Day: April 10, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. “Find your own road” automaker SAAB
SAAB stands for Svenska Aeroplan AB, which translates into English as Swedish Aeroplane Limited. SAAB was, and still is, mainly an aircraft manufacturer. If you take small hops in Europe you might find yourself on a SAAB passenger plane. The SAAB automobile division was acquired by General Motors in the year 2000, who then sold it to a Dutch concern in 2010. However, SAAB (automotive) finally went bankrupt in 2011.

14. Minuscule lake plant ALGA
Algae are similar to terrestrial plants in that they use photosynthesis to create sugars from light and carbon dioxide, but they differ in that they have simpler anatomies, and for example lack roots.

16. Dude BRO
Our term “dude” arose as a slang term in New York City in the 1880s, when it was used to describe a fastidious man. In the early 1900s, the term was extended to mean “city slickers”, Easterners who vacationed in the West. The first use of the term “dude ranch” was recorded in 1921.

17. RASPBERRY SOUND OF DERISION
Not so much here in America, but over in the British Isles “blowing a raspberry” is a way of insulting someone (I think it’s called “a Bronx cheer” here in the US).

20. Vampire’s bane STAKE
Legends about vampires were particularly common in Eastern Europe and in the Balkans in particular. The superstition was that vampires could be killed using a wooden stake, with the preferred type of wood varying from place to place. Superstition also defined where in the body should be staked. Most often, the stake was driven through the heart, but Russians and northern Germans went for the mouth, and northeastern Serbs for the stomach.

21. T-man, e.g. FED
A T-man is a law-enforcement agent of the US Treasury (the “T” stands for Treasury).

23. Hermey of TV’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” e.g. ELF
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is a stop motion animated Christmas special that first aired on NBC in December of 1964. The program has become a staple during the holiday season since then, just like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. The cast of characters in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” includes Rudolph of course, and Santa Claus, but also Sam the Snowman, Hermey the Elf and the Abominable Snow Monster of the North.

26. BLACKBERRY WIRELESS DEVICE
The PDA known as a BlackBerry was given its name because the keyboard on the original device resembled the surface on the fruit of a blackberry.

32. Newtonian elements? FIGS
The Fig Newton is based on what is actually a very old recipe that dates back to Ancient Egypt. Whereas we grew up with “Fig Rolls” in Ireland, here in America the brand name “Fig Newton” was used, named after the town of Newton, Massachusetts where they were first produced.

34. Big runners EMUS
The large flightless birds called emus make sounds by manipulating inflatable necks sacs. The sac is about a foot long, has a thin wall and allows the bird to emit a booming sound. The type of sound emitted is the easiest way to differentiate between male and female emus.

33. Is ready for business OPENS
I’ll meet you there when the store “opens”, when the store “is ready for business” …

37. Educational org. PTA
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

38. Chloé fragrance maker COTY
Coty is a producer of beauty products that was founded in 1904 in Paris.

42. Baseball family name ALOU
Jesus Alou played major league baseball, as did his brothers Matty and Felipe, and as does Felipe’s son, Moises.

43. HUCKLEBERRY TWAIN CHARACTER
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain was first published in 1884, not here in the US but rather in England. The original launch planned for the US had to be delayed until the following year because some rascal had defaced the plate for one of the illustrations, making an obscene joke. Once the problem was spotted a new plate had to be made, and 30,000 copies already printed had to be reworked to cover up the obscenity.

48. Like wasted milk in Westminster SPILT
The milk I spilled when I was growing up in Ireland was “spilt”, whereas the milk I spilled here in the US was “spilled” …

Westminster is an area in London lying on the north bank of the River Thames that is home to many, many historic sites. The list includes the Palace of Westminster (aka “the Houses of Parliament”), Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey (Church of England) and Westminster Cathedral (Roman Catholic).

49. Its HQ is named for George Bush CIA
The CIA headquarters is located in Langley, Virginia in a complex called the George Bush Center for Intelligence, named for former Director of the CIA and US President George H. W. Bush.

