CROSSWORD SETTER: Brad Wilber
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 11m 59s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Sedona and others KIAS
The Kia Sedona is a minivan that is also sold as the Kia Carnival.
5. Wok bottom coats OILS
“Wok” is a Cantonese word, the name for the frying pan now used in many Asian cuisines.
8. Moldavia, once: Abbr. SSR
My first thought about this clue was that the former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) was called “Moldova” and not “Moldavia”. However, it turns out that the term “Moldavia” was used as an alternative at times for the name of the SSR. Nowadays, “Moldavia” is used to describe a geographic and historical region lying partly in Romania and partly in Moldova.
9. Closed, for the most part AJAR
Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.
14. Image on Maine’s state flag MOOSE
Maine’s state flag features the state coat of arms on a blue background. The center of the shield depicts a moose resting under a pine tree, and the shield is supported by a farmer and seaman. The North Star sits atop the shield.
20. 18th/19th-century Neapolitan guerrilla __ Diavolo FRA
“Fra Diavolo” is the name given to a Neapolitan guerilla leader called Michele Pezza who resisted the French occupation of Naples at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. “Fra Diavolo” translates as “Brother Devil”. The nickname has nothing to do with his political rebellion and was given to Pezza when he was very young, as he was a naughty child.
21. Cameroon neighbor CHAD
The landlocked African country called Chad takes its name from the second largest wetland on the continent: Lake Chad.
The Republic of Cameroon is on the west coast of Africa. One of Cameroon’s claims to fame is having a great national soccer team, one that always seems to do well in the FIFA World Cup.
24. Hall of Fame quarterback Dawson LEN
Len Dawson is a retired AFL-NFL quarterback who played for the Kansas City Chiefs (originally the Dallas Texans).
25. “Something Wicked This Way Comes” novelist RAY BRADBURY
“Something Wicked This Way Comes” is a Ray Bradbury novel first published in 1962. The title is a quotation taken from William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, words spoken by one of the witches:
By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks.
29. Cap extensions EARLAPS
Earlaps (or ear flaps) might be attached to a cap.
30. Unlikely to come unglued STOIC
Zeno of Citium was a Greek philosopher famous for teaching at the Stoa Poikile, the “Painted Porch”, located on the north side of the Ancient Agora of Athens. Because of the location of his classes, his philosophy became known as stoicism (from “stoa”, the word for “porch”). And yes, we get our adjective “stoic” from the same root.
40. 1969 Tony nominee for Best Musical ZORBA
“Zorba” the musical (and “Zorba the Greek” the film) were adaptations of the 1952 novel “Zorba the Greek” by Nikos Kazantzakis. The 1964 film version stars Anthony Quinn in the title role, and Alan Bates. The movie is set and was filmed on location on the island of Crete, the home of author Kazantzakis.
41. Mideast rubber ALADDIN
Aladdin rubbed the lamp to make the genie appear.
“Aladdin” is a famous tale in the “Arabian Nights”, also called “The Book of One Thousand and One Nights”. However, there is no evidence at all that the story was in the original collection. It is generally believed that one Antoine Galland introduced the tale when he translated the “Arabian Nights” into French in the early 1700s.
45. Acorn-bearer with shallow roots PIN OAK
The pin oak is also called the swamp Spanish oak. The name “pin oak” may have been given because the tree has many small and slender twigs. The name may also come from the fact that the hard wood from the tree was traditionally used to make wooden pins used in building construction.
46. Deep-fried American Chinese dumpling dish CRAB RANGOON
Crab Rangoon is a deep-fried dumpling dish served in American Chinese and Thai restaurants. The dumplings are made by stuffing wonton wrapper with cream cheese, crab meat, scallions and garlic. The dish was invented in the US, although it is often claimed to be an authentic Burmese recipe, hence the “Rangoon” name.
48. Astoria-to-Salem dir. SSE
The city of Astoria, Oregon was started out as Fort Astoria in 1810. Fort Astoria was a fur-trading post built by John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company, hence the “Astoria” name.
Salem is the state capital of Oregon. It is thought that the city takes its name from the older city of Salem, Massachusetts.
49. Gentle blow ZEPHYR
A zephyr is a gentle breeze, traditionally a light wind from the west. The term comes from the Greek god of the west wind, who was called Zephyrus.
