is one of the few rap stars who is really making a name for himself in the world of movies. He received critical acclaim for roles in 2003’s “The Italian Job” , 2005’s “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, and a featured role in an episode of television’s “House”.

43. Software test version BETA
In the world of software development, the first tested issue of a new program is usually called the “alpha” version. Expected to have a lot of bugs that need to be fixed, the alpha release is usually distributed to a small number of testers. After reported bugs have been eliminated, the refined version is called a “beta” and is released to a wider audience, but with the program clearly labeled as “beta”. The users generally check functionality and report further bugs that are encountered. The beta version feeds into a release candidate, the version that is tested just prior to the software being sold into the market, bug-free. Yeah, right …

44. Agnus __ DEI
“Agnus Dei” is Latin for “Lamb of God”, a term used in Christian faiths for Jesus Christ, symbolizing His role as a sacrificial offering to atone for the sins of man.

51. Botanist’s study FLORA
The fauna is the animal life of a particular region, and the flora is that region’s plant life. The term “fauna” comes from the Roman goddess of earth and fertility who was called Fauna. Flora was the Roman goddess of plants, flowers and fertility.

52. Nostalgic souvenir MEMENTO
A “souvenir” is a memento, a token of remembrance. We imported the word from French, in which language it has the same meaning. The term comes from the Latin “subvenire” meaning “to come to mind”, or literally “to come up”.

53. River in a 1957 Best Picture title KWAI
The river referred to in the movie (and novel) “The Bridge on the River Kwai” is actually called the Khwae Yai River, and is in western Thailand. The original novel by Pierre Boulle was published in French in 1952, and the wonderful movie released in 1957. Both tell the story of construction of part of the Burma Railway and a bridge over the river, using prisoners of war as laborers. The film stars William Holden, Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins.

55. Hero whose catchphrase begins 16-, 23-, 33- and 47-Across LONE RANGER
“The Lone Ranger” was both a radio and television show, dating back to its first radio performance in 1933 on a Detroit station. The line “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” was a device used in the storyline to signal that a riding sequence was starting, so cue the music!

58. Q.E.D. part ERAT
QED is used at the end of a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument. The QED acronym stands for the Latin “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “that which was to be demonstrated”.

60. Tiny arachnid MITE
Mites are tiny arthropods in the arachnid (spider) class. Mites are (annoyingly!) very successful creatures that have adapted to all sorts of habitats, and being so small, they generally pass unnoticed. Ick …

62. Puts the kibosh on ENDS
“Kibosh” is something that constrains or checks. “Kibosh” looks like a Yiddish word but it isn’t, and is more likely English slang from the early 1800s.

Down
1. Fruity cocktail MAI TAI
The Mai Tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts Orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum.

2. Butler in the Batcave ALFRED
Alfred Pennyworth was the faithful butler and valet to Bruce Wayne in the world of Batman.

Wayne Manor is where Bruce Wayne lives, the alter-ego of Batman. It is a huge manor that lies just outside Gotham City. Looking after the house is the Wayne family servant, Alfred. Beneath the grounds of the manor is an extensive cave system where Bruce Wayne put together his Batcave. Access is to the cave is via a staircase behind a hidden door. The door is opened by moving the hands of a non-functioning grandfather clock to 10:47, the time at which Wayne’s parents were murdered. It is the murder of his parents that sets Bruce off on his journey of crime fighting.

3. Awards for ads CLIOS
The Clio Awards are the Oscars of the advertising world and are named after Clio, the Greek Muse of History. Clio was also the recorder of great deeds, the proclaimer and celebrator of great accomplishments and a source of inspiration and genius. The Clio Awards were first presented in 1959.

4. “How Life Imitates Chess” author Garry KASPAROV
Garry Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Chess Champion. When he first became champion in 1985 he was 22 years old, making him the youngest ever undisputed World Chess Champion. Kasparov retired in 2005 in order to pursue a career in Russian politics.

5. Earl with a tea GREY
The Earl Grey blend of tea is supposedly named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey who was Prime Minister of the UK from 1830 to 1834. Earl Grey tea has a distinctive flavor that is largely due to the addition of oil from the rind of the bergamot orange.

