Day: December 17, 2013

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
4. Young newts EFTS
Newts wouldn’t be my favorite creatures. They are found all over the world living on land or in water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo another metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.

15. Baseball family name ALOU
Felipe Alou is a former professional baseball player and manager. Alou managed the Montreal Expos from 1992 to 2001, and the San Francisco Giants from 2003 to 2006. Alou was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and came to the US to play for the Giants in 1955. Felipe’s brothers Matty and Jesús followed him to the US, and into Major League baseball.

17. Canasta, e.g. CARD GAME (giving “flash card”)
The card game called canasta originated in Uruguay apparently, with canasta being the Spanish word for “basket”. In the rummy-like game, a meld of seven cards or more is called a canasta.

19. Coke competitor RC COLA
“Nehi Corporation” was the nickname for the Chero-Cola/Union Bottle Works that introduced the Nehi drink in 1924. Years later the company developed a new brand, Royal Crown Cola (also known as RC Cola). By 1955, RC Cola was the company’s flagship product, so the “Nehi Corporation” became the “Royal Crown Company”. In 1954, RC Cola became the first company to sell soft drinks in cans.

21. Fleischer of the Bush White House ARI
Ari Fleischer was the White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. Fleischer now runs his own media consulting firm that specializes in representing sports players and organizations. Fleischer helped Mark McGwire handle the media when he had to admit to the use of steroids, and was briefly hired by Tiger Woods as he planned his return to the PGA after dropping out of the spotlight to handle the problems in his personal life.

22. Train stopping at every sta. LOC
Local (loc.) trains might stop at every station (sta.)

27. Barbecue fare RIBS
It is believed that our word “barbecue” comes from the Taíno people of the Caribbean in whose language “barbacoa” means “sacred fire pit”.

31. “The Simpsons” storekeeper APU
The fictional Kwik-E-Mart store is operated by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on “The Simpsons” TV show. The convenience store owner doesn’t seem to be making much use of his Ph.D in computer science that he earned in the US. Apu’s undergraduate degree is from Caltech (the Calcutta Technical Institute), where he graduated top of his class of seven million students …

33. Most characters on “The Big Bang Theory” NERDS
“The Big Bang Theory” is very clever sitcom aired by CBS since 2007. “The Big Bang Theory” theme song was specially commissioned for the show, and was composed and is sung by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. The theme song was released in 2007 as a single and is featured on a Barenaked Ladies greatest hits album.

37. ’60-’70s Canadian folk-rock icon GORDON LIGHTFOOT (giving “Flash Gordon”)
Gordon Lightfoot is a singer-songwriter from Orillia, Ontario who is famous as a pioneer of the folk-rock genre in the sixties and seventies. Lightfoots two biggest hits are “If You Could Read My Mind” (1970) and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (1976).

“Flash Gordon” was originally a comic strip, first published in 1934 and drawn by Alex Raymond. “Flash Gordon” was created to compete with the already successful strip called “Buck Rogers”.

41. “That’s not in the script!” evoker AD LIB
“Ad libitum” is a Latin phrase meaning “at one’s pleasure”. In common usage the phrase is usually shortened to “ad lib”. On the stage the concept of an “ad lib” is very familiar. For example, an actor may substitute his or her own words for forgotten lines using an ad lib, or a director may instruct an actor to use his or her own words at a particular point in a performance to promote a sense of spontaneity.

43. Capote nickname TRU
Truman Capote grew up in Monroeville, Alabama. There he met, and became lifelong friends with fellow novelist, Harper Lee. Capote was the inspiration for the character “Dill” in Lee’s celebrated work “To Kill a Mockingbird”. In turn, Harper Lee was the inspiration behind the character “Idabel” in Capote’s “Other Voices, Other Rooms”.

47. Honeyed liquor MEAD
Mead is a lovely drink, made from fermented honey and water.

48. The same as it was hundreds of years ago, say FROZEN IN TIME (giving “flash frozen”)
Flash freezing is used in the food industry to preserve perishable items. The process involves speedy freezing to temperatures well below the freezing point of water, so quickly that large ice crystals don’t form and so that cells in the food are not disrupted.

52. Stimpy’s sidekick REN
“The Ren and Stimpy Show” is an animated television show that ran on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1996. The title characters are Marland “Ren” Höek, a scrawny Chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a rotund Manx cat. Not my cup of tea …

53. Promise to pay, for short IOU
I owe you (IOU)

54. Bottom, to baby TUSHIE
“Tush” is a slang term for the backside, an abbreviation of “tochus” that comes from the Yiddish “tokhes”.

60. Spontaneous gathering, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across FLASH MOB
A flash mob is a group of people who gather to perform a sudden, brief act in a public location and then quickly disperse. Flash mobs originated in Manhattan in 2003, as a social experiment by an editor of “Harper’s Magazine” called Bill Wasik. Wasik’s first attempt to form a flash mob was unsuccessful, but the second attempt worked. The first successful flash mob was relatively tame by today’s elaborate standards, and consisted of about 130 people gathered on the 9th floor of Macy’s department store pretending to be shopping en masse for a “love rug”.