52. “I Got You Babe” record label ATCO
Atco Records is an American record label founded in 1955, taking its name from the parent company Atlantic Corporation.
“I Got You Babe” is a duet that was released in 1965 by Sonny & Cher. The lyrics and music for the song were written by Sonny Bono himself.
55. Memorable anticipator of 39-Across NOAH
According to the Book of Genesis, Noah lived to a ripe old age. Noah fathered his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth when he was 500 years old, and the Great Flood took place when he was 600.
58. Crucifix inscription INRI
The letters written on the cross on which Jesus died were “INRI”. INRI is an acronym for the Latin “Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum”, which translates into English as “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews”.
59. People who are tight SOTS
Our word “sot” comes from the Old English “sott”, meaning a fool. The word “sot” started to be associated with alcohol and not just foolery in the late 1500s.
Down
1. One of DC Comics’ Teen Titans KID FLASH
Kid Flash is a junior counterpart to the DC Comics superhero called “The Flash”. Kid Flash was one of several young superhero sidekicks who were introduced in the late fifties after the success of Batman’s faithful companion Robin.
5. Fred Astaire, for one OMAHAN
Fred Astaire’s real name was Frederick Austerlitz. Fred was from Omaha, Nebraska and before he made it big in movies, he was one half of a celebrated music hall act with his sister Adele. The pair were particularly successful in the UK, and Adele ended up marrying into nobility in England, taking the name Lady Charles Cavendish.
6. State in a “State Fair” song title IOWAY
“All I Owe Ioway” is as song from the 1945 musical film “State Fair”.
“State Fair” is a musical film by Rodgers and Hammerstein that was released in 1945. The “fair” in the storyline is the Iowa State Fair, in Des Moines.
9. Speedy exhortation ARRIBA!
When I was a kid, Speedy Gonzales was one of my favorite cartoon characters. He was billed as “The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico” and tore around the place yelling “¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! ¡Epa¡ ¡Epa! ¡Epa! Yeehaw!”
15. Short-lived English king of 1483 EDWARD V
When King Edward IV of England died in 1483, his 12-year-old son Prince Edward was his heir. The father had nominated his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester as Lord Protector of the Realm so that he could rule until his son came of age. Soon after young Edward started his reign, he was moved to the Tower of London along with his younger brother Richard, Duke of York. However, the young king only ruled for 86 days, as the Lord Protector arranged for himself to be declared the legitimate heir to the throne, and he was crowned Richard III. After Richard seized the throne, the two “Princes in the Tower” disappeared. Many believe that the brothers were murdered, probably on the orders of Richard III.
21. Saffron-yielding blooms CROCI
Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice by weight. The spice is derived from the saffron crocus. The spice itself is the dried stigma found in the flower of the plant.
23. Blood test initials HDL
HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is a compound that is used to transport fats around the body. When HDL is combined with (i.e. is transporting) cholesterol, it is often called “good cholesterol”. This is because HDL seems to remove cholesterol from where it should not be, say on the walls of arteries, and transports it to the liver for reuse or disposal. Important stuff …
LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is one of the compounds responsible for transporting fats around the body. When LDL is combined with cholesterol it can be referred to as “bad cholesterol”. This is because LDL actually transports cholesterol into the inner walls of blood vessels leading to atherosclerosis.
28. Salzburg pronoun SIE
“Sie” is a German word for “you”.
Salzburg is a city in Austria with a great musical tradition. Salzburg was the birthplace of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was also the setting for much of “The Sound of Music”.
31. NATO member since 1982 SPAIN
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded not long after WWII in 1949 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The first NATO Secretary General was Lord Ismay, Winston Churchill’s chief military assistant during WWII. Famously, Lord Ismay said the goal of NATO was “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”
33. Jane Austen’s “most disagreeable man in the world” MR DARCY
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy has to be one of the great romantic leads in English literature. He of course appears opposite Miss Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. There have been many (terrible) “sequels” written for “Pride and Prejudice”, but I have read one “spin off” that I heartily recommend if you’d like to explore the story of Elizabeth and Darcy some more. There is a three-part novel called “Fitzwilliam Darcy: Gentleman” written by Pamela Aidan and published in 2003-2005. Ms. Aiden does a great job retelling the story of “Pride and Prejudice”, but from Darcy’s perspective. It really is a great read, even for die-hard Austen fans …
34. You might subscribe to it via PayPal EZINE
An “ezine”, an online magazine.
