Day: November 7, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Chronicles ANNALS
“Annal” is a rarely used word, the singular of the more common “annals”. An annal would be the recorded events of one year, with annals being the chronological record of events in successive years. The term “annal” comes from the Latin “annus” meaning “year”.

10. Double Down sandwich maker KFC
The famous “Colonel” of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame was Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur from Henryville, Indiana. Although not really a “Colonel”, Sanders did indeed serve in the military. He enlisted in the Army as a private in 1906 at the age of 16, lying about his age. He spent the whole of his time in the Army as a soldier in Cuba. It was much later, in the 1930s, that Sanders went into the restaurant business making his specialty deep-fried chicken. By 1935 his reputation as a “character” had grown, so much so that Governor Ruby Laffoon of Kentucky gave Sanders the honorary title of “Kentucky Colonel”. Later in the fifties, Sanders developed his trademark look with the white suit, string tie, mustache and goatee. When Sanders was 65 however, his business failed and in stepped Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s. Thomas simplified the Sanders menu, cutting it back from over a hundred items to just fried chicken and salads. That was enough to launch KFC into the fast food business. Sanders sold the US franchise in 1964 for just $2 million and moved to Canada to grow KFC north of the border. He died in 1980 and is buried in Louisville, Kentucky. The Colonel’s secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices is indeed a trade secret. Apparently there is only one copy of the recipe, a handwritten piece of paper, written in pencil and signed by Colonel Sanders. Since 2009, the piece of paper has been locked in a computerized vault surrounded with motion detectors and security cameras.

14. She-bear, in Sevilla OSA
The city of Seville is the capital of Andalusia in southern Spain. Seville is a favored setting for many operas including “The Barber of Seville” by Rossini, “Fidelio” by Beethoven and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and “The Marriage of Figaro”.

15. Gang leader? OUR
Hal Roach made a whole series of comedy shorts with “The Little Rascals”, also known as “Our Gang”. This very likable bunch of kids included Spanky and his kid brother, Porky. Porky had a speech impediment so he couldn’t pronounce “Okay, Spanky” very clearly and it came out as “Otay, Panky”.

20. When Iago acquires Desdemona’s handkerchief ACT III
Iago is the schemer in Shakespeare’s “Othello”. Iago is a soldier who fought alongside Othello and feels hard done by, missing out on promotion. He hatches a plot designed to discredit his rival Cassio by insinuating that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona, Othello’s wife. By the end of the play it’s Iago himself who is discredited and Othello (before committing suicide) apologizes to Cassio for having believed Iago’s lies. Heavy stuff …

21. Apple’s Tim Cook, e.g. CEO
Tim Cook has been Apple’s CEO since 2011, when he succeeded Steve Jobs. Cook had joined the company back in 1998 as senior vice president in charge of worldwide operations.

25. With 49-Across, motto for Jessica Fletcher? SHE SNOOPS
[49A. See 25-Across TO CONQUER (from “she stoops to conquer”)]
Jessica Fletcher is the lead character in the television show “Murder, She Wrote”. Jessica was played by veteran actress Angela Lansbury.

“She Stoops to Conquer” is a play by Irish author Oliver Goldsmith. It is a comedy that was first performed in 1773, and is still performed regularly today. The title refers to the strategy adopted by one of the characters to reach her goal. The respectable MIss Kate Hardcastle pretends to be a barmaid in order to win the heart of Charles Marlow i.e. Kate “stoops” to conquer Charles.

27. “Hopelessly Devoted to You” musical GREASE
“Hopelessly Devoted” is a song written for the musical version of “Grease”, and which does not appear in the original stage musical. The song was written especially for Olivia Newton-John as her contract entitled her a vocal solo piece.

30. Pampas rider GAUCHO
A “gaucho” is someone who lives in the South American pampas, the fertile lowlands in the southeast of South America. The term “gaucho” is also used as the equivalent of our “cowboy”.

35. 13 for Al, e.g. AT NO
he first name given to the metallic element derived from the mineral alumina was “alumium”. This name was coined by Humphry Davy in 1808. The ore was named “alumina” from the Latin “alumen” meaning “bitter salt”. Davy changed the name of element from “alumium” to “aluminum” in 1812, but this was immediately challenged by his colleagues and the alternative “aluminium” started to be cited that very same year. Today, both “aluminum” and “aluminium” are accepted, with “aluminum” being used mainly in North America and “aluminium” being used in the rest of the world.

36. Chuckles over a small kitty? POT SNICKERS (from “pot stickers”)
The “pot” in a card game has been referred to as the “kitty” since the 1880s. It’s not certain how the name “kitty” evolved but possibly it came from “kit”, the necessary equipment for the game.

39. Mensch lead-in UBER-
Ubermensch is an aspirational concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Translating from German as “above-human”, Nietzsche suggested that Ubermensch is a goal for humanity to set itself.