6. Above, to Keats O’ER
7. Start of some Keats titles ODE TO
The poet John Keats is famous for writing a whole series of beautiful odes. The most renowned are the so-called “1819 Odes”, a collection from the year 1819 that includes famous poems such as “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, “Ode to a Nightingale” and “Ode to Psyche”.

9. H.G. Wells’ island physiologist DR MOREAU
“The Island of Doctor Moreau” is an 1896 novel penned by H. G. Wells. The book tells the story of a shipwrecked man who ends up on the island of Doctor Moreau. Moreau engages in vivisection and creates new beasts by combining different species.

12. Golf star Ernie ELS
Ernie Els is a South African golfer. Els a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname “The Big Easy”. He has a child who suffers from autism and so Els has been very effective in raising money for charities that focus on the condition.

13. Off, in mobspeak WHACK
“Whack” and “off” are terms used by mobsters that mean “murder”.

21. Exiled Amin IDI
Idi Amin received most of his military training in the British armed forces, eventually achieving the highest rank possible for a Black African in the British Colonial Army in 1959, that of Warrant Officer. On his return to Uganda Amin joined his country’s military and quickly rose to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Army. During that time he was quite the athlete. He was a noted rugby player and swimmer, and for nine years held the Ugandan national light-heavyweight boxing title. By the early seventies, Amin was commander of all the armed forces of Uganda and in 1971 seized power in a military coup, displacing the country’s president Milton Obote. There followed seven years of brutal rule by Amin during which it is estimated that between 100,000 and 500,000 people were murdered. Amin was ousted from power in 1979 after a war with Tanzania, and fled to Libya where he stayed for a year. He then moved to Saudi Arabia, where he was financially supported by the Saudi Royal Family for the remainder of his life. Amin died in 2003.

23. Google-owned video site YOUTUBE
YouTube is a video-sharing website, launched in 2005 by three ex-PayPal employees. Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion. Yep, $1.65 billion … less than two years after it was founded …

24. Yank since 2004 A-ROD
Poor old Alex Rodriguez earned more nicknames than just A-Rod. He has been called “the Cooler” by some players as there is a perception that teams go cold when he joins them and hot when he leaves. He has also been called “A-Fraud” by teammates because of another perception, that he is over-demanding. Rodriguez is now seems to be in a world of hurt for using illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

25. Bert Bobbsey’s sis NAN
The “Bobbsey Twins” series of children’s novels was first written by Edward Stratemeyer in 1904. Stratemeyer used the pseudonym Laura Lee Hope, as did subsequent authors who wrote 72 books in the series between 1904 and 1979. The title characters were two sets of fraternal twins, one called Bert and Nan (who were 12) and the other called Flossie and Freddie (who were 6).

28. Hot-sounding European capital BERN
Bern (or Berne) is the capital city of Switzerland. The official language of the city is German, but the language most spoken in Bern is a dialect known as Bernese German.

36. Infernal NETHER
I guess the idea is that the “infernal region” is the abode of Satan, the “nether region”, the lower region, Hell.

38. Physicians’ org. AMA
American Medical Association (AMA)

41. Id controller EGO
Sigmund Freud created a structural model of the human psyche, breaking it into three parts: the id, the ego, and the super-ego. The id is that part of the psyche containing the basic instinctual drives. The ego seeks to please the id by causing realistic behavior that benefits the individual. The super-ego almost has a parental role, contradicting the id by introducing critical thinking and morals to behavioral choices.

42. Chris of “Tommy Boy” FARLEY
Chris Farley was a comedian and actor who was noted as a member of Chicago’s “Second City Theatre” and a cast member of “Saturday Night Live”. Farley died in 1997 at the age of 33 due to a speedball (cocaine and heroin) overdose.

46. Stravinsky and Sikorsky IGORS
The classical composer Igor Stravinsky’s most famous works were completed relatively early in his career, when he was quite young. His three ballets “The Firebird”, “Petrushka” and “The Rite of Spring” were published in 1910-1913, when Stravinsky was in his early thirties.