PayPal is an e-commerce business that has been around since the year 2000, born out of a merger of two older companies: Confinity and X.com. PayPal performs payment processing for online vendors. The company was so successful that it was the first of the beleaguered dot.com companies to successfully complete an IPO after the attacks of 9/11. Then in 2002, PayPal was bought by eBay for a whopping $1.5 billion.
37. Jazz greats, maybe NBA STARS
The Utah Jazz professional basketball team moved to their current home in Salt Lake City in 1979. As one might guess from the name, the team originated in New Orleans, but only played there for five seasons. New Orleans was a tough place to be based because venues were hard to come by, and Mardi Gras forced the team to play on the road for a whole month.
45. Olive enthusiast POPEYE
Popeye first appeared in 1929 in a comic strip called “Thimble Theatre”. The strip, created by E. C. Segar, ran for ten years before Popeye made an appearance. Popeye received such a great welcome from readers that he soon “took over” the strip, and eventually even hogged the strip’s title. Before Popeye turned up Olive Oyl was the main character.
46. Moguls CZARS
The term czar (also tsar) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. “Czar” is derived from the word “Caesar”, which was synonymous with “emperor” at that time.
A “mogul” is a person with power. The term comes from the Mughal emperors of India and South Asia.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Sedona and others KIAS
5. Wok bottom coats OILS
9. Closed, for the most part AJAR
13. Digging INTO
14. Image on Maine’s state flag MOOSE
16. Function ROLE
17. “Yer __ tootin’!” DURN
18. Bestow AWARD
19. Liturgy RITE
20. 18th/19th-century Neapolitan guerrilla __ Diavolo FRA
21. Cameroon neighbor CHAD
22. Complained WHINED
24. Hall of Fame quarterback Dawson LEN
25. “Something Wicked This Way Comes” novelist RAY BRADBURY
27. Does some 32-Across, perhaps ADDS ON
29. Cap extensions EARLAPS
30. Unlikely to come unglued STOIC
31. Golfer’s challenge SAND
32. Reason for a loan HOME IMPROVEMENT
39. Word with check or date RAIN
40. 1969 Tony nominee for Best Musical ZORBA
41. Mideast rubber ALADDIN
45. Acorn-bearer with shallow roots PIN OAK
46. Deep-fried American Chinese dumpling dish CRAB RANGOON
48. Astoria-to-Salem dir. SSE
49. Gentle blow ZEPHYR
50. Remove WIPE
51. Give-go link IT A
52. “I Got You Babe” record label ATCO
53. Heavy lifter CRANE
55. Memorable anticipator of 39-Across NOAH
56. Surf phenomenon ROAR
57. Having more yellow than usual YOLKY
58. Crucifix inscription INRI
59. People who are tight SOTS
60. Further ELSE
61. Head-turner PSST!
Down
1. One of DC Comics’ Teen Titans KID FLASH
2. No longer fazed by INURED TO
3. Willy-nilly AT RANDOM
4. Family address SON
5. Fred Astaire, for one OMAHAN
6. State in a “State Fair” song title IOWAY
7. You must keep it up throughout 32-Across LOAD-BEARING WALL
8. Moldavia, once: Abbr. SSR
9. Speedy exhortation ARRIBA!
10. Enlist JOIN UP
11. Takes in or lets out ALTERS
12. Not robust, vocally REEDY
15. Short-lived English king of 1483 EDWARD V
21. Saffron-yielding blooms CROCI
23. Blood test initials HDL
26. Monopolized the conversation RAN ON
28. Salzburg pronoun SIE
31. NATO member since 1982 SPAIN
33. Jane Austen’s “most disagreeable man in the world” MR DARCY
34. You might subscribe to it via PayPal EZINE
35. Many a fed. holiday MON
36. Canyon formers EROSIONS
37. Jazz greats, maybe NBA STARS
38. Suffer financially TAKE A HIT
41. Bit of schoolyard backtalk ARE TOO!
42. One getting strokes, in a good way LAP CAT
43. Can’t tolerate ABHORS
44. Uninspiring DRY
45. Olive enthusiast POPEYE
46. Moguls CZARS
47. Farmyard chorus OINKS
54. Ocean delicacy ROE
55. Chill NIP