42. Commercial center PLAZA
“Plaza” is the Spanish word for “square, place”.

44. Skewered fare KEBABS
The name “kebab” (also “kabob”) covers a wide variety of meat dishes that originated in Persia. In the West, we usually use “kebab” when talking about shish kebab, which is meat (often lamb) served on a skewer. “Shish” comes from the Turkish word for “skewer”.

54. Malted ingredient SYRUP
Walgreens claims to have introduced the malted milkshake, in 1922.

56. Beaverlike rodent NUTRIA
The river rat, also known as the coypu or nutria, is a native of South America, although is now found all over the word as an invasive species. The river rat was introduced into locations outside of South America by ranchers who farmed them for their fur.

58. Apple or pear POME
The Latin word for “fruit” is “pomum”, which gives us the botanical term “pome” that is used for a group of fleshy fruits, including apples and pears.

62. Bromide, e.g. ION
A bromide is a compound containing a bromide ion i.e. a bromine atom with a singular negative charge. Potassium bromide was commonly used as a sedative in the 19th century, and this led to our use of the term “bromide” to mean “boring cliché” or “verbal sedative”.

63. “The Soul of a Butterfly” memoirist ALI
“The Soul of a Butterfly” is a 2004 autobiography of former heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali.

Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame for the 1996 games in Atlanta? Ali was presented with a gold medal during those ’96 Games, a replacement for the medal he won at the 1960 Olympics. He had thrown the original into the Ohio River as a gesture of disgust after being refused service at a “whites only” restaurant.

66. Society page word NEE
“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.

Down
3. “Uncle!” NO MORE!
To “say uncle” is an American expression meaning to submit or yield. Its usage dates back to the early 1900s, but nobody seems to know how “uncle!” came to mean “stop!”

4. Activist/heiress Hearst AMANDA
Amanda Hearst is an heiress to the fortune left by the news mogul William Randolph Hearst. Amanda founded the Friends of Finn organization, which looks out for the interests of dogs in puppy mills.

5. Jeremy of the Lakers LIN
Jeremy Lin is a professional basketball player who was raised in the city of Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lin is the first American of Chinese descent to play in the NBA.

6. “Homicide: Life on the Street” actor Jon SEDA
Jon Seda plays Detective Paul Falsone on the cop show “Homicide: Life on the Street”. I remember Seda for playing Marine John Basilone on “The Pacific”, the followup to “Band of Brothers”.

10. Kitchy-__ KOO
“Kitchy-kitchy-koo” is a taunt uttered while tickling someone.

17. Lenovo IdeaCentres, e.g. PCS
IdeaCentre is a line of desktop computers made by Lenovo since 2008.

Lenovo is a Chinese manufacturer of computers. The company is very successful, and sold more personal computers in 2013 than any other vendor worldwide.

18. Lowest stripe NINE
In a game of eight-ball pool, the solid-colored balls are numbered 1 through 7, and the striped balls are numbered 9 through 15. The “eight-ball” is solid black in color.

The more correct name for the game of pool is pocket billiards. The name “pool” came after pocket billiards became a common feature in “pool halls”, places where gamblers “pooled” their money to bet on horse races.

22. Akershus Fortress city OSLO
Akershus Fortress is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital of Oslo that has been used since the 1290s. The fortress has been modernized several times over the centuries, and has never been captured by a foreign enemy. That said, Akershus was handed over without a fight when the Nazis took over Norway in WWII. After the war, the famous Norwegian traitor Vidkun Quisling was executed by firing squad in Akershus Fortress.

24. U.S. Army E-6 SSGT
Staff sergeant (SSgt)

26. Co-star of Hugh on “House” OMAR
Omar Epps is the actor who played Eric Foreman on the excellent television series “House”. Prior to playing Dr. Foreman, Epps had a recurring role playing Dr. Dennis Grant on “ER”. And, in another link to the world of medicine, Epps was born in Savannah, Georgia to single mom, Dr. Bonnie Epps.

I think that “House” is one of the best shows made by Fox television. It is fun for me to see English actor Hugh Laurie in the title role as coming from the other side of the Atlantic I have been watching him in various comedic roles for decades. Famously he played Bertie Wooster opposite Stephen Fry in P.G. Wodehouse’s “Jeeves & Wooster”, as well as one of the bumbling “bad guys” in “101 Dalmatians” (the version starring Glenn Close).

31. 108-card game UNO
In my youth I remember being taught a great card game by a German acquaintance of mine called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that’s used for Mau Mau. I hear that Mau Mau is derived from the game called Crazy Eights.

32. 1955 labor merger gp. CIO
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers, making it one of the first federations of unions in the country. Led by Gompers, the AFL became dominated by craft unions, unions representing skilled workers of particular disciplines. In the early thirties, John L. Lewis led a movement within the AFL to organize workers by industry, believing this would be more effective for the members. But the craft unions refused to budge, so Lewis set up a rival federation of unions in 1932 called the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). The two federations became bitter rivals for over two decades until finally merging in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO.