63. “__ Misbehavin'” AIN’T
“Ain’t Misbehavin'” is a song written in 1929 by Fats Waller and Harry Brooks, with lyrics by Andy Razaf. Waller was the first to record the song, quickly followed by six other artists that same year. The song also provided the title for a successful stage musical that premiered in 1978.

64. Plains tribe OTO
The Otoe (also Oto) Native American tribe originated in the Great Lakes region as part of the Winnebago or Siouan tribes. The group that would become the Otoe broke away from the Winnebago and migrated southwestwards ending up in the Great Plains. In the plains the Otoe adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle dependent on the horse, with the American bison becoming central to their diet.

67. __ Antonio SAN
The city of San Antonio was named by Spanish explorers who came up a Native American settlement in the area on 13 June 1631, the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua.

Down
2. Banned apple spray ALAR
The chemical name for Alar, a plant growth regulator and color enhancer, is daminozide. Alar was primarily used on apples but was withdrawn from the market when it was linked to cancer.

3. Garr of “Tootsie” TERI
The lovely Teri Garr had a whole host of minor roles in her youth, including appearances in nine Elvis movies. Garr’s big break came with the role of Inga in “Young Frankenstein”, and her supporting role in “Tootsie” earned Garr an Academy Award nomination. Sadly, Teri Garr suffers from multiple sclerosis. She is a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

“Tootsie” is a 1982 comedy film starring Dustin Hoffman that was directed and produced by Sydney Pollack. Hoffman plays an out-of-work actor who adopts a female identity in order to get a role.

7. “Peggy __ Got Married”: 1986 film SUE
“Peggy Sue Got Married” is a Francis Ford Coppola movie from 1986, a comedy-drama starring Kathleen Turner in the title role. The movie is a fantasy piece, with Turner playing a woman who is transported back in time to her senior year in high school. The movie’s cast includes a lot of actors who later became big stars, including Nicolas Cage, Jim Carrey, Helen Hunt, Joan Allen and Sofia Coppola.

10. Comfy shoe MOC
“Moc” is short for “moccasin” shoe.

11. Food-poisoning bacteria E COLI
Escherichia coli (E. coli) are usually harmless bacteria found in the human gut, working away quite happily. However, there are some strains that can produce lethal toxins. These strains can make their way into the food chain from animal fecal matter that comes into contact with food designated for human consumption.

18. Redbox rentals DVDS
Redbox is known for renting DVDs from automated retail kiosks placed in locations such grocery stores and fast food restaurants. Perhaps in an obvious move, Redbox now offers a video streaming service called “Redbox Instant”, a joint-venture with Verizon.

21. DOJ enforcer ATF
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is today part of the Department of Justice. The ATF has its roots in the Department of Treasury dating back to 1886 when it was known as the Bureau of Prohibition. “Explosives” was added to the ATF’s name when the bureau was moved under the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

24. Resort WSW of Boulder VAIL
The Vail Ski Resort in Colorado is the largest single-mountain ski resort in the whole country. The resort was opened in 1962, basically in the middle of nowhere. It was given the name Vail after Vail Pass which runs by the mountain (now also called Vail Mountain). The town of Vail, Colorado was established four years later in 1966, and now has a population of about 5,000.

The Colorado city of Boulder is located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains about 25 miles northwest of Denver. Boulder is a college town, and is home to the main campus of the University of Colorado.

26. Coral formation REEF
Corals are invertebrates found in the sea that live in compact colonies. Some corals secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard exoskeleton, and these type of corals make up the basic infrastructure of coral reefs.

27. Ravi Shankar genre RAGA
Raga isn’t really a type of music, but has been described as the “tonal framework” in which Indian classical music is composed. Ravi Shankar was perhaps the most famous raga virtuoso (to us Westerners).

29. Folksy Ives BURL
As well as being an actor, Burl Ives was a folk singer, his original calling. In Hollywood Ives had a distressing experience with the House Un-American Activities Committee and avoided being blacklisted by cooperating at some level with McCarthy and his cohorts. This cooperation created a rift between him and Pete Seeger in particular, a fellow singer whom he “discussed” with the committee.

32. “The Bucket List” director ROB REINER
The great director and actor Rob Reiner first came to prominence playing “Meathead”, Archie and Edith Bunker’s son-in-law in “All in the Family”. Since then, Reiner has directed a long string of hit movies including, “The Princess Bride”, “Stand by Me”, “This Is Spinal Tap”, “When Harry Met Sally”, “Misery” and “A Few Good Men”.

“The Bucket List” is a 2007 film starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two men who have terminal illnesses. The pair go on a road trip with a “wish list” of things they want to do before “kicking the bucket”, hence the name of the movie.

35. Toon explorer with a monkey friend named Boots DORA
“Dora the Explorer” is a cartoon series shown on Nickelodeon. Part of Dora’s remit is to introduce the show’s young viewers to some Spanish words and phrases.