Igor Sikorsky was a Russian pioneer in the world of aviation. He designed and indeed piloted the world’s first multi-engine, fixed-wing aircraft in 1913. He moved to the US in 1919 and set up his own aircraft manufacturing business. In the thirties he made the magnificent flying boats that were used by Pan Am in their Clipper era. Sikorsky also developed the world’s first mass-produced helicopter, in 1942.

48. Native New Zealander MAORI
The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. The Māori are eastern Polynesian in origin and began arriving in New Zealand relatively recently, starting sometime in the late 13th century. The word “māori” simply means “normal”, distinguishing the mortal human being from spiritual entities.

53. Airline to Amsterdam KLM
The acronym KLM stands for “Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij”, which translates from Dutch as “Royal Aviation Company”. KLM is the flag carrier for the Netherlands, and is the oldest airline in the world still operating with its original name. It was founded in 1919. KLM merged with Air France in 2004.

54. Xbox 360 competitor WII
The Wii is the biggest-selling game console in the world.

Xbox is made by Microsoft (I’m sure the kids have one around here somewhere!) and introduced in 2001. The current version is known as Xbox 360.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Big name in big trucks MACK
5. Gunk GOOP
9. TV’s Dick Van __ DYKE
13. When doubled, a Northwest city WALLA
14. Give a makeover REDO
15. Line holder REEL
16. Home sound system HI-FI STEREO
18. Texts: Abbr. MSGS
19. Decline from disuse ATROPHY
20. Some Beethoven works TRIOS
22. “Veni, vidi, vici” man CAESAR
23. Memorable “Rocky” line YO, ADRIAN!
26. Little Leaguer, say KID
27. Automated intro? ROBO-
29. __ del Fuego TIERRA
30. Stay a step ahead of ONE-UP
32. Many millennia AEON
33. Eloquent SILVER-TONGUED
38. “__ baby!” ATTA
39. Zapped NUKED
40. Rapper who played Left Ear in “The Italian Job” MOS DEF
43. Software test version BETA
44. Agnus __ DEI
47. Reason to pile onto the team bus AWAY GAME
49. Promoting HYPING
51. Botanist’s study FLORA
52. Nostalgic souvenir MEMENTO
53. River in a 1957 Best Picture title KWAI
55. Hero whose catchphrase begins 16-, 23-, 33- and 47-Across LONE RANGER
57. Work on, as a popsicle LICK
58. Q.E.D. part ERAT
59. Levels TIERS
60. Tiny arachnid MITE
61. “Gadzooks!” YIPE!
62. Puts the kibosh on ENDS

Down
1. Fruity cocktail MAI TAI
2. Butler in the Batcave ALFRED
3. Awards for ads CLIOS
4. “How Life Imitates Chess” author Garry KASPAROV
5. Earl with a tea GREY
6. Above, to Keats O’ER
7. Start of some Keats titles ODE TO
8. Having little talent for POOR AT
9. H.G. Wells’ island physiologist DR MOREAU
10. “Darn tootin’!” YES, SIREE!
11. Small cask KEG
12. Golf star Ernie ELS
13. Off, in mobspeak WHACK
17. Royal seat THRONE
21. Exiled Amin IDI
23. Google-owned video site YOUTUBE
24. Yank since 2004 A-ROD
25. Bert Bobbsey’s sis NAN
28. Hot-sounding European capital BERN
31. Elbow POKE
33. Tuck away STOW
34. “I’ve got proof!” IT’S A FACT!
35. Elegantly feminine LADYLIKE
36. Infernal NETHER
37. Greeting from Down Under G’DAY, MATE
38. Physicians’ org. AMA
41. Id controller EGO
42. Chris of “Tommy Boy” FARLEY
44. Dented DINGED
45. Keys in ENTERS
46. Stravinsky and Sikorsky IGORS
48. Native New Zealander MAORI
50. Enclose, as pigs PEN IN
52. Parcel (out) METE
53. Airline to Amsterdam KLM
54. Xbox 360 competitor WII
56. Quick snooze NAP

Return to top of page