Day: January 16, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
10. Dundee damsel LASS
The city of Dundee lies on the north bank of the Firth of Tay in Scotland. The origins of the name “Dundee” are a little obscure, although the omnipresent “dùn” in place names all over Scotland and Ireland is the Celtic word for “fort”.

17. “The Caine Mutiny” novelist HERMAN WOUK
Herman Wouk won a Pulitzer in 1951 for his novel “The Caine Mutiny”. The story involves mutiny and court-martial aboard a US Navy vessel and reflected, at least partly, the personal experiences of Wouk as he served in the Pacific in WWII aboard a destroyer-minesweeper. The novel was adapted into a marvelous film released in 1954 starring Humphrey Bogart as Philip Queeg, the harsh captain of the USS Caine.

20. Some NASA data-retrieval missions EVAS
Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) is the name given to any work done by an astronaut outside of his or her spacecraft. The term would encompass walking on the moon, as well as making a space walk i.e. floating around in space tethered to spacecraft.

21. Invitation “S” S’IL
RSVP stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “please, answer”.

22. Take the wrong way? FILCH
“Filch” is a slang term for “steal”.

24. “Reward Your Curiosity” soda VANILLA COKE
Coca-Cola Vanilla was introduced in 2002, as a competitor to Pepsi Vanilla. The basic Coca-Cola formulation already contains some vanilla. The idea behind a “vanilla coke” has been around at least since the 1940s. Back then customers would often ask for “a shot” of vanilla syrup in the coke they were served from the soda fountain.

27. Fragrant resin ELEMI
Elemi is a tree native to the Philippines. The tree gives its name to the fragrant resin that is harvested from it. Elemi resin is used in varnishes and printing inks.

29. Dusk, to Donne E’EN
John Donne is one of England’s most celebrated poets, working at the start of the 17th century. He spent much of his life in poverty and even spent a short time in prison for having married his wife without procuring the appropriate permissions. After his release, his wife bore him 12 children in 16 years, passing away a few days after the twelfth child was born.

30. Aus. language GER
The name “Austria” is a Latin variant of the German name for the country: “Österreich”. “Österreich” itself means “Eastern borderlands”, a reference to the country’s history as a prefecture of neighboring Bavaria to the west.

33. Underworld piece GAT
“Gat” is a slang term for a gun that is derived from the Gatling gun, the precursor to the modern machine gun. The Gatling gun was invented by Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1861. Apparently he was inspired to invent it so that one man could do as much damage as a hundred, thereby reducing the size of armies and diminishing the suffering caused by war. Go figure …

35. 17th-century artistic style HIGH BAROQUE
The artistic style known as the Baroque began around 1590 in Italy. The era is sometimes divided into:

– Early Baroque (1590-1625)
– High Baroque (1625-1660)
– Late Baroque (1660-1725)

The Late Baroque is sometimes also called Rococo, and merged with the Rococo era that succeeded the Baroque.

40. Org. with complex schedules IRS
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

42. Mr. Potato Head part EAR
Mr. Potato Head is an enduring popular toy that has been around since its invention by George Lerner in 1949. In its original form, the toy was a collection of eyes, ears, and other facial features, that were designed to be stuck into a real potato. Mr. Potato Head also has the distinction of being the first toy ever to be advertised on television.

48. Early Schwarzenegger nickname, with “The” AUSTRIAN OAK
The body-builder, actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Graz in Austria, the son of the local police chief. Schwarzenegger’s family name translates into the more prosaic “black plough man”. In his body-building days, he was often referred to as the Austrian Oak. When he was Governor of California he was called “the Governator”, a play on his role in the “The Terminator” series of movies.

53. Asia’s __ Darya river AMU
The Amu Darya is a major river in Central Asia that empties into the Aral Sea. It is also called the Oxus or Amu River.

55. “__ Wiedersehen” AUF
“Auf Wiedersehen” is German for “goodbye”, literally translating as “till we see each other again”.