38. Rodrigo __ de Vivar: El Cid DIAZ
Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar was known as El Cid Campeador, which translates as “The Champion” or perhaps “The Lord, Master of Military Arts”. El Cid was a soldier who fought under the rule of King Alfonso VI of Spain (among others). However, he was sent into exile by the King in 1080, after acting beyond his authorization in battle. El Cid then offered his services to his former foes, the Moorish kings, After a number of years building a reputation with the Moors, he was recalled from exile by Alfonso. By this time El Cid was very much his own man. Nominally under the orders of Alfonso, he led a combined army of Spanish and Moorish troops and took the city of Valencia on the Mediterranean coast, making it is headquarters and home. He died there, quite peacefully in 1099.

45. Govt. securities T-NOTES
A Treasury note (T-Note) is a government debt that matures in 1-10 years. A T-Note has a coupon (interest) payment made every six months. The T-note is purchased at a discount to face value, and at the date of maturity can be redeemed at that face value. A T-Bill is a similar financial vehicle, but it matures in one year or less, and a T-Bond matures in 20-30 years.

46. Sch. with a Brooklyn campus LIU
Long Island University (LIU) is a private school that was chartered in 1926, with its first campus in Brooklyn. LIU’s focus has always been on providing moderately-priced, effective education to people from all walks in life. To that end, LIU opened a second campus in 1951 in Brookville in the suburbs of New York City, recognizing the need to serve families who were living outside of the metropolis.

55. Managed care gps. HMOS
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)

56. Minuscule amount IOTA
Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

57. Dark, to a poet EBON
Ebony is another word for the color black (often shortened to “ebon” in poetry). Ebony is a dark black wood that is very dense, one of the few types of wood that sinks in water. Ebony has been in high demand so the species of trees yielding the wood are now considered threatened. It is in such short supply that unscrupulous vendors have been known to darken lighter woods with shoe polish to look like ebony, so be warned …

59. Anti-pollution org. EPA
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

61. Prevaricate LIE
“To prevaricate” is to stray from the truth. The term comes from a Church Latin word meaning “walk crookedly”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Butter square PAT
4. Young newts EFTS
8. Most gentle TAMEST
14. Brew that may be pale or dark ALE
15. Baseball family name ALOU
16. Environmentally friendly auto ECO-CAR
17. Canasta, e.g. CARD GAME (giving “flash card”)
19. Coke competitor RC COLA
20. Hot-dish holder TRIVET
21. Fleischer of the Bush White House ARI
22. Train stopping at every sta. LOC
23. Exasperate, metaphorically DRIVE TO DRINK (giving “flash drive”)
27. Barbecue fare RIBS
30. Roamed without restraint RAN FREE
31. “The Simpsons” storekeeper APU
32. Agitate ROIL
33. Most characters on “The Big Bang Theory” NERDS
37. ’60-’70s Canadian folk-rock icon GORDON LIGHTFOOT (giving “Flash Gordon”)
41. “That’s not in the script!” evoker AD LIB
42. Competes VIES
43. Capote nickname TRU
44. Not at all deceitful ARTLESS
47. Honeyed liquor MEAD
48. The same as it was hundreds of years ago, say FROZEN IN TIME (giving “flash frozen”)
52. Stimpy’s sidekick REN
53. Promise to pay, for short IOU
54. Bottom, to baby TUSHIE
58. Uphill climb ASCENT
60. Spontaneous gathering, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across FLASH MOB
62. Bald spot coverer TOUPEE
63. “__ Misbehavin'” AIN’T
64. Plains tribe OTO
65. Takes an oath SWEARS
66. Butterfly catchers NETS
67. __ Antonio SAN

Down
1. Diplomat’s goal PACT
2. Banned apple spray ALAR
3. Garr of “Tootsie” TERI
4. More than willing EAGER
5. Old-style clothes presser FLATIRON
6. Alley prowler TOM
7. “Peggy __ Got Married”: 1986 film SUE
8. Intense fear TERROR
9. Traffic backup causes ACCIDENTS
10. Comfy shoe MOC
11. Food-poisoning bacteria E COLI
12. Manicure spot SALON
13. Liner notes listing TRACK
18. Redbox rentals DVDS
21. DOJ enforcer ATF
24. Resort WSW of Boulder VAIL
25. Add some pep to ENLIVEN
26. Coral formation REEF
27. Ravi Shankar genre RAGA
28. Apple with tunes IPOD
29. Folksy Ives BURL
32. “The Bucket List” director ROB REINER
34. Repetitive learning ROTE
35. Toon explorer with a monkey friend named Boots DORA
36. It may be ear-piercing STUD
38. Rodrigo __ de Vivar: El Cid DIAZ
39. Basic idea GIST
40. Reluctant to commit HESITANT
45. Govt. securities T-NOTES
46. Sch. with a Brooklyn campus LIU
47. Interlock, as gears MESH
48. Houses with Greek letters FRATS
49. Plant anew RESOW
50. Just as planned ON CUE
51. Mandatory items MUSTS
55. Managed care gps. HMOS
56. Minuscule amount IOTA
57. Dark, to a poet EBON
59. Anti-pollution org. EPA
60. Cooling device FAN
61. Prevaricate LIE

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