56. STRAWBERRY REDDISH SKIN MARK
A “strawberry” or “strawberry mark” is a benign growth on the skin that is seen mainly in babies. The growth usually starts to disappear at about a year old and has often gone by the teenage years. The medical term for the growth is a “hemangioma”.

59. __ kwon do TAE
Taekwondo is the national sport of Korea. “Tae” means “to strike or break with foot”; “kwon” means “to strike or break with fist”; “do” means “way” or “art”. Along with judo, taekwondo is one of only two martial arts included in the Olympic Games.

60. Sherlock Holmes’ instrument VIOLIN
According to Dr. Watson, his friend Sherlock Holmes “plays the violin well”.

According to author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, his Sherlock Holmes character was based on a Dr. Joseph Bell for whom Doyle worked in Edinburgh. That said, Bell actually wrote a letter to Doyle in which he said “you are yourself Sherlock Holmes and well you know it”.

61. Small case ETUI
An etui is an ornamental case used to hold small items, in particular sewing needles. We imported both the case design and the word “etui” from France. The French also have a modern usage of “etui”, using the term to depict a case for carrying CDs.

62. Wanted-poster letters AKA
Also known as (aka)

Down
3. Lago contents AGUA
In Spanish, a lake (lago) contains water (agua).

5. Facility about 350 miles NW of LAX SFO
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) serves as the main base of operations for Virgin America, and is also the maintenance hub for United Airlines. SFO was the site of a crash of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 that resulted in three fatalities. My wife and I had flown into SFO 24 hours earlier. That tends to be sobering …

6. Beau Brummel, for one TOFF
A “toff” is a well-dressed gentleman of the upper class.

Beau Brummell was a friend of the future King George IV of England, and established himself as the arbiter of men’s fashions at the time. He claimed that it took him five hours to get dressed properly, and that he had his boots polished with champagne. It was Brummell who popularized the fashion of wearing a fitted jacket and pants with a knotted cravat. So, we guys have Brummell to thank/blame for us having to wear business suits with ties.

7. Brusque RUDE
Someone described as “brusque” is “gruff, abrupt and curt in manner”. The term comes into English from French, in which language it means “lively, fierce”.

12. “Law & Order” figure PROSECUTOR
“Law & Order” ran for many, many years on NBC, from 1990 to 2010. “Law & Order” is a police drama that spawned a huge franchise of shows both here in the US and overseas. I am probably a bit biased, but my favorite is the version shown in BBC America called “Law & Order: UK”.

18. Mark of rejection DELE
“Dele” is the editorial instruction to delete something from a document, and is often written in red.

19. Like James Bond SUAVE
James Bond was of course the creation of the writer Ian Fleming. Fleming “stole” the James Bond name from an American ornithologist. The number 007 was “stolen” from the real-life, 16th century English spy called John Dee. Dee would sign his reports to Queen Elizabeth I with a stylized “007” to indicate that the reports were for “her eyes only”.

24. Ubiquitous insurance spokeswoman FLO
Flo is a perky character featured in ads for Progressive Insurance. Flo is played by comedienne and actress Stephanie Courtney.

25. To whom reporters report: Abbr. EDS
Editors (eds.)

26. Dracula feature WIDOW’S PEAK
A widow’s peak is a distinct point in the hairline at the center of the forehead. The old belief was that the presence of such a feature in a woman was an omen of early widowhood.

“Dracula” is a novel written by the Irish author Bram Stoker, and first published in 1897. Dracula wasn’t the first vampire of literature, but he certainly was the one who spawned the popularity of vampires in theater, film and television, and indeed more novels. Personally, I can’t stand vampire fiction …

29. Simmons competitor SERTA
Serta was founded in 1931 when a group of 13 mattress manufacturers came together, essentially forming a cooperative. Today, the Serta company is owned by eight independent licensees in a similar arrangement.

The Simmons Bedding Company was founded in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1870 by Zalmon G. Simmons, although back then the factory produced wooden insulators and cheese boxes. Simmons made its first wire-woven mattresses in 1876.