56. Oscar-winning Whitaker role AMIN
“The Last King of Scotland” is a 2006 film adaptation of a 1998 novel of the same name by Giles Foden. The story tells of a Scottish doctor (played by James McAvoy) who was employed by Idi Amin (played by Forest Whitaker). The title of the piece comes from the fact that Idi Amin offered his services as King of Scotland, should he ever be needed.

61. Tommie of the Miracle Mets AGEE
Tommie Agee was a Major League Baseball player who played mainly with the Indians, White Sox and Mets. He was one of the “Amazin’ Mets” (or “miracle Mets”), and was famous for making two phenomenal catches in game three of the 1969 world series, potentially saving five runs.

63. __ Claire: women’s magazine MARIE
“Marie Claire” is a women’s magazine that originated in France in 1937, and is now published all over the world.

65. Woody __, “Cheers” bartender BOYD
Woody Boyd is the lovable and naive bartender on several seasons of the sitcom “Cheers”. Woody is portrayed by Woody Harrelson. The Woody character replaced the bartender called Coach, when actor Nicholas Colasanto passed away.

66. Strictly controlled refrigerant FREON
Freon is a tradename for a group of compounds used as a refrigerant and also as a propellant in aerosols. Freon is used in the compressors of air conditioners as a vital component in the air-cooling mechanism

Down
2. Cotton pest WEEVIL
A weevil is a small beetle, known for the damage that it can do to crops. The boll weevil damages cotton plants by laying eggs inside cotton bolls. The young weevils then eat their way out.

5. Two after epsilon ETA
Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”.

Epsilon is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet. The uppercase epsilon looks identical to our Latin E.

6. Dickens’ Drood EDWIN
“The Mystery of Edwin Drood” is an unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. The story itself is centered not on the title character, but on Edwin Drood’s uncle, a choirmaster named John Jasper.

7. Pungent mayo AIOLI
To the purist, especially in Provence in the South of France, the “home” of aioli, aioli is prepared just by grinding garlic with olive oil. However, other ingredients are often added to the mix, particularly egg yolks.

Mayonnaise originated in the town of Mahon in Menorca, a Mediterranean island belonging to Spain. The Spanish called the sauce “salsa mahonesa” after the town, and this morphed into the French word “mayonnaise” that we use in English today.

8. “Law and Order: __” SVU
“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” is a spin off the TV crime drama “Law & Order”. “SVU” has been on the air since 1999, and is set in New York City. Interestingly, since 2007 there has been a very successful Russian adaptation of the show that is set in Moscow.

10. Columbo asset LOGIC
“Columbo” is a police drama that aired from 1971-78, with some more episodes made as recently as 2003. Columbo was of course played by Peter Falk, although the character of Columbo was first played by Bert Freed in 1960 in an episode of “The Chevy Mystery Show”. That first appearance was so successful that the episode was adapted for the stage in 1962, with Thomas Mitchell taking on the role. Then the same episode was stretched into a TV movie in 1968, with Peter Falk playing Lt. Columbo for the first time.

18. Decoding org. NSA
The National Security Agency (NSA) was set up in 1952 by President Truman, a replacement for the Armed Forces Security Agency that had existed in the Department of Defense since 1949. The NSA has always been clouded in secrecy and even the 1952 letter from President Truman that established the agency was kept under wraps from the public for over a generation. I really like the organization’s nickname … “No Such Agency”.

22. Twitter follower FAN
I have never tweeted in my life, and have no plans to do so. Twitter is a microblogging service that limits any post sent to just 140 characters. In a sense, it is similar to this blog. Here I send out a post once a day containing information that I think might be useful to folks (thank you for reading!). I don’t think I could send out much of interest using just 140 characters.