33. Gastric acid component, to a chemist HCL
Gastric acid is produced by cells lining the stomach, and is composed of hydrochloric acid (HCl), potassium chloride (KCl) and sodium chloride (NaCl). Other cells lining the stomach produce bicarbonate to ensure the contents of the stomach do not become too acidic. Those same cell also produce mucus that lines the stomach wall to protect it from the acid.

36. Antiwar organization based in Tel Aviv PEACE NOW
Peace Now is an organization based in Israel that advocates a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Peace Now was formed in 1978 after 348 Israeli reserve officers and soldiers published an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for a negotiated settlement to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine.

37. Rice-shaped pasta ORZO
Orzo is pasta that has been formed into granular shapes, much like barley. And indeed, “orzo” is the Italian word for “barley”.

43. __ of Cleves ANNE
Anne of Cleves was the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. It seems that Anne’s arranged marriage to Henry was doomed from the day the two met soon after she arrived in England. Henry just wasn’t attracted to her, but the couple went ahead with the wedding. The marriage was annulled six months later on the grounds that it had not been consummated. Anne lived the rest of her life in England, and in fact outlived Henry’s five other wives.

47. “Sorry, dude” BUMMER
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.

50. Arabic religious text QUR’AN
The Koran is also known as the Qur’an in English, a transliteration of the Arabic name for the holy text of the Muslim faith. The literal translation of “Koran” is “the recitation”.

52. Els with tees ERNIE
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.

60. Roxy Music co-founder ENO
Brian Eno was one of the pioneers of the “ambient” genre of music. Eno composed an album in 1978 called “Ambient 1: Music for Airports”, the first in a series of four albums with an ambient theme. Eno named the tracks somewhat inventively: 1/1, 2/1, 2/1 and 2/2.

61. #4 at Boston Garden ORR
Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Chronicles ANNALS
7. File extension TAB
10. Double Down sandwich maker KFC
13. Space-sharing bud ROOMIE
14. She-bear, in Sevilla OSA
15. Gang leader? OUR
16. Why the kids can hardly sleep at night? MOM AND POP SNORE (from “mom and pop store”)
19. Privy to IN ON
20. When Iago acquires Desdemona’s handkerchief ACT III
21. Apple’s Tim Cook, e.g. CEO
23. Some intellectuals NERDS
25. With 49-Across, motto for Jessica Fletcher? SHE SNOOPS
27. “Hopelessly Devoted to You” musical GREASE
29. Net letters EMAIL
30. Pampas rider GAUCHO
35. 13 for Al, e.g. AT NO
36. Chuckles over a small kitty? POT SNICKERS (from “pot stickers”)
39. Mensch lead-in UBER-
41. How some bars may be set TOO LOW
42. Commercial center PLAZA
44. Skewered fare KEBABS
49. See 25-Across TO CONQUER (from “she stoops to conquer”)
54. Malted ingredient SYRUP
55. Come up short OWE
56. Beaverlike rodent NUTRIA
58. Apple or pear POME
59. Acerbic opinion piece? SNEERING COLUMN (from “steering column”)
62. Bromide, e.g. ION
63. “The Soul of a Butterfly” memoirist ALI
64. Took out ERASED
65. Couple TWO
66. Society page word NEE
67. Source of much salon noise DRYERS

Down
1. Preparing for combat ARMING
2. Lunchtime meeting NOONER
3. “Uncle!” NO MORE!
4. Activist/heiress Hearst AMANDA
5. Jeremy of the Lakers LIN
6. “Homicide: Life on the Street” actor Jon SEDA
7. Zipper part TOOTH
8. Easy __ AS PIE
9. Underpinnings BASIS
10. Kitchy-__ KOO
11. Valuables often stored FUR COATS
12. Enter surreptitiously CREEP IN
17. Lenovo IdeaCentres, e.g. PCS
18. Lowest stripe NINE
22. Akershus Fortress city OSLO
24. U.S. Army E-6 SSGT
26. Co-star of Hugh on “House” OMAR
28. Captain’s heading EAST
31. 108-card game UNO
32. 1955 labor merger gp. CIO
33. Gastric acid component, to a chemist HCL
34. “I heard you the first 10 times” OK OK
36. Antiwar organization based in Tel Aviv PEACE NOW
37. Rice-shaped pasta ORZO
38. Pastoral moms EWES
39. Not more than UP TO
40. Fails utterly BLOWS IT
43. __ of Cleves ANNE
45. Action on the side BYPLAY
46. Shake awake AROUSE
47. “Sorry, dude” BUMMER
48. Whiles away SPENDS
50. Arabic religious text QUR’AN
51. Functional UTILE
52. Els with tees ERNIE
53. Oil facility RIG
57. Got 100 on, say ACED
60. Roxy Music co-founder ENO
61. #4 at Boston Garden ORR

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