31. Son of Isaac ESAU
Esau, was the grandson of Abraham and the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When Esau was born to Isaac and Rebekah, the event was described, “Now the first came forth, red all over like a hairy garment”. Esau is portrayed later in life as being very different from his brother, as a hunter and someone who loves the outdoor life.

40. Spider-Man nemesis Doc __ OCK
Otto Octavius is a supervillain in the comic book universe. Also known as Doctor Octopus, Octavius is primarily a foe of Spider-Man.

48. Mlle., in Monterrey SRTA
Señorita (Srta.) is Spanish, and mademoiselle (Mlle.), is French for “Miss”.

Monterrey is a Mexican city, the capital of the state of Nuevo Leon in the northeast of the country. Monterrey is the second largest city in Mexico in terms of area, but third largest in terms of population (the largest area city in the country is Mexico City, and the most populous are Mexico City and Guadalajara).

58. Senator Sanders of Vt., on ballots IND
Bernie Sanders is the junior US Senator from Vermont. Sanders describes himself as a democratic socialist, but appears on the ballot as an independent. He assumed office in 2007 and is now the longest-serving independent in the history of the US Congress.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “Find your own road” automaker SAAB
5. Bitter disagreement STRIFE
11. 26-Across download APP
14. Minuscule lake plant ALGA
15. Wee hr. FOUR AM
16. Dude BRO
17. RASPBERRY SOUND OF DERISION
20. Vampire’s bane STAKE
21. T-man, e.g. FED
22. Courageous GUTSY
23. Hermey of TV’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” e.g. ELF
25. Take out ERASE
26. BLACKBERRY WIRELESS DEVICE
32. Newtonian elements? FIGS
33. Is ready for business OPENS
34. Big runners EMUS
35. Bustle ADO
36. Natural resource ORE
37. Educational org. PTA
38. Chloé fragrance maker COTY
40. Good-sized chamber ensemble OCTET
42. Baseball family name ALOU
43. HUCKLEBERRY TWAIN CHARACTER
46. Goal line play SNEAK
47. Kitchen tool POT
48. Like wasted milk in Westminster SPILT
49. Its HQ is named for George Bush CIA
52. Schisms and chasms RIFTS
56. STRAWBERRY REDDISH SKIN MARK
59. __ kwon do TAE
60. Sherlock Holmes’ instrument VIOLIN
61. Small case ETUI
62. Wanted-poster letters AKA
63. Use EXPEND
64. Percolate SEEP

Down
1. Fresh answers, say SASS
2. Oodles A LOT
3. Lago contents AGUA
4. Ones showing varying amounts of interest? BANKERS
5. Facility about 350 miles NW of LAX SFO
6. Beau Brummel, for one TOFF
7. Brusque RUDE
8. Steamed IRED
9. Word with cry or out FAR
10. Future citizen, perhaps EMIGRE
11. Not particularly challenging A BIT SIMPLE
12. “Law & Order” figure PROSECUTOR
13. County fair mount PONY
18. Mark of rejection DELE
19. Like James Bond SUAVE
24. Ubiquitous insurance spokeswoman FLO
25. To whom reporters report: Abbr. EDS
26. Dracula feature WIDOW’S PEAK
27. Brainstorming cry I GOT AN IDEA!
28. Historical segment EPOCH
29. Simmons competitor SERTA
30. Show contempt SNEER
31. Son of Isaac ESAU
32. Fundamental of science FACT
39. Harvest output YIELD
40. Spider-Man nemesis Doc __ OCK
41. Select TAP
42. Occasionally AT TIMES
44. From around here NATIVE
45. Podiatrist’s concern CORN
48. Mlle., in Monterrey SRTA
49. Recipe verb CHOP
50. Cruise destination ISLE
51. Related AKIN
53. You’ve got it coming FATE
54. “No argument here” TRUE
55. Ignore SKIP
57. Pack quantity SIX
58. Senator Sanders of Vt., on ballots IND

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