24. D.C. neighbor VIRG
Four out of five of the nation’s first presidents hailed from the state of Virginia:

1. George Washington (Virginia)
2. John Adams (Massachusetts)
3. Thomas Jefferson (Virginia)
4. James Madison (Virginia)
5. James Monroe (Virginia)

25. Edward known for limericks LEAR
Edward Lear was an English artist, author and poet who is probably best known for his nonsense poetry and limericks. Lear’s best known works are “A Book of Nonsense” published in 1846, and “The Owl and the Pussycat” published in 1867.

32. Some like it hot CHILI
The full name of the dish that is often called simply “chili” is “chili con carne”, Spanish for “peppers with meat”. The dish was first created by immigrants from the Spanish Canary Islands in the city of San Antonio, Texas (a city which the islanders founded). The San Antonio Chili Stand was a popular attraction at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and that stand introduced the dish to the rest of America and to the world.

34. Wrigley team CUBS
The Chicago Cubs is one of only two charter members of the baseball’s National League who are still playing, the other being the Atlanta Braves. The Cubs last won the World Series in 1908, which is a long time ago. In fact, the Cubs have the longest championship drought of any professional sports team in North America.

35. Revelation foursome HORSEMEN
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are introduced in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible. Each of the four represents woe for man, in the form of pestilence, war, famine and death. The four horsemen ride on a white, red, black and pale horse respectively.

36. City ESE of Los Angeles BREA
The city of Brea, California takes its name from “brea”, the Spanish word for “tar”. Back in the 1800s, entrepreneurs were attracted to the area by the “black gold” (crude oil) that was bubbling up from the ground in some instances.

37. Nestlé product introduced in 1948 QUIK
Nestlé Quik was introduced in 1948, and is a flavored powdered milk drink. It was sold in Europe as “Nesquik”, and that brand name replaced “Quik” here in the US in 1999. The Nesquik mascot is the Quik Bunny. The Quik Bunny had a large “Q” on a collar around his neck, and with the brand name change this “Q” became an “N”, and he is now known as the Nesquik Bunny.

38. Big name in liquor SEAGRAM
Seagram’s was once the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. The company was founded in Waterloo, Ontario as a distillery and was taken over by Joseph E. Seagram in 1883, hence the name. The Seagram’s empire fell apart in 2000 after some terrible investment decisions.

43. Ulna locale ARM
The humerus is the long bone in the upper arm. The bones in the forearm are the radius and ulna. “Ulna” is the Latin word for “elbow”, and “radius” is Latin for “ray”.

45. Rossellini film renamed “Ways of Love” in its American version L’AMORE
“L’Amore” is an Italian film that was released in 1948, directed by Roberto Rossellini. “L.Amore” was released with subtitles under the English name “Ways of Love”. “Ways of Love” caused a furore when it was show in the US and branded by some as “sacrilegious”. Legal battles resulted in a US Supreme Decision known familiarly as the “Miracle Decision”, which declared that the right to show the movie was protected by the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of speech.

Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director. Rossellini’s second wife was Ingrid Bergman. He and Bergman were parents of actress Isabella Rossellini.

46. Actor Estevez EMILIO
Emilio Estevez is one of the members of Hollywood’s famous “Brat Pack”, having appeared in “The Breakfast Club” and “St. Elmo’s Fire”. Estevez’s father (and can’t you tell it from looking at him?) is actor Martin Sheen. Estevez decided to keep his father’s real name, and not the stage name of “Sheen”. Charlie Sheen is Emilio’s brother, and Charlie’s real name is Carlos Estevez.

47. Like the Titanic SUNKEN
The RMS Titanic set off on her tragic maiden voyage in 1912, sailing from Southampton, England bound for New York City. Regulations only required that the ship have lifeboat capacity for 1,178 people, even though a full complement of passengers and crew was 3,547. When the order was given to abandon ship, the captain adhered to the traditional protocol of “women and children first”. As a result, only 20% of male passengers survived the disaster, compared to 75% of the female passengers. Perhaps more telling is that 61% of those in first class survived, and only 25% of those in third class. The crew fared even worse though, with only 24% making it.

52. Old gridiron gp. AFL
American Football League (AFL)

59. “Foucault’s Pendulum” writer ECO
“Foucault’s Pendulum” is a 1988 Italian novel by Umberto Eco that was translated into English by William Weaver the following year. The title of the book refers to a large pendulum that was constructed by French physicist Léon Foucault to demonstrate teh effect of the Earth’s rotation.

Umberto Eco is an Italian writer, probably best known for his novel “The Name of the Rose” published in 1980. “The Name of the Rose” was adapted in 1986 into a movie with the same title, starring Sean Connery.

60. “Unbelievable” rock group EMF
EMF is an alternative rock dance band from England. EMF’s biggest hit was 1990’s “Unbelievable” that made it to the number one spot here in the US. The acronym EMF supposedly stands for “Epsom Mad Funkers”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. In the know AWARE
6. Simplicity EASE
10. Dundee damsel LASS
14. Ledger entry DEBIT
15. Cannonball, e.g. DIVE
16. In the know about ONTO
17. “The Caine Mutiny” novelist HERMAN WOUK
19. Walk or run GAIT
20. Some NASA data-retrieval missions EVAS
21. Invitation “S” S’IL
22. Take the wrong way? FILCH
23. Empty (of) RID
24. “Reward Your Curiosity” soda VANILLA COKE
27. Fragrant resin ELEMI
29. Dusk, to Donne E’EN
30. Aus. language GER
31. Crescent piece ARC
33. Underworld piece GAT
34. Medical breakthrough CURE
35. 17th-century artistic style HIGH BAROQUE
38. Booted, say SHOD
40. Org. with complex schedules IRS
41. Lump NUB
42. Mr. Potato Head part EAR
43. Tankard filler ALE
44. Ferry stops ISLES
48. Early Schwarzenegger nickname, with “The” AUSTRIAN OAK
53. Asia’s __ Darya river AMU
54. Glisten GLEAM
55. “__ Wiedersehen” AUF
56. Oscar-winning Whitaker role AMIN
57. Stadium access RAMP
58. People of good breeding GENTLEFOLK
61. Tommie of the Miracle Mets AGEE
62. Unpopular spots ACNE
63. __ Claire: women’s magazine MARIE
64. Sew up MEND
65. Woody __, “Cheers” bartender BOYD
66. Strictly controlled refrigerant FREON

Down
1. Stay attached ADHERE
2. Cotton pest WEEVIL
3. Wear away ABRADE
4. Glass edges RIMS
5. Two after epsilon ETA
6. Dickens’ Drood EDWIN
7. Pungent mayo AIOLI
8. “Law and Order: __” SVU
9. It’s a scream EEK!
10. Columbo asset LOGIC
11. Veggie burger, to a hamburger ANALOGUE
12. Price place STICKER
13. “In your face!” SO THERE!
18. Decoding org. NSA
22. Twitter follower FAN
24. D.C. neighbor VIRG
25. Edward known for limericks LEAR
26. Reveal LET ON
28. Certain domestic MAID
32. Some like it hot CHILI
33. Word with log or burner GAS
34. Wrigley team CUBS
35. Revelation foursome HORSEMEN
36. City ESE of Los Angeles BREA
37. Nestlé product introduced in 1948 QUIK
38. Big name in liquor SEAGRAM
39. Railroad charge HAULAGE
43. Ulna locale ARM
45. Rossellini film renamed “Ways of Love” in its American version L’AMORE
46. Actor Estevez EMILIO
47. Like the Titanic SUNKEN
49. Wrapped, as an ankle TAPED
50. Nursery employee NANNY
51. Exposed publicly OUTED
52. Old gridiron gp. AFL
56. Where some worship from AFAR
58. Shoot the breeze GAB
59. “Foucault’s Pendulum” writer ECO
60. “Unbelievable” rock group EMF

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